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The Lady of Beauty and Nudity
Agnès Sorel, the first official royal mistress who scandalized the French court
Mistresses influenced the French court in a manner unmatched in other European kingdoms. In the French court, a mistress was expected and accepted, like any other position in the King’s favor. The role of the official mistress, who ruled the king and by extension, his kingdom, was first filled by Agnès Sorel.
Agnès was born in 1422 and her early life and origins is lost to history. When she was around twenty years old, she was somehow introduced to King Charles VII of France. At first, she served as a lady in waiting to Charles’ wife, Marie d’Anjou. Charles became enamored with Agnès and gave her the Chateau de Loches as her own personal residence. Not only was the king attracted to her beauty, he relied on her for support. Charles had a melancholic personality, and Agnès was the only person able to help Charles endure the horror of his depressive periods.
Agnès was recognized by the Court as Charles’ mistress, and given the title of maîtresse-en-titre, making her the first official mistress recorded in French royal history. What made Agnès…
