Palace Politics
His first ministry was headed by Louis Henri, Duke of Bourbon, who was displaced by the king's tutor, Cardinal André de Fleury, in 1725, and on the latter's death in 1743, Louis assumed personal control of the government.
In practice the king's mistresses exercised an influence in selecting or removing his ministers of state. The most famous of Louis's mistresses were the sisters of Mailly-Nesle (four of the five sisters were king's mistresses, notably Louise-Julie, Comtesse de Mailly from 1738 to 1742 and Marie Anne, Duchesse de Châteauroux in 1743-44); Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour (called Madame de Pompadour, the official mistress from 1745 to 1764); and Marie Jeanne Bécu, Comtesse du Barry (official mistress from 1768 until the king's death in 1774). The status of maîtresse-en-titre was a court position that was sometimes retained even if the king and his mistress ceased being physical lovers. For instance, Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour ended their sexual relationship after 1750 but she remained his official mistress for fourteen more years, until her death. To secure her position, she managed to always provide herself a lot of occasional young mistresses to satisfy the king. The most famous was the French-Irish Marie-Louise O'Murphy, who after two years as the king's young lover, made the fatal mistake of trying to unseat Madame de Pompadour and supplant her as favorite. This resulted in O'Murphy's banishment from the court.
The Triumvirate arose in 1771, when Louis XV banished Étienne François, duc de Choiseul, Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1758, and reshuffled the cabinet. René Nicolas de Maupeou was appointed Chancellor of France and Minister of Justice, Joseph Marie Terray became Minister of Finance, and Emmanuel-Armand de Richelieu, duc d'Aiguillon, Minister for Foreign Affairs. They fought against the Parlements and had the judiciary run by the Council of State. Louis XVI restored the Parlements and removed the triumvirs from their posts.
Throughout the second half of his reign, Louis XV experienced opposition and intrigue from his children, particularly his son Louis (the dauphin) and his eldest surviving daughter Adélaïde. Fortunately for the king, this intrigue of family politics took place within the environs of Versailles, an environment that was under his control. Louis XV was able to use this palatial space to oversee and counter his children's politics and intrigues. Louis XV communicated his satisfaction and displeasure within the transformations he made at Versailles.
Read more about this topic: Louis XV Of France
Famous quotes containing the words palace and/or politics:
“The youth gets together his materials to build a bridge to the moon, or perchance, a palace or temple on the earth, and, at length, the middle-aged man concludes to build a woodshed with them.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“They who have been bred in the school of politics fail now and always to face the facts. Their measures are half measures and makeshifts merely. They put off the day of settlement, and meanwhile the debt accumulates.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)