Pompadour, Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de, known as Madame de Pompadour 1721-64
French courtier and mistress

Born in Paris, possibly the child of Le Normant de Tournehem, a wealthy fermier-g�n�ral, she was married in 1741 to his nephew, Le Normant d'�tiales. She caught the attention of King Louis XV, and was installed at Versailles and ennobled as Marquise de Pompadour. For 20 years she made her own favourites ministers of France and swayed the policy of the state, but Louis XV took the decisions. Her policy and wars were disastrous (the loss of Canada was blamed on her), and the ministry of the Duc de Choiseul was the only creditable portion of the reign. With Louis, she founded the �cole Militaire, the Place Louis XV (Place de la Concorde) and the royal porcelain factory at S�vres, and was a lavish patron of poets and painters. She retained the king's favour by relieving him of all business and countenancing his debaucheries. Her M�moires (1766) are not genuine.

Bibliography: Nancy Mitford, Madame de Pompadour (1964)