No Happy Ending: The Story of the Real Angélique, Marquise of the Angels

But there was a girl who lived in Versailles, who could be the Marquise des Anges who inspired writers. Almost certainly, Serge encountered his biography at the library while working on the historical texture of his works.

Marie-Angélique de Scorail de Roussil was born in the family of the governor of Auvergne in 1661. From childhood, the girl was distinguished by incredible beauty: a pretty face, a chiseled figure, magnificent hair, large eyes expressive…

It was her cousin the Comte de Peyre who suggested sending Angélique to court. The relative immediately understood: here it is, his lucky ticket! The aristocrat falls out of favor with Louis XIV and dreams of regaining his favor. The young beauty seemed to him the best gift to the king you can think of.

The count’s calculations were justified: the monarch immediately noticed Angelica. She arrived in Paris in 1678, and already in 1979 she became the favorite of the “Sun King”, repelling even the Marquis de Montespan, who gave birth to seven children from Louis. The “Angel” accompanied the ruler everywhere – they even wore clothes of the same style.

At court, Angelica is not taken seriously: the naive young provincial is considered stupid and her “downfall” is expected to be imminent. It really happened soon – but not at all because of the spirit of the girl.

In 1679, Angelica gave birth to a dead child of Louis, and in the same year she received the title of Duchess of Fontange and the right to sit in the presence of the king – usually these honors went to a favorite who has received a resignation. But Angelica was not worried about her position: the girl, despite her young age, was getting worse.

In 1680, she asked for permission to leave the capital and obtained it. One of the ladies of the court wrote that Angélique’s departure had been arranged with pomp and still looked sad: Louis’ ex-lover had lost all his beauty and looked deeply ill.

The young girl will never recover: in 1681, she dies in the monastery of Port-Royal. Rumor has it that Madame de Montespan poisoned Angelica, but modern doctors believe that is not the case: autopsy protocols describe the classic picture of pleurisy – the lungs, according to doctors at the time, are “full of pus”.

The real Angélique therefore lived only 20 years, and her only adventure was a fleeting love for the king, who forgot the favorite as soon as she left Paris.