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Revision as of 11:03, 5 May 2006 by Eskimbot (talk | contribs) (robot Modifying: fr)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Marie Angélique de Scorailles de Roussille, duchesse de Fontanges (1661–1681), one of the many paramours of King Louis XIV of France, was a lady in waiting to Maria Theresa of Spain who caught the attention of the King and became his lover in 1679.
Mlle de Fontanges was reportedly very pretty, although not very clever. The King made her both a duchess and pregnant. She gave birth to a still-born child while she herself was seriously ill. Afterwards she left the court for a convent, although by then the atmosphere at court was such that many people believed Françoise-Athénaïs, marquise de Montespan had had her poisoned. Mlle de Fontanges died in June 1681 in Port-Royal.
The fontange, a headdress worn by women in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, was named after Mlle de Fontanges. It is said that she tied her hair up with a ribbon after losing her cap while horseback riding. The king liked the look and it soon became fashionable.