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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.
Mistress to a king, untimely death
Mlle de Fontanges was very pretty as reflected in art from the day, although not very clever. The King made her both a duchess and pregnant. She gave birth to a stillborn 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 that Françoise-Athénaïs, marquise de Montespan 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.