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Catherine Bellier

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For French athlete, see Catherine Beauvais (athlete).
A grotesque face in the main courtyard of the Hotel de Beauvais, reputedly a portrait of Catherine Bellier

Catherine-Henriette Bellier, baroness de Beauvais (Poitou, 1614 – 7 June 1689 in Arrou), was a French courtier, the first mistress of king Louis XIV of France.

Biography

She was the daughter of Martin Bellier, married baron Pierre de Beauvais and became lady in waiting to the French queen Anne of Austria. She is described as intelligent, plotting and a trusted companion of the queen dowager regent. Despite being described as ugly, she had several love affairs, such as the one with the arch bishop of Sens. Bellier was entrusted by the queen dowager with the task to provide the fourteen-year-old king with sexual education by seducing him and deprive him of his virginity in 1652. Their sexual relationship lasted for two years, after which she was awarded by the queen dowager with an estate and a pension.

Legacy

She constructed the Hotel de Beauvais in the Marais in Paris.

She is portrayed by Valérie Thoumire in the French-produced television series drama Versailles.

Sources

L'Hôtel de Beauvais, hrsgg. von der Association pour la Sauvegarde et la Mise en valeur du Paris historique, Paris o.J.

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