Marie Catherine de Senecey née de La Rochefoucauld (1588–1677) was a French courtier. She served as '' Première dame d'honneur'' to the queen of France,

Anne of Austria Anne of Austria (; ; born Ana María Mauricia; 22 September 1601 – 20 January 1666) was Queen of France from 1615 to 1643 by marriage to King Louis XIII. She was also Queen of Navarre until the kingdom's annexation into the French crown ...

, from 1626 until 1638, and royal governess to king

Louis XIV of France LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

and his brother from 1643 until 1646.

Life

Marie-Catherine de Senecey was the daughter of Jean Louis de La Rochefoucauld,

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

of Randan. She married Henri de Bauffremont, Marquis of Senecey (1577–1622), in 1607, and was thereafter known as Marquise de Senecey. In 1626, she was appointed ''

Dame d'atour ''Dame d'atour'' () was an office at the royal court of France. It existed in nearly all French courts from the 16th-century onward. The ''dame d'honneur'' was selected from the members of the highest French nobility. They were ranked between th ...

'' to queen Anne, and when Charlotte de Lannoy died later that year, she was promoted to succeed her as '' Première dame d'honneur'', and was herself succeeded as ''Dame d'atour'' by Madeleine du Fargis. She was well liked by queen Anne, and loyal to the queen before

Cardinal Richelieu Armand Jean du Plessis, 1st Duke of Richelieu (9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), commonly known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a Catholic Church in France, French Catholic prelate and statesman who had an outsized influence in civil and religi ...

. In 1638, the king relieved her from her office and banished her from court for being in opposition to Cardinal Richelieu, and for having encouraged Louise de La Fayette to enter a convent.Kleinman, Ruth: Anne of Austria. Queen of France. . Ohio State University Press (1985) When Anne became regent in 1643, she recalled Madame de Senecey to court and appointed her to replace Françoise de Lansac as royal governess and her daughter Marie-Claire de Fleix to replace Catherine de Brassac as '' Première dame d'honneur''. In March 1661, Louis XIV created the Duchy of Randan and made her the first duchess of Randan as a recognition of her services.

Children

# Marie Claire de Bauffremont (July 11, 1618– July 29, 1680) married Jean Baptiste Gaston de Foix, Count of Fleix and had children.

References

* Harry Ashton,
Madame de La Fayette: sa vie et ses œuvres
' * Musée national de Versailles,
Notice historique des peintures et des sculptures du palais de Versailles
' * Kleinman, Ruth: Anne of Austria. Queen of France. . Ohio State University Press (1985) {{DEFAULTSORT:Senecey, Marie-Catherine de 1588 births 1677 deaths 17th-century French people 17th-century French women 16th-century French people 16th-century French women French ladies-in-waiting Ladies-in-waiting Governesses to the Children of France Court of Louis XIV Court of Louis XIII Household of Anne of Austria House of La Rochefoucauld French marchionesses French suo jure nobility