Education
Maintenon agreed to help on the condition that Françoise Charlotte would be raised how Maintenon wished and would marry who Maintenon chose for her.
Maintenon agreed to help on the condition that Françoise Charlotte would be raised how Maintenon wished and would marry who Maintenon chose for her.
She was the niece of Françoise d'Aubigné, Madame de Maintenon, and her heiress. Françoise Charlotte was the only child of Charles d'Aubigné and Geneviève Piètre, who were married on 23 February 1678. As a result, Madame de Maintenon was later to make her brother's only child the heir to the Maintenon estate which she had owned since 1674.
The wedding occurred on 31 March 1698 when she was aged 13 and he was approaching 20. Anne-Jules, the 2nd duc de Noailles, died in 1708 and then Adrien Maurice became the 3rd Duke of Noailles with Françoise Charlotte as his duchess. Later in 1718, after the death of Madame de Maintenon, she inherited the Château de Maintenon and her aunt's wealth, as promised.
Thus, from very humble beginnings, Françoise Charlotte rose to the upper levels of French society. Their two sons Louis, and Philippe, also went on to become marshals of France. The younger son, Philippe, was executed in the French Revolution in 1794, whereas Louis avoided this fate by dying in 1793 before the Reign of Terror was fully underway.
Others included the Duke of Éstrées, great-nephew of Gabrielle d'Estrées, a mistress of King Henri IV. Her descendants include Hélie, Duke of Noailles. Others include Adrienne de Noailles, wife of the famous marquis de Lafayette. Philippe, King of the Belgians also descended maternally from Françoise Charlotte.
Françoise Adélaide de Noailles (1 September 1704 – January 1776), married Charles de Lorraine in 1717, son of Louis of Lorraine, Count of Armagnac and had no issue. Divorced in 1721;
Amable Gabrielle de Noailles (18 February 1706 – September 1742), married Honoré Armand de Villars and had one daughter, Amable Angélique de Villars. Amable Angélique may have been the daughter of le chevalier d'Orléans, whose mistress was Amable Gabrielle;
Louis de Noailles, Duke of Ayen, "Duke of Noailles" (21 April 1713 – 22 August 1793), married Catherine Françoise Charlotte de Cossé-Brissac and had issue;
Marie Anne Françoise de Noailles (12 January 1719 – 29 June 1793), married in 1744 Ludwig Engelbert de La Marck (1701–1773), Count of Schleiden.
Titles and styles
5 May 1684 - 31 March 1698 Françoise Charlotte d'Aubigné
31 March 1698 - 2 October 1708 the Countess of Ayen (Madame la comtesse d'Ayen)
2 October 1708 - 6 October 1739 the Duchess of Noailles (Madame la duchesse de Noailles).
Madame de Maintenon arranged the marriage of Françoise Charlotte with a member of the powerful House of Noailles.