71:
157:
133:
breaking with them if they so much as mentioned it". The two statements are not incompatible, as
Bontemps was in a position to ask favours from ministers and other powerbrokers. He says Bontemps was "rough and brusque in manner, yet respectful and always in his place.... His only skill lay in serving his master, and he was wholly intent on that... influential for the past fifty years, and with the Court at his feet." He once greatly amused Louis, when asked how his wife was, by "replying mechanically with a shrug".
20:
125:
anecdotes have him arranging the marriage to an obscure country nobleman of an illegitimate daughter of Louis who, unlike many, he did not choose to acknowledge officially, and, in Louis's earlier years, leading a minor mistress enveloped in a cloak up the back stairs to the King's study for her assignation; the king having put the key on the outside of the door.
172:, always great nobles, against the more menial aspects of the role. Once established, the valets expanded in number and importance, somewhat at the Gentlemen's expense. One of their number was always a few steps from the King wherever he went, and the four Premiers, rotating quarterly, were alone able to, and presumably did, sleep at the foot of the royal bed.
102:. He was thus a key figure in maintaining the security of the King, and managing his household. The Governorships of Versailles and Marly had been given to him in 1665 after the death of Jérôme Blouin (1610-1665), then the senior head-valet, and passed to Blouin's son in turn when Bontemps died. He was also a member of the
124:
speaks of "royal coaches (the kind without armorial bearings on the harness, such as
Bontemps used for the King's private missions)" and says that "all the secret orders, the private audiences, the sealed letters to and from the King, in fact all the mysteries passed through his hands". Saint-Simon
132:
wrote that part of his success with Louis came from never asking him for favours, although Saint-Simon says that he "loved procuring favours solely for the pleasure of it ... great numbers of people, some of them highly placed, owed their fortunes to him, and he was modest almost to the point of
115:
He seems to have been an amiable figure, entirely devoted to Louis, who in turn trusted him as he did few others. He was twelve years older than the King. He was one of a small handful of witnesses to the secret second marriage of Louis to
85:
before becoming a
Premier Valet in 1643. Alexandre succeeded him on his death in 1659, dying in office in 1701, by which time he was a count and marquis, holding several key offices controlling both the palaces and towns of
222:
in the centre of Paris, with thirty rooms and a staff of twelve. According to Saint-Simon, he copied his master with a secret second marriage to the mother of La Roche, head-valet to Louis's grandson,
128:
He emerges better than most from the
Memoirs of Saint-Simon, whose father had been a friend of Bontemps. Saint-Simon asked him for advice on important issues, using him sparingly. The memoirist
58:("First valet of the king's bedchamber") in uninterrupted succession between 1643 and 1766, when an early death, leaving no successor, broke the line. There were four head or Premier
503:
202:
and
Premier valet did the work, whilst the First Gentleman of the bedchamber (rotating annually among the four holders) had "the command of the room" (
117:
51:, respected and feared for his exceptional access to the King. He was the second of a sequence of five Bontemps to hold the position of
227:. The children of his first marriage married very well, and two generations later a Bontemps married an illegitimate son of the last
218:
Apart from a large apartment in the palace, and a separate house in
Versailles, Bontemps had a "hôtel particulier" (townhouse) on the
547:
206:). However, Saint-Simon explains carefully that if the First Gentleman of the year was absent, the Premier valet of the quarter was
583:
578:
553:
121:
608:
240:
148:
or
Governor of Versailles, his control extended to the whole town outside the palaces, where many courtiers had houses.
544:
433:
129:
511:
210:
of the ceremony, attended daily by about a hundred of the greatest courtiers – a significant point of prestige.
231:, a cadet branch of the Royal Family. Others married into the largest banking families in France. There is
467:
613:
199:
169:
312:, more important than it might sound to a modern ear, was an essential part of the royal household, the
244:
603:
376:
168:
The office of head valet dated back to a historically unwise complaint some generations back by the
232:
136:
He used the Swiss Guards stationed around the
Palaces and gardens to report on the behaviour of
289:, where the player takes the part of a junior valet helping him to thwart a plot at Versailles.
271:
109:
267:
598:
593:
260:
161:
87:
82:
48:
8:
379:, also involved with the lady, had locked the door and hidden himself and the key in the
327:
44:
191:
24:
236:
219:
588:
540:
429:
277:
224:
141:
99:
228:
156:
75:
70:
59:
285:
39:
308:
104:
54:
572:
383:
opposite, from where he watched the ensuing frustrations SS Memoirs:III;463-4
314:
248:
565:
This article is partly sourced from the French
Knowledge article "Bontemps".
380:
91:
426:
A Lust for Virtue: Louis XIV's Attack on Sin in
Seventeenth-Century France
62:, of whom Bontemps became the most senior in 1665, and thirty-two valets.
187:
95:
485:
145:
81:
His father, Jean Baptiste Bontemps (1590–1659), had been surgeon to
180:
137:
98:
who guarded the King and his palaces, and the household of the
19:
184:
108:(the Royal Council) and held a senior rank in the chivalric
27:, Louis's holiday home; one of Bontemps's responsibilities
392:
Choisy Memoirs, pp183-4, quoted Riley, op & page cit
283:
Bontemps is a leading character in the computer game
504:"Versailles 1685 Review - Mr. Bill's Adventureland"
402:
400:
398:
144:, as well as political and sexual intrigues. As
570:
339:Da Vinha (online):6 and SS Memoirs:III:40 and n.
280:drama set around the construction of the palace.
395:
270:, has a large part (if sparing with words) in
247:in New York, dated 1789, the last year of the
560:, Vols 1–3, 1967–72, Hamish Hamilton, London.
190:, from the rest of the room. In the morning
558:Historical Memoirs of the Duc de Saint-Simon
436:and Da Vinha (online):6, quoting Saint-Simon
357:SS Memoirs:I:35 coaches and I:146 mysteries
175:In addition one of the ordinary valets was
16:French nobleman and head valet of Louis XIV
328:"Famille Bontemps" on the French Knowledge
235:of the Comtesse de La Châtre, daughter of
155:
69:
18:
444:
442:
571:
179:by the King's bed all day, inside the
38:
439:
276:, the 2015 British-Franco-Canadian
254:
13:
537:Les Valets de chambre de Louis XIV
14:
625:
428:, p.146, 2001, Greenwood Press,
151:
496:
478:
460:
451:
418:
409:
263:has a "Rue Alexandre Bontemps".
213:
556:, ed & trans Lucy Norton;
386:
369:
360:
351:
342:
333:
321:
300:
43:; 1626–1701) was the valet of
1:
348:SS Memoirs:I:146 and Da Vinha
293:
204:le commandement de la chambre
47:and a powerful figure at the
584:Ancien Régime office-holders
579:17th-century French nobility
508:www.mrbillsadventureland.com
7:
468:"Généalogie de Ne BONTEMPS"
200:Grand Chamberlain of France
183:that separated it, like an
170:Gentlemen of the Bedchamber
10:
630:
609:17th-century French people
529:
245:Metropolitan Museum of Art
40:[alɛksɑ̃dʁbɔ̃tɑ̃]
239:Bontemps head valet, by
65:
261:The City of Versailles
241:Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun
165:
110:Order of Saint Lazarus
78:
28:
548:Online text in French
164:, in Bontemps' charge
162:Chateau de Versailles
159:
73:
36:French pronunciation:
22:
266:Bontemps, played by
83:Louis XIII of France
53:Premier valet de la
486:"Catalog Number 29"
415:Da Vinha (online):5
366:Da Vinha (online):8
118:Madame de Maintenon
49:court of Versailles
614:Court of Louis XIV
554:Duc de Saint-Simon
535:Da Vinha, Matheu,
166:
140:, including their
79:
32:Alexandre Bontemps
29:
424:Philip F. Riley,
278:television series
225:Philip V of Spain
142:church attendance
60:valets de chambre
621:
604:French courtiers
539:, Perrin, 2004;
523:
522:
520:
519:
510:. Archived from
500:
494:
493:
490:www.batguano.com
482:
476:
475:
464:
458:
455:
449:
446:
437:
422:
416:
413:
407:
406:SS Memoirs:I:146
404:
393:
390:
384:
373:
367:
364:
358:
355:
349:
346:
340:
337:
331:
325:
319:
304:
255:In modern memory
198:ceremonies, the
76:Hyacinthe Rigaud
42:
37:
25:Chateau of Marly
629:
628:
624:
623:
622:
620:
619:
618:
569:
568:
552:"SS Memoirs" =
532:
527:
526:
517:
515:
502:
501:
497:
484:
483:
479:
466:
465:
461:
456:
452:
447:
440:
423:
419:
414:
410:
405:
396:
391:
387:
374:
370:
365:
361:
356:
352:
347:
343:
338:
334:
326:
322:
305:
301:
296:
286:Versailles 1685
257:
229:Prince of Conti
220:Île Saint-Louis
216:
154:
68:
35:
17:
12:
11:
5:
627:
617:
616:
611:
606:
601:
596:
591:
586:
581:
562:
561:
550:
531:
528:
525:
524:
495:
477:
459:
450:
438:
417:
408:
394:
385:
377:Duke of Lauzun
368:
359:
350:
341:
332:
320:
309:Chambre du Roi
298:
297:
295:
292:
291:
290:
281:
264:
256:
253:
215:
212:
188:communion-rail
153:
150:
105:Conseil du Roi
67:
64:
55:Chambre du Roi
45:King Louis XIV
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
626:
615:
612:
610:
607:
605:
602:
600:
597:
595:
592:
590:
587:
585:
582:
580:
577:
576:
574:
567:
566:
559:
555:
551:
549:
546:
545:2-262-02135-X
542:
538:
534:
533:
514:on 2021-02-08
513:
509:
505:
499:
491:
487:
481:
473:
469:
463:
454:
445:
443:
435:
434:0-313-31708-9
431:
427:
421:
412:
403:
401:
399:
389:
382:
378:
372:
363:
354:
345:
336:
329:
324:
317:
316:
315:Maison du Roi
311:
310:
303:
299:
288:
287:
282:
279:
275:
274:
269:
268:Stuart Bowman
265:
262:
259:
258:
252:
250:
249:Ancien Regime
246:
242:
238:
234:
230:
226:
221:
211:
209:
205:
201:
197:
193:
189:
186:
182:
178:
173:
171:
163:
158:
152:Premier valet
149:
147:
143:
139:
134:
131:
126:
123:
119:
113:
111:
107:
106:
101:
97:
93:
89:
84:
77:
74:Louis XIV by
72:
63:
61:
57:
56:
50:
46:
41:
33:
26:
21:
564:
563:
557:
536:
516:. Retrieved
512:the original
507:
498:
489:
480:
471:
462:
453:
448:Da Vinha:1-3
425:
420:
411:
388:
371:
362:
353:
344:
335:
323:
313:
307:
302:
284:
272:
217:
214:Private life
207:
203:
195:
194:and evening
176:
174:
167:
160:Plan of the
135:
127:
114:
103:
80:
52:
31:
30:
599:1701 deaths
594:1626 births
457:Da Vinha 12
330:has details
208:en commande
122:Saint-Simon
96:Swiss Guard
573:Categories
518:2007-11-26
294:References
273:Versailles
237:Louis XV's
233:a portrait
181:balustrade
88:Versailles
146:Intendant
138:courtiers
589:Servants
472:Geneanet
177:en poste
530:Sources
243:in the
196:Coucher
100:Dauphin
543:
432:
130:Choisy
94:, the
381:privy
192:Levée
185:altar
92:Marly
541:ISBN
430:ISBN
375:The
306:The
90:and
66:Life
23:The
575::
506:.
488:.
470:.
441:^
397:^
251:.
120:.
112:.
521:.
492:.
474:.
318:.
34:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.