La Duchesse de Châteauroux et ses soeurs

A detailed social and archival study reconstructs the lives and courtly ascent of a favorite and her sisters, tracing their origins, relationships, and influence within the monarch's circle. Using unpublished letters, official records, and contemporary memoirs, it interweaves personal anecdotes, political manoeuvres, and descriptions of court ritual to show how private networks shaped public power. The authors situate these biographies within wider eighteenth-century manners, gender expectations, and patronage systems, analyzing scandals, public opinion, and moral judgment. Chapters alternate biographical narrative with documentary transcriptions and commentary to evoke the atmosphere of a vanished courtly world.