Anne de Richelieu

Anne de Richelieu née Poussard de Fors du Vigean, (1622-1684) was a French courtier. She served as Première dame d'honneur to the queen of France, Maria Theresa of Spain, from 1671 until 1679, and had the same position to the dauphine Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria in 1679-1684.

She was the daughter of François Poussard, baron de Fors et sieur du Vigean and Anne de Neufbourg; she married François-Alexandre d'Albret, sire de Pons and comte de Marennes (16??-1648) in 1644, and Armand Jean de Vignerot du Plessis in 1649.

She was appointed Première dame d'honneur to the queen on 21 November 1671. Anne de Richelieu did not have a bad relation to Madame de Montespan, but actually contributed to a cordial relationship between Montespan and the queen; during the temporary estrangement between the king and Montespan in 1675, Anne de Richelieu brought about a meeting and a reconciliation between the queen and Montespan, for which the king expressed his gratitude toward her. She also had a cordial relationship to Madame de Maintenon. Her husband was the lover of Françoise de Dreux who, during the Affair of the Poisons (1679-82), was convicted for attempted murder on her.

References

• Lettres de madame de Sévigné, de sa famille et de ses amis, Volym 7
• http://www.chateauversailles-recherche-ressources.fr/jlbweb/jlbWeb?html=notdictionnaire&ref=85
• H. Noel Williams, Madame de Montespan and Louis XIV