Catherine Bellier


Catherine-Henriette Bellier, baroness de Beauvais, was a French courtier, the first mistress of king Louis XIV of France.

Biography

She was the daughter of Martin Bellier, a porter, and married baron Pierre de Beauvais. She became a chambermaid to the French Queen, Anne of Austria, mother to King Louis XIV. During her time as the Queen's chambermaid, she had the intimate duty of giving the Queen her enema.
She is described as intelligent, plotting and a trusted companion of the queen dowager regent. Despite being described as ugly, she had several love affairs, such as the one with the arch bishop of Sens. In 1652, Queen Anne worried about her teenaged son being plagued by sexual dysfunction like his father. The Queen encouraged Bellier to deflower the 15 year old king and ensure that he was capable of producing heirs. Their relationship lasted for two years, after which the queen dowager awarded Bellier an estate and a pension.
As it was French custom to imitate the king, Catherine Bellier's sexual favors suddenly became high demand. She even had Archbishop of Sen, Henri-Louis de Gondrin as one of her lovers. As Catherine aged, she became overweight, her looks faded, and she fell into debt. By the time her husband died in 1647, she was destitute and was forced to live as a renter in the Hotel de Beauvais.

Legacy

King Louis XIV funded the Hotel de Beauvais in the Marais in Paris as a reward to Catherine.
She is portrayed by Valérie Thoumire in the French-produced television series drama Versailles.