This is one of the enigmas of French history: a nun who lived secretly in a convent would be the hidden daughter of Louis XIV.
A girl of African origin
On November 16, 1664, Queen Marie-Thérèse, wife of Louis XIV, gave birth to a “Moorish” girl, that is to say of African origin. The princess was believed to have died on December 26. Twenty years later, at the convent of Moret, in north-eastern France, a dark-skinned nun receives regular visits from the royal family. Her name is Louis-Marie-Thérèse and looks a lot like King Louis XIV. In addition to his physical resemblance to the king, Voltaire affirms the veracity of this filiation. He claims in one of his works that the king gave her 20,000 crowns as a dowry by placing her in this convent.
A secret daughter in a convent
Born around 1658, Louise-Marie-Thérèse would have entered the convent in 1665 led by Alexandre Bontemps, valet and confidant of the king. The nun subsequently received several visits from the royal family. For some, the Mooress would be the fruit of love between the king and a black woman from the court theater company. A portrait of the Mooress, produced by the painter Pierre Gobert, whose daughter, also a nun, was a friend of the Mooress, was found at the museum in Remiremont (northern France) and was the subject of an exhibition . The mystery still hangs over….
Remiremont Museum https://www.remiremont.fr/culture/musees-de-remiremont/musee-charles-de-bruyeres/
