Note 81 — II MADAME DE MAINTENON[73]

Anne-Marie de La Trémoïlle (circ. 1646-1722) married as her second husband Flavio Orsini, Duca di Bracciano (1675), and on his death in 1698 took the title of Princesse des Ursins (Orsini). Appointed Camarera mayor to the Queen of Spain in 1701 in order to support the French influence, she dominated the King, till December, 1714, when she was summarily dismissed by his second wife, Elizabeth Farnese. “La princesse des Ursins gouverne le roi d’Espagne comme moi mon chien Titi,” says Madame. See Saint-Simon, III. 78-81, and XI. 116, where he records a tête-à-tête with her which lasted eight hours. “Ces huit heures de conversation avec une personne qui y fournissoit tant de choses me parurent huit moments.” Part of her correspondence with Mme de Maintenon is preserved in a copy in the British Museum. It has been printed under the title of Lettres inédites de Mme de Maintenon et Mme des Ursins, 4 vols. 1826, but the editing is careless and inaccurate. Sainte-Beuve has two good articles on her (Caus. du Lundi, V. 401 ff.).