Agnès sorel died

Fine arts

She was the first official mistress of a French king, in 1444. Agnes Sorel was barely 20 years old when she met Charles VII. She was then distinguished by her youth and her great beauty. A charm that even his fiercest enemies, like Pope Pius II, recognize. Her debauchery of jewels, her extravagant outfits and her taste for the arts created scandal at the same time that they brought light into the old palaces of the kingdom. Both free and pious, Agnes transformed King Charles VII, her eldest of 18 years, and played a major political role at his side, in a kingdom tormented by the Hundred Years War.

Royal mistress of Charles VII of France

For the 1836 opera, see Agnes Sorel (opera).

Agnès Sorel (French pronunciation:[aɲɛssɔʁɛl]; 1422 – 9 February 1450), known by the sobriquet Dame de beauté (Lady of Beauty), was a favourite and chief mistress of King Charles VII of France, by whom she bore four daughters. She is considered the first officially recognized royal mistress of a French king. She was the subject of several contemporary paintings and works of art, including Jean Fouquet's Virgin and Child Surrounded by Angels.

Life in the royal court

Born in 1422, Agnes was the daughter of Jean Soreau, Châtelain of Coudun, and his wife Catherine de Maignelais, She was 20 or 21 years old when she was introduced to King Charles. At that time, Agnes was holding a position in the household of Rene I of Naples, as a maid of honour to his consort Isabella, Duchess of Lorraine. She then went on to serve as the lady-in-waiting for Marie d'Anjou, Charles VII of France's wife and Isabella's sister in law. Agnes would soon become his mistress. The

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