Françoise Barbaroux

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Françoise Barbaroux (1761–1822) was the mistress of Antoine Philippe, Duke of Montpensier. They had one son, Jean-Antoine-Philippe Dentend (1797–1858), who became a notary for the House of Orléans and, in 1830, oversaw Louis-Philippe’s donation of his personal goods before Louis-Philippe became king.

After the French Revolution, Françoise insulted members of Antoine’s exile family. The Revolution affected many, including Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, Antoine’s father. Adélaïde, Antoine’s sister, wrote in her diaries that Françoise was “ugly.” Françoise tried to befriend Adélaïde, but Adélaïde left for America.

Antoine never saw his son. After Antoine’s death, Françoise left France for Belgium, where she lived until her death in 1822. Françoise’s father, Francis Barbaroux, was the chamberlain to Louis XVIII.