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Madeleine de La Motte

Paris, 12 Mar 1699 – Paris, 1745

7 facts1 source

Facts and their sources

  • Born12 Mar 1699, ParisRecords disagree1 source
  • Died1745, ParisRecords disagree1 source

A life in time

  1. 12 Mar 1699

    Born in Paris

  2. 18 Feb 1727

    A son is born

  3. 1745

    Dies in Paris

Family

See the tree

Partner

Children · 1

During her lifetime

She lived through 6 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Paris.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1690s · Madeleine is born in Paris

In the news1693–1694

Paris Famine (1693–1694)

During the famine of 1693–1694, bread was sold at two sous a loaf to poor Parisians as up to 1,500 people died daily from hunger and disease.

At the table

Family Budget Spent on Bread

During the Old Regime, expenditures on bread accounted for 50 to 60 percent of a family's total budget.

What people wore

Cost of Footwear

Shoes for men were a significant expense, as they could cost twice as much as those worn by women.

Getting around

Barque de poste canal travel

In 1674, the barque de poste service was introduced, allowing passengers to travel from Toulouse to Castelnaudary in one day. The journey included scheduled stops for meals and overnight rests.

What it cost

Servant earnings and clothing costs

In 1692, a young servant earned 75 livres per year, but spent over 35 livres on a single wardrobe update that included a secondhand wig.

Music

Dancing and Music in Court Apartments

At the royal apartments in Versailles, ordinary court life included regular music and dancing in the Grand Apartment, where attendees could freely enjoy playing games, eating snacks, and dancing to violins and oboes.

Daily life

Demanding daily household labor

Water had to be hauled manually from fountains or courtyards, and heating required constant manual labor to manage wood, fire, and ash disposal.