King Louis XV's Harem: Eastern Excess in the Heart of Enlightenment Europe (6 Photos)
Harems are almost universally associated with the East—sultans, concubines, and eunuchs. Yet in the 18th century, such an establishment thrived in the very heart of Europe. Not on the fringes of civilization, but in Paris, the capital of France and the vibrant center of Enlightenment art and science. Here, King Louis XV maintained a genuine harem of young girls that lasted for nearly two decades. 
A Libertine King on the French Throne
Louis XV of the House of Bourbon ascended the throne in 1715 at just five years old. The country was run by a regent, Philippe d'Orléans, a notorious cynic and libertine who set an enduring example for the young monarch. When Louis assumed personal rule in 1723, state affairs held little appeal for him. Instead, his true passions were hunting, masquerade balls, and women. 
Louis XV earned the moniker "the Well-Beloved" for his countless romantic conquests
Over his 59-year reign, dozens of mistresses passed through the royal court. They wielded far more influence over the king than his lawful wife, the Polish-born Queen Marie Leszczyńska. Royal favorites meddled in politics, appointed ministers, and sparked wars. For his amorous nature, the king was nicknamed "the Beloved"—though posterity remembered him quite differently: Louis the Unloved.
Madame de Pompadour: The Realm’s Chief Procuress
In 1745, an extraordinary woman entered the king's life. Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, the daughter of a minor financier, managed to become the Marquise de Pompadour. Rising from a mere mistress, she swiftly became the most influential woman in France—the king’s indispensable adviser and the country’s de facto ruler.
Louis once likened her to a statue of ice, devoid of passion. Madame de Pompadour knew it all too well. To keep the sovereign close, she found an unconventional solution: she began supplying him with lovers herself. The chief favorite became the royal procuress. A master strategist with an acute political instinct, the moment any concubine grew too close to the king, Pompadour wasted no time banishing her from Versailles. 
François Boucher, "Blonde Odalisque." The painting is widely believed to depict Louison O'Murphy, a teenage mistress of Louis XV
A Dread of Disease and the Hunt for Virgins
Louis XV lived in mortal terror of venereal disease, yet his carnal desires were insatiable. The king found an unsettling workaround: he resolved to take only young virgins. Girls were isolated between the ages of 12 and 14 and groomed for their encounters with the monarch.
These young women were acquired through various means. Some were bought from impoverished families for a few gold coins. Others were bartered away by destitute nobles in exchange for titles, offices, and court favors. Still others were surrendered willingly by parents who viewed the arrangement as the supreme honor—with some fathers personally offering their own daughters to the sovereign. 
Madame de Pompadour effectively ruled France for nearly 20 years and organized the king's harem
A letter from one French nobleman to the king has survived to this day. It reads:
“Moved by ardent devotion to Your Sacred Majesty, I have the good fortune to be the father of a charming young lady—a veritable marvel of freshness, beauty, youth, and radiant health. I would be overjoyed should His Majesty deign to claim her virginity. Such a favor would be the greatest reward for my long and loyal service in the King’s army…”
The Parc-aux-Cerfs: The Versailles Harem
The girls were brought to a discreet estate known as the Parc-aux-Cerfs ("Deer Park"). Located near the palace grounds, it was strictly off-limits to everyone except the king and his closest confidants. The name dated back to the reign of Louis XIII, when the grounds served as a hunting preserve for deer. In 1755, a discreet residence was acquired here to house the royal mistresses. 
Residents of the Parc-aux-Cerfs were educated while awaiting their summons to the king
Over the harem's 16-year existence, between 30 and 40 young women passed through its doors. The exact figure remains unknown, as records were shrouded in secrecy. The girls did not simply sit and wait for the king. They received a refined education in etiquette, foreign languages, and religion. They were taught to dress with immaculate taste, apply cosmetics, and master the art of seducing a sophisticated man.
Louis took a personal hand in his wards' care. He picked their outfits and even bathed them himself. Once a girl reached the age of 17 or 18, the king's interest waned. He would then arrange her marriage, personally selecting a respectable husband and providing a generous dowry. Consequently, many families actively coveted such a fate for their daughters.
Death by Smallpox and the Guillotine for a Favorite
As Louis XV grew older, his mistresses grew progressively younger. Paralyzed by an ever-deepening fear of infection, the aging king began admitting girls as young as 10 to 12 into the harem toward the end of his life. 
Countess du Barry replaced Madame de Pompadour as the official royal mistress following the latter's death in 1764
Yet all precautions proved futile. In 1764, Madame de Pompadour died. Her place was taken by a new royal favorite: Marie-Jeanne Bécu, Countess du Barry. She provided the king with a young mistress who unknowingly carried smallpox. The girl infected the 64-year-old monarch. On May 10, 1774, Louis XV died in agonizing torment, his body covered in suppurating pustules and his face swollen beyond recognition.
The Parc-aux-Cerfs was shuttered immediately upon the king's death in 1774. Countess du Barry was confined to a convent, though she was pardoned a year later. She reclaimed the estate gifted to her by Louis XV and resumed a life of opulence. But during the French Revolution, the Jacobins arrested the former favorite over her ties to the Girondins. On December 8, 1793, Countess du Barry was sent to the guillotine in Paris.
What privileges, in your view, could lead parents to willingly surrender their daughters to a royal harem?
