The “do you know” of the day. Do you know which “official” royal mistress began her affair with Nancy?

Nancy was briefly the capital of the Kingdom of France, when Charles VII came for a few months. It is in this city that the destiny of Agnès Sorel changed. In 1444, this young woman of 22 years old, maid of honor to Isabella of Lorraine, caught the eye of the King of France during a sumptuous reception given at the ducal palace.

This meeting would change not only their lives, but also the history of France, because Agnès would become the first officially recognized royal mistress.

Charles VII was then staying in Lorraine to conduct diplomatic negotiations with Duke René of Anjou. The king, aged 41, was tired of a dragging Hundred Years’ War and was trying to establish diplomatic alliances. Agnès’ beauty did not fail to charm him.

Chroniclers of the time described her as the most beautiful woman in the kingdom, with her long blond hair and lily-white complexion. More than a simple love story, this connection marks a turning point: for the first time, a favorite appears publicly alongside the king.

She received lands and castles, including that of Beauté-sur-Marne, which gave her her nickname “Lady of Beauty”. Its influence on Charles VII is considerable: it is said that it pushed him to resume the fight against the English with more vigor.

This idyll born in Nancy lasted only seven years: Agnès died in 1450, probably poisoned according to some historians, leaving behind three daughters legitimized by the king and a precedent which would permanently change the morals of the French court.