Jeanne d'Artois

Marie-Jeanne Bécu, Comtesse d'Artois (13 December 1740-Present) was the mistress turned wife of Charles Xavier Edmind d'Artois X, Comte d'Artois.

Early Life
Jeanne Bécu was born in the historical Saint-Eustache district in Paris, France as the illegitimate child of Anne Bécu, the daughter of a bourgeoisie family in Vaucouleurs, Lorraine and Jean Gormand Bernier, who left to join the army shortly after finding out Anne was with child.

Anne was devastated and was disowned by her family when they found out she was carrying a bastard. Anne traveled to Paris and made little money being a seamstress and she gave birth to Jeanne shortly after.

During her childhood her mother met Monsieur Billiard and took both Anne and Jeanne under his care, installing Anne as a cook in the household of his Italian mistress Francesca. Francesca pampered Jeanne and gave some education. But Francesca threw both Anne and Jeanne out of her household due to being jealous with Monsieur Billard's infatuation and subsequent affair with Anne.

At 13 she and her mother were living in a small and cheap rented room. Jeanne helped her mother by selling trinkets on the street such as small boxes, ribbons, buckles, scissors, small ribbons, etc on the streets of Paris.

Due to lack of money and growing raise in prices for necessities, Anne and Jeanne were evicted from her their room when Jeanne was 15. Desperate, Anne offered herself and her daughter to Madame Gordan, who ran a nearby brothel. Anne died shortly after from illness leaving Jeanne alone.

Mistress to the Comte d'Artois
Jeanne worked at Madame Gourdan's until 1760 when she became the mistress of Charles, Comte d'Artois who soon established her in her own hotel on Rue de la Jussienne. She received a large allowance and generously spent money on clothing, furnishings, and jewelry all while going to the opera and masquerades with Charles d'Artois. Jeanne started going by Mademoiselle Lange, as in the even of a falling out with the Comte d'Artois could led to further career as a kept woman. During this time he was seeking annulment to his wife Catherine de Rohan which was granted in late November of 1765. The Comte d'Artois proposed to Jeanne shortly after and she agreed.

Marriage to the Comte d'Artois
16 December 1765, Jeanne married Charles in a secret ceremony in Arras. The two spent a bit of time at his estate, the Chateau de Varlemont, before bringing her to court with him on the day of the Christmas Eve Ball of 1765. Which cause a major scandal due to her commoner origins and she was an unpopular figure at court and disliked by Princesse Lea Genevieve de France.

Investigations
30 December, 1765, the Artois apartments were raided by the royal guards due to suspicion that they were behind the assassination of Louis XV. Jeanne's two femme de chambre's, Victoire and Henriette Arouet, were questioned. But nothing was found and no arrests were made.

Titles and Styles
16 December 1765-Present ''Her Grace, The Comtesse d'Artois and Comtesse d'Eu. ''