Marquise de Pompadour Jeanne-Aintoinette Poisson was born in 1721 in Paris, France. She would go down in history not as Jeanne-Antoinette, but as Madame de Pompadour, mistress of King Louis XV. She belonged to a family of grand Parisian bankers, received a refined education, and soon became known as one of the most beautiful and wittiest women in Paris. She was introduced to high society at the home of Charles-Francois Le Normant de Tournehem, a wealthy financier. In 1741, she married his nephew Charles-Guillaume Le Normant d'Etoiles. In 1746, she met King Louis at a ball. Attractive, intelligent, witty, and a marvelous dancer, she was certainly able to amuse the bored monarch. Louis f