Family
Charlotte was the youngest of the three daughters of Philippe de La Mothe Houdancourt, Duke of Cardona and maréchal de France (d. 1657), and Louise de Prie, Marquise of Toucy, Duchess of La Motte Houdancourt, maréchale, governess to the children of France. Charlotte's sisters were:
- Françoise Angélique de La Mothe Houdancourt, Dame of Fayel (b. 1650), who married on 28 November 1669 Louis Marie Victor, duc d'Aumont (9 December 1632–5 April 1711).
- Marie Isabelle Angélique de la Mothe Houdancourt, Duchess of La Ferté Senneterre (d. 1726).
Charlotte married Louis Charles de Lévis, Duke of Ventadour and governor of the Limousin (1647–1717), on 14 March 1671 in Paris.
The duke was generally considered "horrific" — very ugly, physically deformed, and sexually debauched — yet the privileges of being a duchess compensated for the unfortunate match, e.g. le tabouret: In a letter to her daughter, Madame de Sévigné described an incident that took place at St. Germain during an audience with the Queen.
"… a lot of duchesses came in, including the beautiful and charming Duchess of Ventadour. There was a bit of a delay before they brought her the sacred stool. I turned to the Grand Master and I said, 'Oh, just give it to her. It certainly cost her enough,' and he agreed."
Charlotte and Louis Charles had one daughter, Anne Geneviève de Lévis, born in February 1673. Anne Geneviève first married in 1691 Louis-Charles de la Tour d'Auvergne, prince de Turenne, the son of Maurice Godefroy de La Tour d'Auvergne, Duke of Bouillon, and his wife, Marie Anne Mancini.
After the death of her first husband, Anne Geneviève married secondly in 1694 Hércule Mériadec de Rohan, duc de Rohan-Rohan. Through this second marriage, Anne Geneviève de Lévis became the grandmother of Charlotte de Rohan (1737–1760), the wife of Louis Joseph, Prince of Condé (1736–1818).
Read more about this topic: Madame De Ventadour
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