She was executed by guillotine on 8 December 1793. On New Year's Day 1772, Marie Antoinette deigned to speak to Jeanne: her remark, "There are many people at Versailles today", was enough to take the edge off the dispute, though many still disapproved of Jeanne.ĭecades later, during the Reign of Terror in the French Revolution, Jeanne was imprisoned over accusations of treason by her page Zamor. She was shunned by many, including Marie Antoinette, whose contempt for Jeanne caused alarm and dissension at court. Her arrival at the French royal court scandalized some, as she had been a prostitute as well as being of low birth. Henceforth, she was recognized as the king's official paramour. The certificate made Jeanne appear younger by three years and obscured her poor background. The wedding ceremony was accompanied by a false birth certificate, created by Jean-Baptiste du Barry, the comte's older brother. In 1768, when the king wished to make Jeanne maîtresse-en-titre, etiquette required her to be the wife of a high courtier, so she was hastily married on 1 September 1768 to Comte Guillaume du Barry. She was executed by guillotine during the French Revolution on accusations of treason-particularly being suspected of assisting émigrés to flee from the Revolution. Jeanne Bécu, Comtesse du Barry (19 August 1743 – 8 December 1793) was the last maîtresse-en-titre of King Louis XV of France.
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