Legacy
"True power lies in the ability to empower others."
Anne "Ninon" de L'Enclos
Ninon lived from 1620 to 1705 and was considered the Beauty of the 17th Century. Though not born into or married into royalty, she became the royal figure of the ancien régime, which encompassed the political, social, economic, and cultural spheres before the French Revolution.
Ninon completely changed the idea of what a woman may be by refusing to let anyone or any societal structure determine her place in the world. Actually, she was among the first French proto-feminists, if not the first, to openly challenge dogmatic monarchs and doctrinaire religious leaders who saw women as inferior to men. As an altruist, she helped many people from all walks of life. In her private literary salon, she educated countless women on their equal rights and empowered them by teaching them to cultivate their intellect, embrace their independence, and mentoring them in the art of conversation and wit. In addition, as a patron of the arts and one of the earliest referenced private investors, Ninon personally financed notable figures before they were ever known to the outside world, such as Voltaire, Molière, Saint-Evremond, de Sévigné, La Fontaine, Scarron, Fontenelle, La Rochefoucauld, the Great Condé, René Descartes, de Grammont, and many more.
With her enduring belief that the greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say cannot be done, she prevailed through some very difficult personal experiences. To illustrate, spending time in an orphanage as a young teenager after her father was exiled from France and her mother passing shortly thereafter. As an adult, she was imprisoned at the Madelonnettes Convent by religious leaders for openly defying unjust societal norms. Although it was King Louis XIV who personally ordered her release, for he needed her by his side to govern his realm. Even though Ninon did not have the support of a husband by electing to never marry, she lived an exceptionally long life and passed as a very prosperous individual. It was her life’s passion to help as many people as possible, and, in doing so, she reshaped France and changed the trajectory of an entire nation. Today, the Lanclos legacy remains a vital part of France's rich history, with publications of her writings, movies, operas and portraits of Ninon displayed on the walls in a myriad number of museums throughout the world, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Louvre Palace, Château de Versailles, and many, many more. Gutenberg.org