The Maid of Orleans (poem) The Maid of Orleans (poem) The Maid of Orleans () is a satirical poem by François-Marie Arouet, better known by his pen name, Voltaire. It was first published in 1899, but Voltaire had written it over a century beforehand; while he had started writing the text in 1730, he never completed it. It was translated into English by W. H. Ireland. Voltaire was undoubtedly one of the most controversial writers and philosophers of the Enlightenment Age, and "The Maid of Orleans" was also certainly one of his more contentious works. An epic and scandalous satire concerning the life of the
Marie-Angélique de Bombelles Marie-Angélique de Bombelles Marie-Angélique Charlotte de Bombelles née "de Mackau" (1762-1800), was a French court office holder and letter writer. She was maid of honour and a personal friend and confidante of Élisabeth of France (1764–1794), and known in history for her correspondence with her, which is preserved. She was the daughter of baron Louis Eléonor Dirkheim de Mackau (1727-1767) and Marie-Angélique de Mackau, and the sister of Renée Suzanne de Soucy (1758-1841) and Armand Louis de Mackau (1759-1827). She married her cousin, the diplomat baron Marc Marie, Marquis de Bombelles in 1778, and became the mother of Louis Philippe