The posthumous history of King Stanislas

Cenotaph of King Stanislas, Église Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours, Nancy

Death and autopsy

It had taken King Stanislas eighteen long days to die.  

Immediately following his death, he was laid out on his bed, with his face and hands uncovered, surrounded by candles.  Six canons from Lunéville sang prayers around the body. The doors to the apartment remained open and people were free to enter.

The following day, Monday 24th February, at six in the morning, the body was transported into the "chambre de la balustrade" (which room was this?  I'm not sure). Here it was exposed on a lit de parade, again surrounded by candles.  The clergy and Court officials were seated nearby with careful attention to rank: on the right was an armchair to accommodate the Cardinal de Choiseul-Beaupré, Stanislas's Grand Almoner, with stools for his confessor Father Louskina and the other palace chaplains; on the left were folding chairs for the First Gentlemen of the Bedchamber and principal officers of the Royal Household.  Beyond the balustrade two altars had been set up, draped in black, where masses could be said. Six members of the regular clergy sang psalms continuously.

The death of King Stanisłas

"Tout ce qui est humain ne fait espérer de bon"
(All that is human gives no hope for good)

King Stanislas to Marie Leszczyńska, 3rd February 1766 
[probably the last words he ever wrote in his own hand]

The death of Stanislas.  From an illustration by Ksawery Pillati for the collection "Images of Polish princes and kings" (1888). [Wikimedia]

On Wednesday 5th February 1766, at about half-past-seven in the morning, the aged Stanisłas Leszczyński, former King of Poland, now Duke of Lorraine, was alone in his chamber at Lunéville when he accidentally fell into the open fire and sustained serious burns.  Despite the best endeavours of his doctors, he suffered terrible agonies and died eighteen days later.  Both at the time and subsequently, there were rumours of negligence on the part of Stanislas's attendants.  However, since there were no eye-witnesses, what happened can never be known with absolute certainty.