Cardinal Louis René Édouard de Rohan (1734-1803) was involved in the scandalous Affair of the Diamond Necklace. The necklace was commissioned by King Louis XV of France for his mistress, Madame du Barry, but he died before it was paid for. The jewellers then schemed to secure a sale to Marie Antoinette, wife of King Louis XVI. A confidence trickster called Jeanne de la Motte became the Cardinal’s mistress in March 1785; together with her associate Rétaux de Villette, they forged letters from the Queen that included a request for him to act as her intermediary in the purchase of the necklace. Rohan agreed to purchase it for the huge sum of two million livres, but when the necklace was delivered, Jeanne de la Motte had it taken to London, where it was broken up and the diamonds sold. When Rohan defaulted on payment, the jeweller complained to the Queen and the plot unravelled: Rohan was tried by the Parlement de Paris and acquitted, but Jeanne de la Motte was condemned to be whipped, branded and imprisoned. The affair contributed to the unpopularity of Marie Antoinette, whom many people believed to be complicit in the affair.