Agnès Sorel (French pronunciation: [aɲɛs sɔʁɛl]; 1422 – 9 February 1450), known by the sobriquet Dame de beauté (Lady of Beauty), was a favourite and chief mistress of King Charles VII of France, by whom she bore four daughters.

Born in 1422, Agnes was the daughter of Jean Soreau, Châtelain of Coudun, and his wife Catherine de Maignelais,[2] She was 20 or 21 years old when she was introduced to King Charles.

At that time, Agnes was holding a position in the household of Rene I of Naples, as a maid of honour to his consort Isabella, Duchess of Lorraine.

Her influence on the court was first felt when she succeeded in convincing the poor king to rally his troops and drive English invaders from French soil.

[6] Agnès gave birth to four daughters fathered by the king: While pregnant with their fourth child, she journeyed from Chinon in midwinter to join Charles on the campaign of 1450 in Jumièges, wanting to be with him as moral support.

[10] While the cause of death was originally thought to be dysentery, French forensic scientist Philippe Charlier suggested in 2005 that Agnès died of mercury poisoning.

Two Russian operas from the late 19th century also portray her, along with Charles VII: Pyotr Tchaikovsky's The Maid of Orleans and César Cui's The Saracen.