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| Nooo puppy, no! Marie Antoinette (2006), film. Sofia Coppola. |
Showing posts with label Adelaide of France Mesdame. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Adelaide of France Mesdame. Show all posts
Pups of the Past: Dogs at Versailles
Bad Influences?
"...I found, as I so often do, that whatever is blameworthy in the Dauphine's conduct is due to the promptings of her aunts."
A letter by the Comte de Mercy to Maria Theresa
Louis XV: an early genealogical tree
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| Glokeur de Surchamps, The Fleur de France. Genealogical tree with thirteen miniature portraits. Museo Arqueologico Nacional, Madrid. Photo credit: Dominguez Ramos. |
This is a really amazing piece, housed at the Museo Arqueologico Nacional in Mardid. The elaborate gilt frame, titled Fleur de France (which can be seen towards the top) features thirteen portraits!
A pre-revolutionary flight: Louis XVˈs daughters
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Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, Portrait de Adélaïde de France. Pastel on paper, 1787. Palace of Versailles. |
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| Jean-Marc Nattier, Madame Victoire of France. Oil on canvas, 1748. Musée national des Châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon, Versailles. |
Madame Adelaide and her younger sister, Madame Victoire, had lived in quiet retirement for some time before the French Revolution had fully developed. The women, who spent much of their time doing charity work and staying out of the public eye felt the dangers of the intense changing political thought.
They found it in their best interest to leave France for a while, until things quieted down. The ladies planned to travel to Rome where they would visit St. Peters, but ultimately they wanted to find a safe refuge. They secured their passports and with Louis XVI's permission, begun their journey.
The idea of members of the royal family leaving France, or fleeing France, was much discussed, and caused concern of planned escape of other members of the family, perhaps the king and queen, even plots of foreign involvement in the to-be revolution were considered.
The paper, Sabbats Jacobites, had written on the subject with much sarcasm:
"The Ladies are going to Italy to try the power of their tears and their charms upon the princes of that country. Already the Grand Master of Malta has caused Madame Adelaide to be informed that he will give her his heart and hand as soon as she has quitted France, and that she may count upon the assistance of three galleys and forty-eight cavaliers, young and old. Our Holy Father undertakes to marry Victoire and promises her his army of three hundred men to bring about a counter-revolution."
As a result of all the buzz, soon after they left, the daughters of Louis XV were detained at Arnay-le Duc, and awaited a decision from the National Assembly over whether or not they could proceed out of France.
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| Joseph Ducreux, Jacques-Francois Menou (1750-1810). Pastel, black chalk, blue paper on canvas, late 18th century. Versailles National Museum of Versailles and Trianon. |
The decision was not made in haste, and the National Assembly spent good time on the matter. The matter was resolved after Jacques-Francois Menou made the following observation:
With this, the National Assembly permitted them to leave the country, much to the dismay of many. Violent riots broke out in Arnay-le-Ducpreventing their departure for days. Paris too saw its share of rioting over the decision. When the mobs approached the Tuileries, where Louis and his family stayed, they demanded he order his aunts back. Louis held his position, and did not grant their demand nor consider it any further, and the crowds eventually dispersed, and the women made their way to Rome."Europe will doubtless be much astonished, when it learns that the National Assembly of France spent four entire hours in deliberating on the departure of two ladies who would rather hear Mass in Rome than in Paris."
Royal Wedding: Wedding Bliss or Miss
After rumors circulated that he was to marry Adelaide, the king's daughter, the Duc de Chartres' luck took an unexpected turn. Of course, there was nothing wrong with marrying a daughter of France, but the suggested match never fully fabricated. In fact, had he had his way, he may well have married one of the daughters, but not Adelaide (he had eyes for Anne Henriette de France!) The young duc, who was only 18, was hot on the market, and his father was ready for the boy to settle down and live a wholesome life.
Marriage
Daughters of France aside, a bride was chosen for this bachelor duc, Louise Henriette de Bourbon Conti, who strutted around Versailles as Mademoiselle Conti. She was absolutely stunning. The couple had a winter wedding, December of 1743. The ceremony was held in the chapel of Versailles (same chapel Marie Antoinette was married in years later) and the couple was married by the famous Cardinal de Rohan. The entire royal family attended the ceremony, including the duc's old flame, Henriette (below).
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| Adelaide (left) Anne Henriette (right) |
The Honeymoon Ends
The hot passion these two newlyweds shared started to fade a few years after they started their lives together. Six years after the wedding at Versailles, reports of the duc's living were less than desirable. He was staying out until all hours of the night, gaming, and in debt. He drank too much and hung out with society far below his rank. Overall he seemed to be having a good time.
His beloved wife was keeping herself very busy with a lover and was rumored to have several lovers aside from her constant. This scandal was made public in 1751 when the duc finally told his wife enough was enough. He made it very clear that she was not to see the lover again ...or else..she would be sent away to a convent!
Louise Henriette had grown up in one and was not ready to go back. She threw a fit and refused to even dine with her husband. (ps she was also pregnant at this point...but by who...!) Needless to say, things didn't look so good. For whatever reason, the couple reconciled, but Louise Henriette passed away in 1759 just 32 years old. It didn't take long for rumors to spread that the cause of her early death was due to her unfaithful wedded life.
Marie Antoinette and a little peer pressure
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| Mytens or Meytens, Martin II. Archduchess Marie Antoinette Habsburg-Lotharingen , 1767-68, oil on canvas. |
This is an account from the Comte de Mercy on a rather off day for the young dauphine, Marie Antoinette. One day in 1770 the court was just relocating for the season to Versailles (previously at Choisy). Because the hunting grounds were so rich at Choisy, the king decided to go on one last hunt. Still a very new member of the royal family, the young Marie Antoinette accompanied her new aunts (Louis XV's daughters) as they all followed the king on the hunt.
The group of ladies only got so far, when it was decided they needed to turn around. The hunt was venturing too far out to follow. In the carriage, Mesdames grew concerned that the terrain was too soft for the coach to remain stable and decided they needed to exit the coach at once. Marie Antoinette tried to persuade them to pause and remain seated, but it was an unsuccessful attempt.
Older and more influential than she was, Antoinette followed her new aunts out of the coach into the soft, swampy ground. They took the lead but she fell behind when her foot started to slip out of her shoe! The mud was so thick it had literally swallowed her shoe leaving her to hop along in her stocking on the cold wet ground.When she returned to Choisy she was frozen and wet from the weather. To make matters worse, as she attempted to dry off near the fire, her garment caught a flame! Needless to say she was thrilled when they all headed back to the comfort of Versailles. Her excitement faded quickly upon arrival however, when she found her rooms unprepared and no fires burning. She was so chilled from the earlier events that she developed a cold and sore throat which she dealt with for the following three days. It was a terrible way to bring in the new year!
Acknowledge Her: Madame du Barry and Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette was less than impressed with Madame du Barry when she learned that not only was her position at court bought, but her appointment was made to become the king's favorite.
"I Remember My First Beer"
Let's face it, Louis XV had a thing for his women, and his leisure time. Infamous parties, suppers, were held after a hunt, and for years these gatherings were a little hush hush. They were known of, but the guest weren't advertising their invitations.Who hosted these gatherings? For a long time Madame du Barry was the acting hostess, and she was needless to say good at it in her own way. She brought to the table a different style than what was typical of court life. Her suppers were casual in manner, relaxed, and sexy. The atmosphere matched that of a "gambling saloon and the entertainments" were of the same sort.
Eventually these parties became the thing to do, and those who made it on the guest list were now walking around fanning themselves with their invitations- completely flaunting them rather than keeping it quiet. The suppers were private parties, about 20 guests would gather for them. One observer of a supper saw both men and women seated around a large round table in promiscuous positions.... take what you will from that!
Madame du Barry sat at the kings arm picking food off his plate, flirting with him and whispering to him. This is a good representation of how our observer may have viewed it.In any case, young Louis (the dauphin) was not typically on the guest list. He was way too innocent, and always under the watch of his tutor. Eventually, (it had to happen at some point!) with the encouragement of the Duc de St Mégrin, Louis attended his 'first' supper party!
Undoubtedly it was almost an initiation for the young dauphin, and his aunts, whom he was very close to, were not happy about it. They got to work on him right away, with stories of du Barry and her past. They painted a negative image of her and it really made a lasting impression on Louis. With complete trust in them he formed his permanent opinion on the favourite, which would never change much.
The Comte Mercy wrote of Louis "This enlightenment produced so strong an impression on the Dauphin that he has since evinced a marked aversion for Madame du Barry it is certain that she will never rehabilitate herself in the eyes of the young prince."
Femme of the Week: Marie-Adelaide de France
Marie-Adelaide daughter of France was one of the seven daughters of Louis XV, born in 1732. She had two older sisters and four younger. When it was time for her and her younger sisters to go to the abbey Fontevrault for their education, her mother was upset at loosing all her daughters for so long a period. Maria Leszczyńska, who was passive in nature, had Adelade beg her father to let her stay home. The little girl did so, running up to Louis XV after mass one day, in tears and all. He granted her request and her sisters were sent off. She grew up in the house with one of her older sisters (the other left Versailles to wed when Adelaide was 4) and her brother the Dauphin.
The home situation would change again when her older sister Henriette passed away in 1752. Adelaide was 20, and became the leading spirit among her younger siblings. She adopted this new role not out of seniority or responsibility, but because her personality demanded so. She was an irritable girl, moody and headstrong; she also had an air of haughtiness about her. Her personality was not completely unpleasant, but when looked at next to her more reserved, quieter younger sisters she certainly stood at as a ring leader. She also spent the most time at home and saw her father much more than the others and this alone lead to a rightful feeling of precedence.When she was young her mother took her
and her sisters to a Carmelite ceremony. The girls saw her mothers lady in waiting devote her life to God and it left an impression. Adelaide was determined that she wanted to also devote her life to austerity, and begged her father to let her choose that life. He responded, “wait until you are twenty-five or widowed.” He made the right response because she grew out of this phase rather quickly. When her younger sister Louise decided she seriously was ready to devote her life to God she made arrangements with her father in secrecy. When Adeliade found out Louise was leaving she was not upset over loosing her sisters company, she was upset because she hadn’t been kept ‘in the loop.’Adelaide did not keep an immaculate appearance and was often
unkept, dare I say shabby? For this reason she was given the pet name Loque (rag) from her father, wouldn’t you imagine what that does to ones self esteem?? While growing up there was talk of her being married off. One of the lucky boys in question was the recently widowed Prince de Conti, his first wife a total dish. The other choice was Prince Xavier, who fell in love with a pretty Italian. So it was old maid-dom for Adelaide. She did not care though, in fact she did not want to be married because she could not see the point in loosing her oh-so-important title as Daughter of France.
So what did this important Daughter of France spend her days doing? For one she loved literature and was the proud owner of 5000 titles in her library. She also found herself subject to court gossip, a position her sisters did not face. This can mainly be attributed to her strong personality, and subtle rudeness. It is true that Louis XV was closer to his daughters than his wife and son, but this is because in their early years they were the family members that did not meddle with politics or look down upon his mistresses. (His wife involved herself a little in politics to help her father.) Adelaide even helped raise a child that was most certainly one of her fathers. And when the little Duc de Berry lost both of his parents, Adelaide took him in too, in a way. He grew up with her and her younger sisters and felt comfortable with them around as his guardians.When Berry married Antoinette, Adelaide and her sisters gave her a key to
their apartments, and they hung out a bit. Adelaide did not really care for Antoinette in any case. Antoinette was pressured to address Madame du Barry from the King and Ambassador. The day came that she was going to address the favourite and right as she approached her Adelaide, most certainly aware of the situation, stopped her by speaking: ‘It is time for us to go and await the King in the apartments of our sister Victoire.” Antoinette, caught off guard, acknowledged and followed Adelaide. She later apologized to her ambassador explaining that she did not want to upset her aunt. Sneaky! Adelaide escaped to Rome at the time of the Revolution and died in 1800, outliving all of her siblings. Her body was returned to France and she is buried in the fabulous cathedral, Saint Denis.
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