Louise-Emmanuelle de Châtillon, Princesse de Tarente

Louise-Emmanuelle de Châtillon
Born 1763
Died 1814

Louise-Emmanuelle de Châtillon, known as Princesse de Tarente (1763-1814) was a French noble, memoirist and courtier. She served as lady-in-waiting to queen Marie Antoinette of France from 1782 to 1792. Her memoirs about her life during the French revolution has been published.

Life

She was born to Louis Gaucher, duke de Châtillon, and Adrienne-Emilie-Félicité de la Baume le Blanc de La Vallière. In 1781, she married Charles Bretagne Marie de La Trémoille, prince de Tarente and duke de la Trémouille, and the following year, she was appointed one of 15 dame du palais to the queen.

Revolution

On the outbreak of the French revolution, she belonged to those courtiers accompanying the royal family from Versailles to Paris after the Women's March on Versailles in October 1789, and continued to serve the queen in the Tuileries. She was reportedly perhaps the female colleague with whom the princesse de Lamballe was most friendly, and often visited Lamballe in her salon in the Pavillon de Flore.[1]

During the Demonstration of 20 June 1792, she, alongside Princess de Lamballe, Madame de Tourzel, the Duchess de Maillé, Mme de Laroche-Aymon, Marie Angélique de Mackau, Renée Suzanne de Soucy, Mme de Ginestous, and a few noblemen, belonged to the courtiers surrounding the queen and her children for several hours when the mob passed by the room shouting insults to Marie Antoinette.[1]

During the 10 August (French Revolution), she and the rest of the ladies-in-waiting of the queen was left in the queen's chamber after the royal family left the palace only in the company of Princess de Lamballe and Madame de Tourzel. According to Madame de Campan, the Princesse de Tarente was devastated to be left in the palace, but still managed to compose herself enough to open the doors to the chamber to the mob.[2] This convinced the mob that the royal family was not there and that there was no need from them to break in, which may have saved the life of the women.[3] When the mob entered to chamber where the ladies-in-waiting were gathered, the Princesse de Tarente, according to Pauline de Tourzel, approached one of the revolutionaries and asked for his protection.[4] Reportedly, when the rebels entered the queen' bedchamber, the lady-in-waiting of the princesse de Lamballe, countess de Ginestous, became hysterical, fallen on her knees and begged for mercy, upon which the Princesse de Tarente, herself composed, had turned to the young Marseillais who led the rioters and said: "This poor lady is, as you see, hysterical: will you kindly see her to a place of safety; And this young girl also", indicating Pauline de Tourzel, "I confide to your honour; kill me if you will, but treat her with respect", upon which he replied: "We do not fight with women; go, all of you, if you choose."[1] According to Pauline de Tourzel, he then escorted her and Princesse de Tarente out.[5] Following this example, the rest of the ladies-in-waiting departed the palace in about the same way,[6] and all passed safely out.[1]

The princesse de Tarente and Pauline de Tourzel was escorted from the palace by the rebel, who left them on the street; they were there discovered by a mob who brought them to prison, but the prison director let them free, and de Tarente brought de Tourzel with her to her grandmother, from which she could later be united with her mother.[7] De Tarente was later arrested and interrogated regarding the people she met in the salon of the princesse de Lamballe at the Tuileries, as it was known that she and Lamballe had been personal friends, after which she was imprisoned for refusing to testify against Marie Antoinette.[1] She avoided the September Massacres by escaping the prison in disguise.

Later life

She emigrated to England during the Reign of Terror and lived on a pension given to her by the sister of Marie Antoinette, Maria Carolina of Austria. From 1797 until 1801, she served as lady-in-waiting to Maria Feodorovna (Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg). She returned briefly to France in 1801, but preferred to spend the rest of her life in Russia, where she was a central figure in the circles of the French emigres around countess Varvara Golovina.

Works

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Hardy, B. C. (Blanche Christabel), The Princesse de Lamballe; a biography, 1908, Project Gutenberg
  2. ↑ Madame Campan, Memoirs of the Court of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, Project Gutenberg
  3. ↑ Madame Campan, Memoirs of the Court of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, Project Gutenberg
  4. ↑ Memoirs of the Dutchess de Tourzel, governess to the children of France during the years 1789, 1790, 1791, 1792, 1793 and 1795, 1886
  5. ↑ Memoirs of the Dutchess de Tourzel, governess to the children of France during the years 1789, 1790, 1791, 1792, 1793 and 1795, 1886
  6. ↑ Madame Campan, Memoirs of the Court of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, Project Gutenberg
  7. ↑
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