Charlotte-Jeanne Béraud de la Haye de Riou, marquise de Montesson
Encyclopedia
Charlotte-Jeanne Béraud de La Haye de Riou (4 October 1738 – 6 February 1806) was a mistress
to Louis Philippe d'Orléans, duc d'Orléans
, and ultimately, his wife; however, Louis XV
would not allow her to become the duchesse. She wrote and acted in several plays. She is known simply as Madame de Montesson.
of an old Breton
family.
On 11 October 1757, she married the seventy-year old widower Jean-Baptiste, marquis de Montesson, who died in 1769. Her beauty and intelligence attracted the attention of the widowed Louis Philippe d'Orléans, the fat
(his wife Louise Henriette de Bourbon had died in 1759), whom she secretly married in 1773 with the authorisation of Louis XV of France
. After her marriage to the Duke of Orléans, a member of the royal family and a Prince du Sang
, her low rank did not allow her the title of Duchess of Orléans.
For her husband's amusement and her own, she set up a little theater and wrote several plays, in the acting of which she herself took part.
She was arrested on 20 April 1793 (1 floréal an II of the Republican calendar
) during the Terror
, and first imprisoned in the La Force prison in Paris. She was released on 28 September 1794 (after the fall of Maximilien Robespierre
, befriended Joséphine de Beauharnais
, and was a prominent figure at the beginning of the empire.
The best edition of her works appeared under the title of Œuvres anonymes in 1782-1785. See Charles Collé
, Journal (1868); the Memoirs of St Simon, Madame de Genlis, the duchesse d'Abrantes and Mme de Levis; G Strenger, "La Société de la marquise de Montesson," in the Nouvelle revue (1902); J Turquan, Madame de Montesson douairière d'Orléans (Paris, 1904); and G. Capon and R Yves-Plessis, Les Théâtres clandestins du xviii' siècle (1904).
Mistress (lover)
A mistress is a long-term female lover and companion who is not married to her partner; the term is used especially when her partner is married. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,...
to Louis Philippe d'Orléans, duc d'Orléans
Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans
Louis Philippe d'Orléans known as le Gros , was a French nobleman, a member of a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, the dynasty then ruling France. The First Prince of the Blood after 1752, he was the most senior male at the French court after the immediate royal family. He was the father of...
, and ultimately, his wife; however, Louis XV
Louis XV of France
Louis XV was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather at the age of five, his first cousin Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, served as Regent of the kingdom until Louis's majority in 1723...
would not allow her to become the duchesse. She wrote and acted in several plays. She is known simply as Madame de Montesson.
Biography
Charlotte-Jeanne Béraud de La Haye de Riou was born in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
of an old Breton
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
family.
On 11 October 1757, she married the seventy-year old widower Jean-Baptiste, marquis de Montesson, who died in 1769. Her beauty and intelligence attracted the attention of the widowed Louis Philippe d'Orléans, the fat
Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans
Louis Philippe d'Orléans known as le Gros , was a French nobleman, a member of a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, the dynasty then ruling France. The First Prince of the Blood after 1752, he was the most senior male at the French court after the immediate royal family. He was the father of...
(his wife Louise Henriette de Bourbon had died in 1759), whom she secretly married in 1773 with the authorisation of Louis XV of France
Louis XV of France
Louis XV was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather at the age of five, his first cousin Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, served as Regent of the kingdom until Louis's majority in 1723...
. After her marriage to the Duke of Orléans, a member of the royal family and a Prince du Sang
Prince du Sang
A prince of the blood was a person who was legitimately descended in the male line from the monarch of a country. In France, the rank of prince du sang was the highest held at court after the immediate family of the king during the ancien régime and the Bourbon Restoration...
, her low rank did not allow her the title of Duchess of Orléans.
For her husband's amusement and her own, she set up a little theater and wrote several plays, in the acting of which she herself took part.
She was arrested on 20 April 1793 (1 floréal an II of the Republican calendar
French Republican Calendar
The French Republican Calendar or French Revolutionary Calendar was a calendar created and implemented during the French Revolution, and used by the French government for about 12 years from late 1793 to 1805, and for 18 days by the Paris Commune in 1871...
) during the Terror
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror , also known simply as The Terror , was a period of violence that occurred after the onset of the French Revolution, incited by conflict between rival political factions, the Girondins and the Jacobins, and marked by mass executions of "enemies of...
, and first imprisoned in the La Force prison in Paris. She was released on 28 September 1794 (after the fall of Maximilien Robespierre
Maximilien Robespierre
Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre is one of the best-known and most influential figures of the French Revolution. He largely dominated the Committee of Public Safety and was instrumental in the period of the Revolution commonly known as the Reign of Terror, which ended with his...
, befriended Joséphine de Beauharnais
Joséphine de Beauharnais
Joséphine de Beauharnais was the first wife of Napoléon Bonaparte, and thus the first Empress of the French. Her first husband Alexandre de Beauharnais had been guillotined during the Reign of Terror, and she had been imprisoned in the Carmes prison until her release five days after Alexandre's...
, and was a prominent figure at the beginning of the empire.
The best edition of her works appeared under the title of Œuvres anonymes in 1782-1785. See Charles Collé
Charles Collé
Charles Collé was a French dramatist and songwriter.The son of a notary, he was born in Paris. He became interested in the rhymes of Jean Heguanier, the most famous writer of couplets in Paris. From a notary's office, Collé was transferred to that of the receiver-general of finance, where he...
, Journal (1868); the Memoirs of St Simon, Madame de Genlis, the duchesse d'Abrantes and Mme de Levis; G Strenger, "La Société de la marquise de Montesson," in the Nouvelle revue (1902); J Turquan, Madame de Montesson douairière d'Orléans (Paris, 1904); and G. Capon and R Yves-Plessis, Les Théâtres clandestins du xviii' siècle (1904).