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{{Short description|French aristocrat and memoirist (1770–1853)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}


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| birth_date = 25 February 1770
| birth_date = 25 February 1770
| birth_place = [[Paris]], France
| birth_place = [[Paris]], France
| death_date = 2 April 1853
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|1853|4|2|1770|2|25}}
| burial_place =
| burial_place =
| death_place = [[Pisa]], Italy
| death_place = [[Pisa]], Italy
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| years_active =
| years_active =
| spouse = Frédéric, Marquis de La Tour-du-Pin
| spouse = Frédéric, Marquis de La Tour-du-Pin
| mother = [[Thérèse-Lucy de Dillon| Therese-Lucy de Rothe]] (1751–1782)
| mother = [[Thérèse-Lucy de Dillon|Thérèse-Lucy de Rothe]] (1751–1782)
| father = [[Arthur Dillon (1750–1794)]]
| father = [[Arthur Dillon (1750–1794)]]
| signature =
| signature =
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| known_for =
| known_for =
}}
}}
'''Henriette-Lucy, Marquise de La Tour-du-Pin-Gouvernet''' (25 February 1770, [[Paris]] – 2 April 1853, [[Pisa]]) (also known as Lucie) was a French [[French nobility|aristocrat]] famous for her posthumously published memoirs entitled '''''Journal d'une femme de 50 ans'''''.<ref>{{cite book| title=Memoirs, laughing and dancing our way to the precipice| author=Madame de la Tour du Pin| publisher=Harvill| year=1999| isbn=978-1-86046-548-2 }}</ref> The memoirs are a first-hand account of her life through the [[Ancien Régime]], the [[French Revolution]], and the [[First French Empire|Imperial]] court of [[Napoleon]], ending in March 1815 with Napoleon's return from exile on [[Elba]]. Her memoirs serve as unique testimony to much unchronicled history.
'''Henriette-Lucy, Marquise de La Tour-du-Pin-Gouvernet''' (25 February 1770, [[Paris]] – 2 April 1853, [[Pisa]]) (also known as Lucie) was a French [[French nobility|aristocrat]] famous for her posthumously published memoirs entitled '''''Journal d'une femme de 50 ans'''''.<ref>{{cite book| title=Memoirs, laughing and dancing our way to the precipice| author=Madame de la Tour du Pin| publisher=Harvill| year=1999| isbn=978-1-86046-548-2 }}</ref> The memoirs are a first-hand account of her life through the [[Ancien Régime]], the [[French Revolution]], and the [[First French Empire|Imperial]] court of [[Napoleon]], ending in March 1815 with Napoleon's return from exile on [[Elba]]. Her memoirs serve as unique testimony to much unchronicled history.


==Life==
==Life==


===Early life===
===Early life===
Henriette-Lucy Dillon was born into a prominent Irish [[Flight of the Wild Geese|Wild Geese]] [[Jacobitism|Jacobite]] military family in France. She was daughter of [[Arthur Dillon (1750–1794)|Arthur Dillon]], colonel-proprietor of the [[Dillon Regiment]], and the lady-in-waiting [[Thérèse-Lucy de Dillon|Thérèse-Lucy de Rothe]] (1751–1782). Her father had been born in England, so she was often regarded in France as English. However the family, of [[Normans|Norman descent]], was linked to the [[Viscount Dillon|Dillons of Costello-Gallen]] and the lords of [[Drumraney]] in Ireland, who were granted lands in [[County Westmeath]] in the thirteenth-century.
Henriette-Lucy Dillon was born into a prominent Irish [[Flight of the Wild Geese|Wild Geese]] [[Jacobitism|Jacobite]] military family in France. She was daughter of [[Arthur Dillon (1750–1794)|Arthur Dillon]], colonel-proprietor of the [[Dillon Regiment]], and the lady-in-waiting [[Thérèse-Lucy de Dillon|Thérèse-Lucy de Rothe]] (1751–1782). Her father had been born in England, so she was often regarded in France as English. However the family, of [[Normans|Norman descent]], was linked to the [[Viscount Dillon|Dillons of Costello-Gallen]] and the lords of [[Drumraney]] in Ireland, who were granted lands in [[County Westmeath]] in the thirteenth century.


Following her mother's death and her father's subsequent posting abroad, where he remarried, Lucie lived in the household of her grandmother, Mme. de Rothe, and [[Arthur Richard Dillon]], Archbishop of Narbonne, until marrying and joining the Court of France. She married {{ill|Frédéric-Séraphin de La Tour du Pin Gouverne|lt=Frédéric-Séraphin, comte de Gouvernet|fr|Frédéric-Séraphin de La Tour du Pin Gouvernet|vertical-align=sup}}, later Marquis de La Tour-du-Pin, an army officer and diplomat, in 1787. He was the son of [[Jean-Frédéric de la Tour du Pin-Gouvernet]], a French [[Secretary of State for War (France)|Minister of War]].
Following her mother's death and her father's subsequent posting abroad, where he remarried, Lucie lived in the household of her grandmother, Mme. de Rothe, and [[Arthur Richard Dillon]], Archbishop of Narbonne, until marrying and joining the Court of France. She married {{ill|Frédéric-Séraphin de La Tour du Pin Gouverne|lt=Frédéric-Séraphin, comte de Gouvernet|fr|Frédéric-Séraphin de La Tour du Pin Gouvernet|vertical-align=sup}}, later Marquis de La Tour-du-Pin, an army officer and diplomat, in 1787. He was the son of [[Jean-Frédéric de la Tour du Pin-Gouvernet]], a French [[Secretary of State for War (France)|Minister of War]].


Following her mother she served as an apprentice [[lady-in-waiting]] (''[[Dame du Palais]] surnumeraire'') to [[Marie Antoinette]], Queen of France, from the age of 16 in 1787, until 1789.
Following her marriage, she was given her mother's place as an honorary or apprentice [[lady-in-waiting]] (''[[Dame du Palais]] surnuméraire'') to [[Marie Antoinette]], Queen of France, and served as such every sunday from 1787 until the outbreak of the French revolution in 1789.


===During the revolution===
===During the revolution===


She was present at Versailles during the Assembly of the Estates, and witnessed the [[Women's March on Versailles]] at the outbreak of the French revolution. She also witnessed the peasant uprising called the [[Great Fear]] in the countryside.
She was present at Versailles during the assembly of the [[Estates General of 1789]] and witnessed the [[Women's March on Versailles]] at the outbreak of the French revolution. She also witnessed the peasant uprising called the [[Great Fear]] in the countryside.


Between October 1791 and March 1792, her husband served as ambassador in the Hague, where she joined him, returning to France only in December 1792.
Between October 1791 and March 1792, her husband served as ambassador to the [[Dutch Republic]] in [[The Hague]], where she joined him, returning to France only in December 1792.


During the [[Reign of Terror]] of [[Robespierre]] in 1793, many of her friends and family were executed and she fled Paris for the family estate of [[Cubzac-les-Ponts|Le Bouilh, or Saint André Bouilh Cubzac]] in the [[Gironde]] region. During the summer of that year, their estate was seized by the government, and her husband was imprisoned. She managed to secure his release from [[Jean-Lambert Tallien]] by the help of [[Thérésa Tallien]].
During the [[Reign of Terror]] of [[Robespierre]] in 1793, many of her friends and family were executed, and she fled Paris for the family estate of [[Cubzac-les-Ponts|Le Bouilh]] in the [[Gironde]] region. During the summer of that year, their estate was seized by the government, and her father-in-law was imprisoned and her husband went in hiding separate from her. With the help of [[Thérésa Tallien]], she managed to secure a passport for herself and her husband from [[Jean-Lambert Tallien]], a prominent member of the revolutionary French [[National Convention]].


Directly after his release, she, aged 24, and her husband passed into exile for a new life on a dairy farm near [[Albany, New York|Albany]] in [[Upstate New York]]. Although they were never officially listed as émigrés, Frédéric had been living in hiding prior to departure. She described this time as the happiest of her life. She vividly describes the reality of owning slaves and interactions with the local Dutch families and the few remaining [[Indigenous people of the Americas|Native Americans]] of the area.
Directly after having secured their passports in 1794, she and her husband passed into exile for a new life on a dairy farm near [[Albany, New York|Albany]] in [[Upstate New York]]. Although they were never officially listed as [[French emigration (1789-1815)|émigrés]], Frédéric had been living in hiding prior to departure. She regarded this time as the happiest of her life. She vividly described the reality of owning slaves and interactions with the local Dutch families and the few remaining [[Indigenous people of the Americas|Native Americans]] of the area.


She was close to [[Talleyrand]] during his exile in the United States, and she returned to France as he did after the establishment of the [[French Directory|Directorate]], in 1796. The couple left the United States because her husband wanted to resume his career in public life and shore up the family fortunes.
She was close to [[Talleyrand]] during his exile in the United States, and she returned to France (first freeing her four black slaves<ref>Simon Schama, ''Citizens: a Chronicle of the French Revolution'' (1989) p.866.</ref>) as he did after the establishment of the [[French Directory|Directorate]] in 1796. The couple left the United States because her husband wanted to resume his career in public life and shore up the family fortunes.


===Later life===
===Later life===


After the French coup of 1799, which brought Napoleon to power, her husband was able to resume his diplomatic career. She was able to promote his career under Napoleon, who was looking for aristocrats to lend legitimacy to his power and, from 1804, his court. Her memoirs described an insider's view of many events from the Imperial court of Napoleon.
After the [[French Coup of 1799]], which brought Napoleon to power, her husband was able to resume his diplomatic career. She was able to promote his career under Napoleon, who was looking for aristocrats to lend legitimacy to his power and, from 1804, his court. Her memoirs described an insider's view of many events from the Imperial court of Napoleon.


She continued to follow her husband to his various diplomatic appointments after the [[Bourbon Restoration]]. They went into effective exile again after their son Aymar became involved in the anti-[[House of Orléans|Orléanist]] plot of [[Caroline Ferdinande Louise, duchesse de Berry]], in 1831, in the [[Vendée]]. Aymar escaped France, but was condemned to death in his absence. The family sold its possessions in France soon after.
She continued to follow her husband to his various diplomatic appointments after the [[Bourbon Restoration in France|Bourbon Restoration]]. They went into effective exile again after their son Aymar became involved in the anti-[[House of Orléans|Orléanist]] plot of [[Caroline Ferdinande Louise, duchesse de Berry]], in 1831, in the [[Vendée]]. Aymar escaped France, but was condemned to death in his absence. The family sold its possessions in France soon after.


Following her husband's death in [[Lausanne]], Switzerland in 1837, she moved to Italy, where she died in [[Pisa]], Italy
Following her husband's death in [[Lausanne]], Switzerland, in 1837, she moved to Italy, where she died in [[Pisa]].


==Legacy==
==Legacy==
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==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


==Bibliography==
==Bibliography==
Catherine Montfort (Spring 2015). "Madame de La Tour du Pin: An Aristocratic Farmer in America", ''New Perspectives on the Eighteenth Century'', 12.1: 35–47.
Catherine Montfort (Spring 2015). "Madame de La Tour du Pin: An Aristocratic Farmer in America", ''New Perspectives on the Eighteenth Century'', 12.1: 35–47.


==External links==
==External links==
* {{Gutenberg author | id=La+Tour+du+Pin+Gouvernet,+Henriette+Lucie+Dillon,+marquise+de}}
* {{Gutenberg author | id=33274}}
* {{Librivox author |id=12647}}
* {{Librivox author |id=12647}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Pin-Gouvernet}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Pin-Gouvernet}}
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{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:La Tour-du-Pin Gouvernet, Henriette-Lucy de}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tour-du-Pin Gouvernet, Henriette-Lucy de La}}
[[Category:1770 births]]
[[Category:1770 births]]
[[Category:1853 deaths]]
[[Category:1853 deaths]]
[[Category:Writers from Paris]]
[[Category:Writers from Paris]]
[[Category:People of the French Revolution]]
[[Category:People of the French Revolution]]
[[Category:First French Empire]]
[[Category:People of the First French Empire]]
[[Category:French Marquesses]]
[[Category:French marchionesses]]
[[Category:19th-century French women writers]]
[[Category:19th-century French women writers]]
[[Category:French memoirists]]
[[Category:18th-century French memoirists]]
[[Category:Women memoirists]]
[[Category:French women memoirists]]
[[Category:French people of Norman descent]]
[[Category:French people of Norman descent]]
[[Category:French ladies-in-waiting]]
[[Category:French ladies-in-waiting]]
[[Category:Household of Marie Antoinette]]

Latest revision as of 05:04, 9 August 2024

Henriette-Lucy, Marquise de La Tour-du-Pin-Gouvernet
Engraving of Henriette-Lucy
Born25 February 1770
Paris, France
Died2 April 1853(1853-04-02) (aged 83)
Pisa, Italy
NationalityFrench
Other namesLucie de la Tour du Pin
Occupationwriter
Spouse(s)Frédéric, Marquis de La Tour-du-Pin
Parents

Henriette-Lucy, Marquise de La Tour-du-Pin-Gouvernet (25 February 1770, Paris – 2 April 1853, Pisa) (also known as Lucie) was a French aristocrat famous for her posthumously published memoirs entitled Journal d'une femme de 50 ans.[1] The memoirs are a first-hand account of her life through the Ancien Régime, the French Revolution, and the Imperial court of Napoleon, ending in March 1815 with Napoleon's return from exile on Elba. Her memoirs serve as unique testimony to much unchronicled history.

Leben

[edit]

Early life

[edit]

Henriette-Lucy Dillon was born into a prominent Irish Wild Geese Jacobite military family in France. She was daughter of Arthur Dillon, colonel-proprietor of the Dillon Regiment, and the lady-in-waiting Thérèse-Lucy de Rothe (1751–1782). Her father had been born in England, so she was often regarded in France as English. However the family, of Norman descent, was linked to the Dillons of Costello-Gallen and the lords of Drumraney in Ireland, who were granted lands in County Westmeath in the thirteenth century.

Following her mother's death and her father's subsequent posting abroad, where he remarried, Lucie lived in the household of her grandmother, Mme. de Rothe, and Arthur Richard Dillon, Archbishop of Narbonne, until marrying and joining the Court of France. She married Frédéric-Séraphin, comte de Gouvernet [fr], later Marquis de La Tour-du-Pin, an army officer and diplomat, in 1787. He was the son of Jean-Frédéric de la Tour du Pin-Gouvernet, a French Minister of War.

Following her marriage, she was given her mother's place as an honorary or apprentice lady-in-waiting (Dame du Palais surnuméraire) to Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, and served as such every sunday from 1787 until the outbreak of the French revolution in 1789.

During the revolution

[edit]

She was present at Versailles during the assembly of the Estates General of 1789 and witnessed the Women's March on Versailles at the outbreak of the French revolution. She also witnessed the peasant uprising called the Great Fear in the countryside.

Between October 1791 and March 1792, her husband served as ambassador to the Dutch Republic in The Hague, where she joined him, returning to France only in December 1792.

During the Reign of Terror of Robespierre in 1793, many of her friends and family were executed, and she fled Paris for the family estate of Le Bouilh in the Gironde region. During the summer of that year, their estate was seized by the government, and her father-in-law was imprisoned and her husband went in hiding separate from her. With the help of Thérésa Tallien, she managed to secure a passport for herself and her husband from Jean-Lambert Tallien, a prominent member of the revolutionary French National Convention.

Directly after having secured their passports in 1794, she and her husband passed into exile for a new life on a dairy farm near Albany in Upstate New York. Although they were never officially listed as émigrés, Frédéric had been living in hiding prior to departure. She regarded this time as the happiest of her life. She vividly described the reality of owning slaves and interactions with the local Dutch families and the few remaining Native Americans of the area.

She was close to Talleyrand during his exile in the United States, and she returned to France (first freeing her four black slaves[2]) as he did after the establishment of the Directorate in 1796. The couple left the United States because her husband wanted to resume his career in public life and shore up the family fortunes.

Later life

[edit]

After the French Coup of 1799, which brought Napoleon to power, her husband was able to resume his diplomatic career. She was able to promote his career under Napoleon, who was looking for aristocrats to lend legitimacy to his power and, from 1804, his court. Her memoirs described an insider's view of many events from the Imperial court of Napoleon.

She continued to follow her husband to his various diplomatic appointments after the Bourbon Restoration. They went into effective exile again after their son Aymar became involved in the anti-Orléanist plot of Caroline Ferdinande Louise, duchesse de Berry, in 1831, in the Vendée. Aymar escaped France, but was condemned to death in his absence. The family sold its possessions in France soon after.

Following her husband's death in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1837, she moved to Italy, where she died in Pisa.

Legacy

[edit]

Her memoir was written as a letter to her only surviving child after the age of fifty. It remained in the family and was not published until 1906.

She is the subject of a biography by Caroline Moorehead published in 2009.[3]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Madame de la Tour du Pin (1999). Memoirs, laughing and dancing our way to the precipice. Harvill. ISBN 978-1-86046-548-2.
  2. ^ Simon Schama, Citizens: a Chronicle of the French Revolution (1989) p.866.
  3. ^ Caroline Moorehead (2009). Dancing to the Precipice: The Life of Lucie de la Tour Du Pin, Eyewitness to an Era. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-168441-8.

Bibliography

[edit]

Catherine Montfort (Spring 2015). "Madame de La Tour du Pin: An Aristocratic Farmer in America", New Perspectives on the Eighteenth Century, 12.1: 35–47.

[edit]