Duchesse de Polignac

[Imperial.Opal]

Hi, Polignac
I had trouble myself recently in the forum, due to some gremlins in the system, I like your contributions,so bring it on, ;  

[polignac]

Did the Duc Jules, as officer of the french army, gonne to the American Revolutionary War? Axel von Fersen did, as many other nobles...

[polignac]

I hope you understand french..
«En 1668, le Marquis de Polastron, seigneur de Noueilles, Venerque et Grépiac, avait plusieurs enfants, dont un fils, le Comte de Polastron, qui eut lui-même trois enfants : une fille, Levis ; un garçon, qui embrassa la carrière militaire ; et une autre fille, Yolande, Martine, Gabrielle de Polastron qui, par son mariage, devint Duchesse de Polignac en 1767.

La Duchesse suivit son mari à la Cour et devint très vite une intime de Marie-Antoinette. La reine donnait très souvent des goûters dans le parc du château et y invitait des jeunes filles nobles et peu fortunées qui y faisaient leur apprentissage de futures dames de cour. Elle y recevait aussi de jeunes nobles, parmi lesquels le Comte d'Artois, alors âgé de 23 ans et frère de Louis XVI.

Jeune officier très apprécié de ces demoiselles, il représentait à leurs yeux l'incarnation du Prince Charmant. Il remarqua une belle jeune fille de 16 ans, Louise d'Esparbès, belle brunette aux yeux de braise, que le délicieux accent de son Armagnac natal parait d'un charme supplémentaire.

Marie-Antoinette et Madame de Polignac, s'étant prises d'amitié pour cette jeune Louise, l'invitaient très souvent à leurs goûters. Mais bientôt, sentant le danger d'un amour naissant entre le jeune d'Artois et Louise, Madame de Polignac favorisa le mariage de la jeune fille et de son frère, Comte de Polastron, colonel dans le régiment de Monsieur de Lafayette.

A peine le mariage célébré, le Comte partit combattre en Amériques aux côtés du général Lafayette, délaissant sa jeune épouse. Esseulée, amoureuse, est-ce à cette époque qu'elle devint la maîtresse du Comte d'Artois ?...

Toujours est-il que la Révolution arrive. Polastron, de retour en France, est arrêté, jugé et guillotiné sur le Place de la Nation, son corps jeté dans la fosse commune du cimetière de Picpus. Son nom figure dans la chapelle attenante, avec celui des autres guillotinés. La Comtesse Louise de Polastron pour y retrouver son amant : le Comte d'Artois qui va devenir, plus tard, le roi Charles X. Louise lui restera fidèle jusqu'à la mort.

L'immobilier des Polastron vendu comme bien d'émigrés, Barthélémy Marty racheta les terres, leurs dépendances et le château de Noueilles à la Nation. Seul souvenir de leurs anciens biens fonciers, une petite rue de Venerque porte leur nom : rue Polastron de la Hillière.», from http://www.noueilles.fr/521-chateau-marty.html#Comtes

[polignac]

So, the Duchesse de Polignac's father, the Comte de Polastron died on the guillotine..And recording to this website, the Duchesse had a brother and a sister (Louise)..

But I also had seen this:
«the sister-in-law
of the Duchess of Polignac, Louise d'Esparbes, Viscountess of
Polastron. The Duchess of Gontaut recounts in her unpublished
Memoirs the touching and pathetic scene of the supreme adieu of
this charming woman and of Charles X., then Count d'Artois.», in http://nicksimon2.tripod.com/34-23.html
But if Louise was Viscountess of Polastron, she couldn't be a sister of Jules de Polignac, because he wasn't a Polastron, but Gabrielle was..

[polignac]

Louise de Polastron, by Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun:

[bell_the_cat]

So, the Duchesse de Polignac's father, the Comte de Polastron died on the guillotine..And recording to this website, the Duchesse had a brother and a sister (Louise)..

But I also had seen this:
«the sister-in-law
of the Duchess of Polignac, Louise d'Esparbes, Viscountess of
Polastron. The Duchess of Gontaut recounts in her unpublished
Memoirs the touching and pathetic scene of the supreme adieu of
this charming woman and of Charles X., then Count d'Artois.», in http://nicksimon2.tripod.com/34-23.html
But if Louise was Viscountess of Polastron, she couldn't be a sister of Jules de Polignac, because he wasn't a Polastron, but Gabrielle was..

From the text you quoted, it seems that it was Gabrielle's brother (the husband of Louise) who was guillotined.

So Gabrielle was the sister in law of the mistress of the Comte d'Artois. Louise was married to Gabrielle's brother.  :-/

[Yseult]

I suppose that you know all the portraits of Yolande, but I post this one:

[coquelicot]

Yes, Bell the Cat, that's what I had understood too. Artois was deeply in love with Louise. He always managed to find her back in exile.

[polignac]

I had understood bad the quote...I don't understand french very well  

[polignac]

http://www.dialogus2.org/MARI/vosdepensesextravagantes.html

I know that the letter isn't real, but, then I put the chance that the princesse de Lamballe could be an enemie of the DUchesse de Polignac..
What do you have to say about this?

[coquelicot]

They were jealous of each other, but were they enemies ? Madame de Lamballe softely retired from court because of Gabrielle's favour. And, later, once alone with her beloved queen in the Tuileries, she felt better, her health problems gone...

We must be careful with this site you mentioned, dear Polignac. You and me may post to talk with Antoinette, Louis XVI or... Jesus Christ ! But who answers ? Are they historians ?

I surfed on this already, and learned one or two interesting things abut hairdressing and wigs. I wrote a letter about madame de Polignac, just for fun... and received a message in my mail-box from... Marie-Antoinette, of course ! Woaw ! I kept it...  

This "queen" wrote nice and sweet words about Gabrielle. Must be a clever woman !  

[polignac]

Hey, I'm back!
I've got one question about when Gabrielle knew Marie Antoinette... Was it in 1775 or in 1777? In read somewhere that they first met at summer in Château de Fontainebleau, but I'm noot very sure...

[Sissi]

Dear Polignac good to have you back!!

I think that they first met in 1775

[coquelicot]

Yes, they first met in 1755. Philippe Erlanger ("aventuriers et aventurières") says that it was during a bal. The queen was amazed by Gabrielle's charm and beauty and, when they talked, she was even more enchanted by her simplicity and her sweetness. Later, they met again at Diane's place, and Gabrielle sang. Her voice was just wonderful !

[polignac]

But was it in a ball in Fontainbleu?