Discussions about Russian History > Their World and Culture
Interesting Women of the Nobility
grandduchessella:
Gladys by Boldini
grandduchessella:
From an online bio on Consuelo Yznaga, Duchess of Manchester
La Bella Consuelo Yznaga
Consuelo Yznaga's life has been a mystery to many because so few people knew about her life as a bohemian Southern Belle who became an English duchess at the turn of the century. She had been immortalized by American writer Edith Wharton as Conchita Closson, a very exotic young woman of Brazilian origin. She also received props from Canadian writer Marina Fowler, who did an extensive biography on her in her 1994 book, "A Gilded Cage." It's about time to give Consuelo her due. This biography is about this remarkable lady from Louisiana who met a handsome English duke in New York and eventually married him. Her life with him in England is not a fairy tale but she made a most out of it, for she became a famous society host in her own right.
Miss Maria Consuelo Yznaga del Valle was born in the plantation of Ravenswood, Louisiana in the year 1858, three years before the war between the states. She's the third child of Antonio and Ellen Yznaga. Her father immigrated from Cuba and have connections to several Spanish aristocratic houses,his mother having been born a del Valle. Her mother hailed from New York. Her mother came from an old New England family. Antonio and Ellen had four children. They made Ravenswood and New York City their homes. For all their connections, New York society refused to accept them as their own. Ellen had been denied invitations to society events and that made her a little mad and eventually drove her and her family to Paris, where they were well received. It was there Consuelo was introduced to Empress Eugenie de Montijo. Eugenie, like Consuelo, was half Spanish, half American and very beautiful. Eugenie presided over a brilliant court in Paris. Having been wronged by her unfaithful husband, she sought solace in friends, clothing, and decoration. Consuelo and Eugenie became lifelong friends. It wasn't going to last long, for a war was to put an end to such fun and Consuelo and her family returned to the states in 1870.
The Yznaga family retreated at the plantation of Ravenswood. Ravenswood is not an elaborate plantion house you may see down south. It's an unpretentious two-story wooden house along the banks of the Mississippi. But her memories in Paris still stayed on her mind for years to come. Around 1873, Miss Consuelo had made a scene at a ball held in a nearby town of Natchez. The Yznagas have made a point of taking their lovely daughters to a ball. They wanted to improved their social standing among the affluent citizens of Natchez. What had happened was that Consuela wanted to dress as she pleased, the women of the town didn't like what she wore and that the men at the ball were embarrased to be seen with her. One of the male escorts tied a blue ribbon over her dress so that she could be presentable.
Several years later, the Yznagas traveled to Saratoga, New York to introduce their daughters to society as well as getting husbands for them. It was there Consuelo met a dashing, but impoverished duke from England. His name was George Victor Drogo Montagu, the future duke of Manchester. They were married in a lavish ceremony at Grace Church in New York City in 1876. Although the wedding made front page news at the New York Times, she and her family were dismissed as "nobodies" by the NYT editorial. She received no dowry for the wedding from her father. The wedding has taken New York society by surprise. Back then New York society was governed by the Knickerbockers, old families of Dutch and British stock who led quiet, orderly lives and eschew showiness of material wealth. They most certainly frown upon lavish wedding ceremonies such as those of Consuelo and the future duke.
On the other side of the ocean, the future duke's family wasn't thrilled about the match between him and Consuelo. He didn't think his daughter-in-law was good enough for his eldest son and heir. For one thing, he didn't receive a dowry from her family, for her family thought he would take care of her and that her father couldn't afford to siphon off his wealth at the time, although he gave his oldest daughter $50,000 dowry upon marrying Lord Lister-Kaye in 1882. He wondered whether his son had married a red Indian woman, for her behavior didn't conform to the ideal of a proper young English lady for she sang country songs to the tune of the banjo, smoke cigars, behaving in a casual way as she would back home in Mississipi of her youth. He also wondered whether she was truly wealthy for she didn't bring any dowry to the marriage. Their marriage started off as being very loving until her husband resume his womanizing ways. He prefer lower class women for they remind him of the various maids and nannies that worked at his family estate growing up. He especially visited bordellos and spent what little money his long-suffering wife had at the time of her marriage.
Consuelo died in 1909 and is buried in Kimbolton along with her husband and children.
grandduchessella:
Consuelo's predecessor as Duchess of Manchester, the famous 'Double Duchess'
Louisa Frederica Augusta Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire nee Countess Louisa Frederica Augusta von Alten (15 June 1832-15 July 1911) was born at Hannover, the daughter of Karl Franz Viktor Graf von Alten, a Hanoverian nobleman. On the 22 July 1852 she was married at Hannover to Viscount Mandeville, eldest son of the 6th Duke of Manchester. He succeeded his father as 7th Duke of Manchester on the 8 August 1855, and Louisa became Duchess of Manchester. One of the most noted beauties of her time, she was appointed Mistress of the Robes to the Queen on the 26 February 1858, and remained in that office until the fall of Lord Derby's government on 11 June 1859. The Duke of Manchester died at Naples on the 22 March 1890, and on the 16 August 1892 the sixty-year-old Dowager Duchess of Manchester married the 8th Duke of Devonshire, who had been in love with her for years. She thereby became Duchess of Devonshire; sometimes she is given the nickname "The Double Duchess". Widowed for the second time on the 24 March 1908, she died at Esher Park in Surrey on the 15 July 1911.
It was Louisa who hosted the famous Devonshire House Ball in 1897 that was attended by (amongst others) the Prince & Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of York, the Duke & Duchess of Connaught, Prince Alfred of Coburg, Princess Victoria, Princess Maud & Prince Charles of Denmark and the Duke & Duchess of Fife.
One of Louisa's daughters, Lady Mary Forster, married the 12th Duke of Hamilton.
Martyn:
At the time that Louise Von Alten received her appointment as Mistress of the Robes, this was still a political appointment, despite QV's unhappiness that this should be the case.
Initially Louise made a very favourable impression upon the Queen and her family, and thus when Louise had to resign her position, due to the change of government, it was with some regret on the part of QV.
However, QV came to revise her opinion of Louise, due to her long-term liaison with the Marquess of Hartington ('Harty-Tarty'), whilst still married to her husband the Duke of Manchester, whom Louise always referred to by his title at the time of their marriage, 'Mandeville'. This disapproval was not mitigated by Louise's eventual marriage with Hartington after the death of Manchester.
Another factor that incurred the Queen's displeasure was Louise's intimacy with Bertie and the Marlborough House set. Louise was very much a leader in both politics and society and, along with Theresa, Marchioness of Londonderry, the leading political hostess of the late 19th century.
grandduchessella:
Anita Leslie's book The Marlborough House Set has some stories in it about Louisa.
Louisa at her Devonshire House Ball
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