Aglaé de Gramont
Aglaé de Gramont | |
|---|---|
 Portrait by Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, c. 1824 | |
| Born | 17 January 1787 Versailles, France |
| Died | 21 January 1842 (aged 55) Paris, France |
| Spouse(s) |
Horace François Bastien Sébastiani de La Porta (1835–1842, her death) |
| Issue Detail | Catherine Alexandrovna Davydova Elizaveta Alexandrovna Davydova Vladimir Aleksandrovich Davydov |
| Father | Antoine Louis Marie de Gramont, 8th Duke of Gramont |
| Mother | Aglaé de Polignac |
Aglaé de Gramont[a] (Aglaé Angélique Gabrielle; 17 January 1787 – 21 January 1842) was a French noblewoman, aristocrat, socialite, and the addressee of the poems of Alexander Pushkin.
Biography
[edit]Birth and background
[edit]Aglaé Angélique Gabrielle de Gramont was born on 17 January 1787,[1] at Versailles.[2] Her parents, Aglaé de Polignac and Antoine Louis Marie de Gramont, 8th Duke of Gramont married on July 11, 1780.[3]
Her maternal grandparents, Yolande de Polastron, courtier and favourite of Marie Antoinette,[4] and Jules de Polignac, 1st Duke of Polignac were of noble origin.[5]
Her maternal great-grandparents, Diane Adélaïde Zéphirine Mancini[b] and Louis Heraclius de Polignac descended from the House of Noailles.[7]
Early life
[edit]Following the outset of the French Revolution, Aglaé and her family fled to Edinburgh, Scotland, where they lived at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.[c][9] On March 30, 1803, her mother, aged 34, died in an accidental housefire in her apartment at eight o'clock in the morning.[9]
Marriage
[edit]
In 1804, at the age of 17, a year after her mother's death, Aglaé married Major General Alexander Lvovich Davydov at Petersburg, Russia.[1] The union resulted in the birth of 4 children; Ekaterina (1805–1882), Yuliania (born and died 1807), Elizaveta (1810–1882), and Vladimir (1816–1886).
In the 1820s, Aglaé left her husband, and went in pursuit to France alongside her daughters. She remarried in 1835 to Horace François Bastien Sébastiani de La Porta; however the marriage remained childless.[10][1]
Issue
[edit]| Name | Portrait | Lifespan | Age | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catherine Alexandrovna Davydova Marquise de Gabriac |
|
1806 – 15 February 1882 |
76 years old | Catherine was a noblewoman from Russian and French descent. She married Ernest de Cadoine de Gabriac, French diplomat and politician. |
| Elizaveta Alexandrovna Davydova Nun |
|
1810 – 1882 |
72 years old | Elizaveta was a nun at the Sacré-Cœur monastery. Having dedicated her 32 years to the church, she was released in 1866. She died unmarried and childless. |
| Vladimir Aleksandrovich Davydov Russian Colonel |
|
1816 – 11 June 1886 |
70 years old | Vladmir was a nobleman from Russian and French descent. He is known for his scandalous divorce to Elizabeth Orbeliani-Baryatinskaya. |
Popular culture
[edit]In 1882, Alexander Pushkin dedicated a poem to Aglaé, "Another had my Aglaya":
- Another had my Aglaya
- For his uniform and black moustache,
- Another for money - I understand,
- Another because he was French,
- Cleon - frightening her with his mind,
- Damis - because he sang tenderly.
- Tell me now, my friend Aglaya,
- Why did your husband have you?[11]
Explanatory footnotes
[edit]- ^ (Russian: Аглая Антоновна Давыдова, romanized: Aglaya Antonovna Davydova; Russian pronunciation: [ɐˈɡɫaɪ̯ə ɐnˈtonəvnə dɐˈvɨdəfɐ])
- ^ Diane Adélaïde Zéphirine Mancini was a granddaughter of Philippe Jules Mancini, Duke of Nevers, brother of the notorius, Mazarinettes.[6]
- ^ Aglaé and her family lived with members of Royal families, including Charles X of France.[8]
References
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ a b c Madden 1855, p. 474.
- ^ de Guibours & du Fourny 1879, p. 234.
- ^ Baetjer & Shelley 2011, p. 41.
- ^ Fraser 2002, p. 155–6.
- ^ Lever 2001, p. 99–100.
- ^ de Saint-Évremond 1728, p. 106.
- ^ de Roujoux 1830, p. 153–4.
- ^ Hartshorne 2020, p. 20.
- ^ a b Edinburgh (Scotland). Greyfriars' Churchyard 1902, p. 26–27.
- ^ Raikes 2021, p. 40.
- ^ Alexander Pushkin (1822). "Another had my Aglaya". p. 122. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
Works cited
[edit]- Madden, Richard Robert (1855). The Literary Life and Correspondence of the Countess of Blessington. Vol. 2. T.C. Newby. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
- de Guibours, Anselm; du Fourny, Honoré Callie (1879) [1712]. Histoire généalogique et chronologique de la Maison royale de France: des pairs, grands officiers de la couronne et de la maison du roy, et des anciens barons du royaume [Genealogical and chronological history of the Royal House of France: peers, great officers of the crown and of the king's household, and of the former barons of the kingdom] (in French). Editions du Palais Royal. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
- Baetjer, Katharine; Shelley, Marjorie (2011). Pastel Portraits: Images of 18th-century Europe. Metropolitan Museum of Art. ISBN 1588394239. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
- Fraser, Antonia (November 12, 2002) [2001]. Marie Antoinette: The Journey. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
- Lever, Evelyn (September 24, 2001) [2000]. Marie Antoinette: The Last Queen of France. St. Martin's Publishing Group. ISBN 0312283334. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
- de Saint-Évremond, Charles (1728). The Works of Monsieur de St. Evremond: Made English from the French Original: with the Life of the Author. Vol. 3. J. and J. Knapton, J. Darby, A. Battesworth. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
- de Roujoux, Prudence-Guillaume (1830). Maison de Polignac: précis historique orné du portrait de M. le prince Jules de Polignac, président du Conseil des ministres [House of Polignac: historical summary decorated with the portrait of Mr. Prince Jules de Polignac, President of the Council of Ministers] (in French). L. F. Hivert et chez les Libraires de nouveautés. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
- Hartshorne, Pamela (March 2, 2020). The Palace of Holyroodhouse: Official Souvenir. Rizzoli International Publications. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
- Edinburgh (Scotland). Greyfriars' Churchyard (1902). Register of Interments in the Greyfriars Buryingground, Edinburgh, 1658-1700. Vol. 26. Society. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
- Raikes, Thomas (April 6, 2021). A Portion Of The Journal Kept By Thomas Raikes, Esq., From 1831 To 1847: Comprising Reminiscences Of Social And Political Life In London And Paris During That Period. Vol. 2. Alpha Editions. ISBN 9354508596. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Aglae Davydov at Wikimedia Commons
