Memoirs of the Duchesse de Dino (Afterwards Duchesse de Talleyrand et de Sagan), 1836-1840
Cortes. I accepted their resignation, which was imperiously demanded
by a revolt at Barcelona; then began a crisis which was only concluded
by the renunciation which I signed at Valencia. During this deplorable
period, the municipality of Madrid revolted against my authority, an
example followed by other important towns. The rebels insisted that I
should condemn the conduct of Ministers who had loyally served me;
that I should recognise the movement as legitimate; that I should
annul, or at any rate suspend, the law of municipalities which I had
sanctioned, after it had been voted by the Cortes; and that I should
endanger the unity of the Regency.
I could not accept the first of these conditions without entire loss
of self-respect; I could not accede to the second without recognising
the right of force, a right recognised neither by divine nor human
laws, and the existence of which is incompatible with the
Constitution, as it is incompatible with all Constitutions; I could
not accept the third condition without infringing the Constitution,
which regards as law any measure voted by the Cortes and sanctioned by
the supreme head of the State, and which places a law once sanctioned
beyond the sphere of the royal authority; I could not accept the
fourth condition without accepting my own disgrace, passing
condemnation upon myself and undermining the power which the King had
left me and which the Chambers of the Cortes had afterwards confirmed,
and which was preserved by me as a sacred possession which I had sworn
never to surrender to the hands of factious men.
My firmness in resisting that which I could not accept in the face of
my duty, my oaths and the dearest interests of the monarchy, has
brought down upon the defenceless woman, whose voice now speaks to
you, a series of griefs and sufferings which no human language could
express. You will not have forgotten, Spaniards, how I carried my
misfortunes from city to city, insulted and affronted everywhere, for
one of those decrees of God which are a mystery to man, has permitted
injustice and ingratitude to prevail. Doubtless for that reason the
small number of those who hated me were emboldened to insult me, while
the large number of those who loved me had so far lost courage as to
offer me nothing but silent compassion as a testimony of their
affection. There were some who offered me their swords, but I did not
accept their offer, preferring martyrdom in isolation to the certain
prospect of reading one day a new list of martyrs who had fallen
victims to their loyalty. I might have stirred up a civil war, but
civil war could not be aroused by myself, who have just given you the
peace that my heart desired, a peace cemented by forgetfulness of the
past; my mother's eyes turned away from so dreadful a prospect; I told
myself that when children are ungrateful a mother must endure to
death, but that she must not stir up war between them.
Days elapsed in this dreadful condition of affairs; I saw my sceptre
become merely a useless reed and my diadem a crown of thorns. At
length my strength failed; I laid aside my sceptre and my crown to
breathe the air of freedom; an unhappy victim but with a calm brow, a
clear conscience, and a soul without remorse.
Such, Spaniards, has been my conduct. I offer you this account of it
that it may not be stained by calumny, and in so doing I have
performed the last of my duties. She who was your Queen asks nothing
more of you than that you will love her daughter and honour her
memory.
Marseilles, November 8, 1840.
(Signed) MARIA CHRISTINA.
BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX
[The names followed by an asterisk (*) have been already noted in more
detail in the Biographical Index of vol. I.]
A
ABD-EL-KADER (1807-1883). Celebrated Arab Emir, who maintained a
desperate struggle against the French in Algiers for fifteen
years. He was eventually captured in 1847 by General
Lamoricière, sent to France, and imprisoned at Pau, then at
Amboise. Napoleon III. set him at liberty, and he afterwards
remained loyal to France. He died in Syria, where he had
withdrawn.
ACERENZA, the Duchesse d' (1783-1876). Jeanne, Princesse de
Courlande, married in 1801 François Pignatelli of Belmonte, Duc
d'Acerenza. She was the third daughter of Pierre Duc de
Courlande, and sister of the Duchesse de Talleyrand.
ACTON, Lady. She was the daughter of the Duke of Dalberg, and
married Lord Acton as her first husband. Her second husband was
Mr. George Leveson, afterwards Lord Granville.
ADÉLAÏDE, Madame* (1777-1847). Sister of King Louis-Philippe, over
whom she exerted a great influence.
ADOLPHUS OF NASSAU (1250-1298). He was elected Emperor of Germany
in 1292 on the death of Rudolph of Hapsburg, to the exclusion of
Albert, son of this Prince. Germany revolted against him, and he
was conquered and killed by his rival, Albert of Austria, at the
battle of Göllheim.
AFFRE, Denis Auguste (1793-1848). Archbishop of Paris from 1840.
On June 25, 1848, Mgr. Affre went to the barricades in the
Faubourg Saint Antoine and was struck by a bullet while
beseeching the insurgents to surrender. He died two days later
in consequence of this wound.
AGNÈS SOREL (1409-1450). Lady of Honour to Isabelle de Lorraine.
Agnès Sorel attracted the notice of Charles VII. and became his
favourite. He gave her a castle at Loches, the comté of
Penthièvre, the manors of Roquessière, Issoudun, and
Vernon-sur-Seine, and finally the seat of Beauté in the Bois de
Vincennes, whence she took the name of Dame de Beauté.
ALAVA, Don Ricardo de* (1780-1843). Spanish officer and
diplomatist.
ALBUFÉRA, the Duchesse d' (1791-1884). Daughter of the Baron de
St. Joseph. She married in 1808 Marshal Suchet, Duc d'Albuféra,
who died in 1826.
ALDBOROUGH, Cornelia, Lady.* Daughter of Charles Landry.
ALFIERI, Count Victor* (1749-1803). Italian tragic poet. He
secretly married the Countess of Albany.
ALIBAUD (1810-1836). Assassin who attempted the life of King
Louis-Philippe on the evening of June 25, 1836, and was executed
on July 11 following.
ALTENSTEIN, Baron Karl of (1770-1840). Prussian statesman from
1808 to 1810. He was Financial Minister, and afterwards, under
King Frederick William III., became Minister of Religion and
Education.
ALTON-SHÉE DE LIGNIÉRES, Edmond, Comte d' (1810-1874). Peer of
France in 1836. At first closely attached to the Constitutional
Monarchy of July, he suddenly changed under the influence of the
ideas of 1848, and took part in the manifestations of the
advanced party. Under the Second Empire he abandoned his
political connections.
ALVANLEY, Lord* (1787-1849). A society figure and English officer,
known for his wit.
ANCILLON, Jean Pierre Frédéric (1766-1837). Of Swiss origin, he
became Minister of the Reformed Church of Berlin and Professor
at the Military Academy. In 1806 Frederick William III.
requested him to undertake the education of the Prince Royal,
afterwards Frederick William IV. Admitted to the court, Ancillon
was influential there until his death. He married three times:
in 1792, Marie Henriette Baudouin, who died in 1823; in 1824,
Louise Molière, who died in 1826; in 1836, Flore Tranouille
d'Harley and de Verquignieulle, of an old Belgian family.
ANDRAL, Madame. Daughter of M. Royer Collard. She married the
famous Dr. Andral.
ANGLONA, the Prince d' (1817-1871). Son of a General in the
Spanish Army. He married in 1837 the daughter of the Duke of
Frias and became Duke of Uceda, a title which belonged to his
wife's family.
ANGOULÊME, the Duc d' (1775-1844). Also known as the Dauphin,
after his father, King Charles X., had ascended the throne in
1824. In 1799, at Mitau, he married his cousin, Marie Thérèse
Charlotte, only daughter of King Louis XVI. He was
Commander-in-Chief of the French Army sent to Spain in 1823,
captured the fort of Trocadero, and showed his moderation by the
ordinance of Andujar. He died in exile at Goritz, and left no
children.
ANGOULÊME, the Duchesse d' (1778-1851). Marie Thérèse Charlotte of
France, only daughter of King Louis XVI. and of Marie
Antoinette. At her birth she received the title of Madame
Royale. She shared the captivity of her family, and in 1795 the
Directory consented to exchange her for the commissaries sent
back by Austria. She married her cousin, the Duc d'Angoulême,
and returned to Paris with him in 1815. Exiled once more in
1830, she never returned to France, and died at Frohsdorf.
ANNE OF AUSTRIA* (1602-1666). Queen of France and Regent during
the minority of Louis XIV.
ANNE DE BRETAGNE (1476-1514). Queen of France. Daughter of
François II. of Brittany, she married in succession Charles
VIII. and Louis XII., and brought to the Crown the Duchy of
Brittany, to which she was heiress.
APPONYI, Count Antony (1782-1852). Austrian diplomatist. He was
first Envoy Extraordinary to the court of Tuscany, then
Ambassador at Rome until 1825. Afterwards he was Ambassador at
London and then at Paris, where he remained until 1848. In 1808
he married Theresa, daughter of Count Nogarola of Verona.
ARGOUT, the Comte d' (1782-1858). French politician and financier,
he became Councillor of State in 1817, and then Peer of France.
From 1830 onwards he was a member of several Ministries, and
retained the post of Governor of the Bank of France until his
death.
ARNAULD D'ANDILLY (1588-1674). After a long life at court he
retired in 1644 to Port Royal des Champs. While in retirement
here he translated the Confessions of St. Augustine, wrote
memoirs, &c. His son was the Marquis de Pomponne, Minister of
Foreign Affairs, and his daughter the Mother Superior Angélique
de Saint Jean, Abbess of Port Royal.
ARNAULD, Antoine (1612-1694). Theologian and philosopher. He first
studied law and was then attracted by the rigid Christianity of
the Jansenistes, and became the militant theologian of Port
Royal. He composed in collaboration with Nicole the Logic of
Port Royal, and with Lancelot the Grammar. He was the brother of
Arnauld d'Andilly.
ARNAULD, Mother Superior Marie Angélique de Sainte Madeleine
(1591-1661). Sister of Arnauld d'Andilly and of A. Arnauld. She
was Abbess of Port Royal des Champs from the age of fourteen.
She introduced the Cistercian reforms and spirit.
ARNAULD, Mother Superior Angélique de Saint Jean (1624-1684). She
was the daughter of Arnauld d'Andilly and Abbess of Port Royal,
as was her aunt, the Mother Superior Angélique de Sainte
Madeleine. She has a large place in the records of Port Royal
worthies; she also wrote "Narratives," "Reflections," &c.
ARNIM, the Baron of (1789-1861). Prussian diplomatist. He was sent
to Brussels in 1836 and Paris from 1840 to 1848. After a short
time at Berlin as Minister of Foreign Affairs, in 1848, he
retired from politics.
ARSOLI, Camille, Prince Massimo and d' (1803-1873). Chief Minister
of the Pontifical posts. In 1827 he married Marie Gabrielle de
Villefranche-Carignan, and on her death he married the Comtesse
Hyacinthe de la Porta Rodiani.
ARSOLI, Princesse d' (1811-1837). Marie Gabrielle de Villefranche.
Daughter of the Baron de Villefranche, who married Mlle. de la
Vauguyon.
ATTHALIN, the Baron Louis Marie (1784-1856). A General of
Engineers in France. He served with distinction in the campaigns