Memoirs of the Courts of Louis XV and XVI. — Complete / Being secret memoirs of Madame Du Hausset, lady's maid to Madame de Pompadour, and of the Princess Lamballe

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

3883

Title

Memoirs of the Courts of Louis XV and XVI. — Complete / Being secret memoirs of Madame Du Hausset, lady's maid to Madame de Pompadour, and of the Princess Lamballe

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

Based on the secret journals of Madame du Hausset, a lady's maid to Madame de Pompadour, this memoir offers an unvarnished look at the courts of Louis XV and XVI. Rejecting the gossip of other contemporaries, the text provides intimate access to royal scandals, ministerial intrigues, and the private lives of the monarchy, culminating in the tragic Revolution.

Summary up to 500 words

Written by Madame du Hausset, a trusted lady's maid to Madame de Pompadour, these secret memoirs claim to offer the most sincere account of the reigns of Louis XV and Louis XVI. The narrative leverages the author's unique position as 'invisible furniture' in a chamber adjacent to the Queen's, allowing her to overhear private conversations between the King, his ministers, and his mistresses without fear of betrayal. The text details the amorous exploits of Louis XV, the political maneuvering of figures like the Abbé de Bernis and the Duc de Choiseul, and the complex relationships within the court, including the infamous Parc-aux-Cerfs. Du Hausset was often treated as a cat or a dog by her employers, who spoke freely in her presence, granting her access to secrets that other memoirists concealed. The narrative shifts dramatically with the Revolution. Du Hausset recounts the royal family's flight to Varennes, the subsequent return to Paris, and the growing tension between the monarchy and the Jacobins. She describes the Queen's despair at the studied humiliation inflicted upon the royal family in public and the Assembly. The memoirs cover the Reign of Terror, offering graphic and critical accounts of the guillotine, the monster Robespierre, and the infamous Carrier. Du Hausset relates how she used her influence to secure a suspension of the trial for Barnave and others, only to see them eventually sacrificed. She details the Queen's anguish over the betrayal of her friends and the King's timidity in the face of tyranny. The text concludes with a harsh critique of the French nation's capacity for depravity and a reflection on the failure of the Revolution to bring true liberty. Du Hausset condemns the bloodshed that rotted the tree of liberty, arguing that the French nation is incapable of enjoying an independent constitution. She describes the Place de Greve as a swamp of human blood and laments that the organized system of plunder and anarchy produced no permanent result beyond proving the versatility of the French character. The work ends with a condemnation of the atrocities committed by figures like Robespierre and Carrier, who were driven by a belief that exterminating the 'evil' was necessary for the good of the nation, ultimately leaving the nation in a state of perpetual slavery and horror.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Biography
• History