Anne de Noailles (1729–1794)
Anne d'Arpajon | |
|---|---|
Countess of Noailles | |
 The Lady with the Mask by Louis Surugue, 1746 | |
| Full name | Anne Claude Louise d'Arpajon |
| Born | 4 March 1729 Arpajon, France |
| Died | 27 June 1794 (aged 65) Barrière du Trône, Paris, France |
| Spouse(s) |
Philippe de Noailles, Duke of Mouchy (m. 1741) |
| Issue | Louis Marc Antoine, Viscount Noailles |
| Father | Louis de Sévérac |
| Mother | Anne Charlotte le bas de Montargis |
Anne d'Arpajon, comtesse de Noailles (Anne Claude Louise d'Arpajon; 4 March 1729 – 27 June 1794
Early life
Anne d'Arpajon was the daughter of Louis de Sévérac, Marquis of Arpajon-sur-Cère (1667–1736), and Anne Charlotte Le Bas de Montargis. Her father purchased the Marquisat of Saint-Germain-lès-Châtres in 1720 and was granted permission by
Anne Claude married
Courtier
In 1763, she was appointed dame d'honneur to queen
Upon the death of the queen in 1768, she retained her position awaiting to be transferred to the equivalent position in the household of the new
On April 1770, she and the rest of the Household of the Dauphine were introduced to Marie Antoinette by her husband Philippe de Noailles in the Pavilion of Kehl at Rhen. During the ceremony when the new crown princess was handed over from her Austrian to her French entourage, a famous scene allegedly took place, in which Marie Antoinette lost her composure, burst into tears and threw herself into the arms of the countess de Noailles, whose chilly response resulted in her regaining her composure.[4]
As dame d'honneur, Anne de Noailles was responsible for overseeing the behavior of Marie Antoinette and her ladies-in-waiting. She was tasked with instructing the future queen in the etiquette of the French royal court and ensuring her compliance. Early on, this role led to discord between de Noailles and Marie Antoinette, who resented the restrictions imposed on her life by court etiquette.[5] During their journey from the border to a meeting with the king and the dauphin in the Forest of Compiègne, de Noailles in Nancy reproached Marie Antoinette for being overly familiar with her relatives from the House of Lorraine, reminding her that, as the dauphine, she should not treat the king's subjects as equals.[4]
During the following years, Marie Antoinette shocked de Noailles by playing with the children of one of her ladies-in-waiting; she was also prevented by the countess from participating too much in the festivities at court,[4] and, when playing masquerade with her brothers-in-law, was forced to hide the costumes and stop playing when de Noailles entered the room.[5] Marie Antoinette reportedly made fun of de Noailles' adherence to etiquette and her reprimands of her staff, referring to her as Madame Etiquette.[4] On one occasion, after falling off a mule in the Forest of Compiégne, Marie Antoinette laughingly asked her entourage to fetch de Noailles so that she could ask her for instructions on the correct etiquette for how a Dauphine of France should behave after having fallen off a mule.[4]
Anne de Noailles was the first to greet Marie Antoinette as queen upon the death of Louis XV in 1774. When the queen reintroduced the old office of
Her resignation was well received by the queen, whose lack of respect for the court protocol prompted de Noailles to become a part of the circle of the Kings' aunts, Mesdames de France, who gathered the noble opposition of the queen in protest toward her disregard for etiquette, which had replaced rank as the prerequisite to be a member of the queen's circle with her personal affection for favorites.[5]
French Revolution
During the French Revolution, Anne's two sons emigrated, and her eldest son was deemed an enemy of the state and a warrant was issued for his arrest by the government. Anne and her husband Philippe retired to their Chateau Mouchy-le-Châtel in Oise with their daughter in September 1792.[6] On 25 August 1793, the de Noailles and their daughter were placed under house arrest on their estate in accordance with the decree against potential enemies of the state. Their daughter was transferred to Beauvais and Chantilly on 6 October, while they were initially allowed to remain in their home because of their age.[6]
On 16 October, Anne and Philippe de Noailles were transferred to La Force Prison in Paris. In the warrant for their arrest, Philippe de Noailles was described as the father of an enemy of the state, while Anne de Noailles was included in the arrest simply in her capacity as his wife.
In La Force, however, prisoners were separated by gender, and the couple was transferred to Luxembourg Prison after having successfully asked to be moved to a prison where they could share a cell. They also asked that their daughter be transferred with them, but this was not granted. As with other prisoners, they were allowed to have servants and were waited upon by their maid Latour, who left descriptions of their imprisonment. They lived comfortably in prison and socialized with the other aristocratic prisoners, particularly the Duchess of Orléans. During their imprisonment, they were given a questionnaire, which was answered by Philippe de Noailles, and which Anne de Noailles also signed with the comment that she had never had any opinions other than those of her husband.[6]
On 5 April 1794, they were joined by their daughter-in-law and niece Louise de Noailles (1758-1794), as well as her grandmother and mother, Catherine de Cossé-Brissac and
Anne and Philippe de Noailles were transferred to the Concierge, where they were put on trial before the tribunal. Philippe de Noailles was sentenced to death after being judged guilty of the charges of being an enemy agent and having supplied enemy émigrés and enemies of the state with funds.[6] Anne de Noailles, apparently, was given the same sentence.
Anne and her husband Philippe were
Issue
- Louise Henriette Charlotte Philippine de Noailles(1745–1832)
- Charles Adrien de Noailles (1747) Prince of Poix
- Louis Philippe de Noailles (1748–1750) Prince of Poix
- Daniel François Marie de Noailles (1750–1752) Marquis of Noailles, later Prince of Poix
- Philippe de Noailles, Duke of Mouchy(1752–1819)
- Louis Marie de Noailles, Viscount of Noailles(1756–1804)
In popular culture
Anne d'Arpajon was played by Judy Davis in Marie Antoinette in 2006, and by Cora Witherspoon in Marie Antoinette in 1938.
References
- ^ Généalogie de Carné Archived March 4, 2009, at the Wayback Machine Accessed 8 October 2008
- ^ Madame Campan, François Barrière. "Memoirs of the private life of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France and Navarre." p.50. Harvard College Library, 1823
- ^ Arpajon profile, arpajon91.fr; accessed 8 October 2008.(in French)
- ^ ISBN 91-1-893802-7
- ^ ISBN 91-37-10298-2
- ^ a b c d Louise Henriette Charlotte Philippine (de Noailles) de Durfort, duchesse de Duras, Prison Journals During the French Revolution, New York, 1892
External links
Media related to Anne d'Arpajon at Wikimedia Commons
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