Everything about Gabrielle De Polastron Duchesse De Polignac totally explained
Yolande Martine Gabrielle de Polastron, duchesse de Polignac (
8 September 1749–
9 December 1793) was a
French aristocrat and the
favourite of
Marie Antoinette, whom she first met when she was presented at the
Palace of Versailles in 1775, the year after
Marie Antoinette became the
Queen of France.
Biography
She was born in Paris, but moved to
Languedoc. The Polignac family were of ancient lineage and well-respected, but encumbered by many debts. Her maternal grandfather was
René Hérault, who had served as
Lieutenant General of Police of
Paris (for example head of the Paris Police) between 1725 and 1739.
She lost her mother, Jeanne Charlotte Hérault, at the age of three and went to her aunt, who put her in a convent - a common practice for the education of young aristocratic girls. When she was eighteen, her marriage to Jules, comte de Polignac, captain in the French army, was arranged.
Versailles
When
Diane de Polignac, her sister-in-law, called her to Court, she came with her husband and was presented at a formal reception in 1775. Queen Marie-Antoinette became instantly attached to her and agreed to settle the family's many outstanding debts; Gabrielle also won the friendship of the king's younger brother
the comte d'Artois and the approval of King
Louis XVI himself, who was grateful for her calming influence on his wife, encouraging their friendship. She was, however, resented by other members of the royal entourage, particularly the queen's confessor and her political adviser, the Austrian ambassador.
Charismatic and beautiful, Gabrielle became the undisputed leader of the queen's exclusive circle, ensuring that few entered without her approval. The entire Polignac family benefited enormously from the queen's considerable generosity, but their increasing wealth outraged many aristocratic families, who resented their dominance at Court. Ultimately, the queen's favouritism towards Gabrielle and her family was one of the many causes which fueled Marie-Antoinette's unpopularity with some of her subjects (especially Parisians) and members of the politically-liberal nobility.
By the late 1780s, thousands of hostile,
pornographic pamphlets alleged that Gabrielle was the queen's
lesbian lover, and although there was no evidence to back up these accusations they did immeasurable damage to the prestige of the monarchy, especially given the deep-rooted suspicion of homosexuality held by the bourgeoisie and urban working-classes at the time.
Governess
Gabrielle was eventually appointed Governess to the Royal Children, including the future
Louis XVII of France and
Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte of France. At the time, her appointment generated further outrage at Court, where it was felt Gabrielle was unsuitable for the post. Her husband was later promoted through two rungs of the aristocratic ladder, thus making him a
duc and Gabrielle a
duchesse - a further source of irritation to the courtiers at Versailles.
She also secured a thirteen-room apartment for herself in the palace, at a time when other courtiers were grateful for a garret because of its proximity to the royal family. She was also given her own cottage in Marie-Antoinette's private village, built within the palace complex in the 1780s. Gabrielle's position of importance to the ruling family only increased when her beautiful sister-in-law, Louise, became the life-long mistress of the comte d'Artois (later King
Charles X).
Gabrielle's own marriage was cordial, if not successful; in other words, it was typical of aristocratic arranged marriages. For many years, Gabrielle was passionately in love with the captain of the Royal Guard,
Joseph Hyacinth Francois de Paule de Rigaud, Comte de Vaudreuil (
1740-
1817), although it was felt by many of her friends that Vaudreuil was too domineering . It was rumored at
Versailles that Gabrielle's youngest child was actually fathered by Vaudreuil.
Children
In England
Gabrielle's influence over Marie-Antoinette temporarily waned after 1785, when the queen's
second son was born. The queen was becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the ambition of her favourites, especially when they championed a politician whom the queen herself despised. She confided to another lady-in-waiting, Henriette Campan, that she was "suffering acute dissatisfaction" over the Polignacs - "Her Majesty observed to me that when a sovereign raises up favourites in her court she raises up despots against herself". Eventually, Gabrielle felt Marie-Antoinette's displeasure and decided to visit friends in
England, particularly
Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, who was the leader of London high society and one of Gabrielle's closest confidantes.
Further Information
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