Élisabeth De Vaudey
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Élisabeth-Antoinette Le Michaud d'Arçon de Vaudey (27 October 1773, in
Besançon Besançon (, ; , ; archaic ; ) is the capital of the Departments of France, department of Doubs in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. The city is located in Eastern France, close to the Jura Mountains and the border with Switzerland. Capi ...
– 1833?) was a French lady-in-waiting ('' Dame du Palais''). She was famous for her affair with the French Emperor
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
, which was a cause of a violent scene between the Emperor and the
Empress Joséphine The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/ grand empress dowager), or a woman who rule ...
shortly before their coronation.


Life

She was born daughter of general Jean Le Michaud d'Arçon and in 1790 married at the age of 16 to captain François-Xavier-Octave Barberot de Vaudey de Vellexon, who emigrated the year after. Elisabeth de Vaudey was a member of the lower nobility, described by her contemporaries as "a very pretty woman, witty, a musician, with a nice voice, well educated, but also very much an intriguer."Thiebaud, J.-M. & Tissot-Robbe, G. ''Elisabeth le Michaud d'Arcon: Maitresse de Napoleon.'' (Yens sur Morges: Cabedita, 2006): ''"tres jolie personne, spirituelle, musicienne, voix sympathique, tres instruite, mais aussi tres intrigante."'' By another she is described as "charming, entirely graceful, entirely sweet, with a pretty face, very good teeth, admirable blonde hair, an aquiline nose (if a bit long, hooked and of plain character), a remarkable hand, a very small foot."


Lady in waiting

She was chosen to be a
lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a Royal court, court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking nobility, noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was o ...
for the Empress Joséphine, and took her oath at the
Château de Saint-Cloud The château de Saint-Cloud () was a château in France, built on a site overlooking the Seine at Saint-Cloud in Hauts-de-Seine, about west of Paris. The gardens survive, and the estate is now known as the Parc de Saint-Cloud. The château was ...
on 1 July 1804. On 24 July, de Vaudey was with the Emperor on a trip to visit the waters of
Aix-la-Chapelle Aachen is the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the 27th-largest city of Germany, with around 261,000 inhabitants. Aachen is located at the northern foothills of the High Fens and the Eifel Mountains. It sits on the Wurm Riv ...
to improve his fertility. On this trip, de Vaudey caught Napoleon's attention and became his favorite mistress at the time. The affair was tumultuous and short-lived, however, and was the scene for one of the most famous romantic episodes of Napoleon. Eventually Joséphine's jealousy became aroused and she grew to suspect that the two were having an affair. On 25 October of the same year, while Joséphine was in the salon entertaining guests at Saint-Cloud, through the window she saw de Vaudey quickly leave her apartment. She suspected something, and after telling her confidant Mme. de Rémusat her plans, she went to Napoleon's chamber only to find him absent. There was a small staircase which led from Napoleon's room to a small apartment on the higher level and after climbing the staircase Joséphine heard the two of them talking, and even mentioning Joséphine's name. Joséphine froze and then knocked on the door and ordered them to open it. After a long delay, the door was opened, with the room in obvious disarray. De Vaudey broke into tears. Napoleon, who had experienced the jealousy of his wife on previous occasions, was red with anger. Joséphine, although she feared the consequences, lashed out at the two of them with fierce remonstrances. Before Napoleon could respond, she left quickly and returned to the salon in a state of anxiety. Soon after, Napoleon approached her in her bedchamber and gave vent to his fury. He said he was sick of her spying on him, and was going to divorce her and marry a woman who could give him an heir. The threat was too much for Joséphine and she broke down. Napoleon's anger was abated only after his adopted daughter soothed him and encouraged him to reconcile with her mother. Eventually the two made up, and only a few weeks later were crowned Emperor and Empress by
Pope Pius VII Pope Pius VII (; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823) was head of the Catholic Church from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. He ruled the Papal States from June 1800 to 17 May 1809 and again ...
at Notre-Dame Cathedral. Mme. de Vaudey meanwhile had fled the palace that same day and was soon ordered by Napoleon to resign her post.Thiebaud & Tissot-Robbe. The official reason was that she was a terrible spendthrift and was constantly in debt due to her insatiable appetite for shopping and "having fun" and always looked to the Imperial treasury to provide her with funds. Although this is true, one cannot mistake the timing of this episode, and it is likely that the affair of 25 October contributed in no small part to her departure. De Vaudey submitted her resignation letter to Joséphine, but without "going into any details", as she was ordered to do. She lost her title and imperial allowance on 29 October 1804 (7
brumaire Brumaire () was the second month in the French Republican calendar. The month was named after the French 'fog', which occurs frequently in France at that time of the year. Brumaire was the second month of the autumn quarter (''mois d'automne ...
, an XIII).


Death

She died in poverty in a poor house in Paris.


Portrayal in popular culture

Elisabeth de Vaudey figures as a character in
Abel Gance Abel Gance (; born Abel Eugène Alexandre Péréthon; 25 October 188910 November 1981) was a French film director, producer, writer and actor. A pioneer in the theory and practice of montage, he is best known for three major silent films: ''J'ac ...
's 1960 film '' Austerlitz''.


Notes


References and further reading

*Avrillion, Marie Jeanne. Memoires de Mademoiselle Avrillion, Premiere femme sa chambre de l'imperatrice, sur la vie privee de Josephine. Sa famille et sa cour. (Paris: Garnier Freres, 1896) *Masson, Frederic. Napoleon et les Femmes, 4e ed. (Paris: Paul Ollendorff, 1894). *Remusat, Madame de. Memoires, 1802-1808, publies par son petit-fils Paul de Remusat. (Paris: Calmann-Levy, 1879-1880, 3 vols., t. II, pp. 44–47). *Thiebaud, J.-M. & Tissot-Robbe, G. Elisabeth le Michaud d'Arcon: ''Maitresse de Napoleon.'' (Yens sur Morges: Cabedita, 2006). *Vaudey, Mme. de. ''Souvenirs du Directoire et de l'Empire''. (Paris: Imprimerie de Cosson, 1848).


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vaudey, Elizabeth de 18th-century French people 19th-century French people 1773 births 1833 deaths Mistresses of Napoleon French ladies-in-waiting Court of Napoleon