Marguerite de Gourbillon

Jeanne-Marguerite de Gourbillon, née Gallois (born 1737, Gray - 1817[1]), was a French noble and lady-in-waiting. She was the lady in waiting, lectrice, and favorite of the Countess of Provence, Marie Joséphine of Savoy, consort of the future king Louis XVIII of France.

The Affair

She was born in a merchant family in Gray as Jeanne-Marguerite Gallois, and married to the noble Charles-Florent de Gourbillon, who was an post official at Lille, in 1763 before she became lectrice to the princess Marie Joséphine, consort of prince Louis, brother of king Louis XVI of France. Marguerite de Gourbillon had a very close and intimate relationship with Marie Joséphine, which may or may not have been physical. She was said to dominate Marie Joséphine. Prince Louis disliked the influence she had over his consort. In February 1789, prince Louis had his brother, Louis XVI issue a lettre de cachet which expelled Gourbillon to her husband in Lille. Her banishment was only temporary, however, and in 1790, she was allowed to return to her position.

In 1791 Marie Joséphine went to Germany. During the period of exile, the Count and Countess fought constantly. Some historians have suggested Marie Joséphine's possible lesbian relationship with a lady-in-waiting as the primary cause for discord between the couple.[2]

During the exile, Gourbillon lived with Marie Joséphine first in Savoy and then in Kiel in Germany. In 1799, Marie Joséphine was asked by Louis to join him in Mitau in Russian Courland to attend the wedding between her husband's niece Marie-Thérèse Charlotte to her husband's nephew Louis Antoine d'Artois, duc d'Angoulême at the French exile court, which lived there under the protection of the Russian Tsar. However, Louis demanded that she leave Gourbillon behind. After having written to the Tsar to ask him to intervene on Gourbillon's behalf, and having received no reply, they traveled there together nonetheless. When Marie Joséphine arrived with Gourbillon, their carriage was stopped before they reached the palace in Mitau, and Gourbillon was forcibly separated from Marie Joséphine. Marie Joséphine reacted by a public protest in front of the whole court upon her arrival, when she openly declared that she refused to change out of her clothes or install herself in her quarters before Gourbillon was given permission to join her.[3] This was unsuccessful, and she thereafter refused to leave her rooms, where she isolated herself with a bottle of whiskey.[4] This scene caused a public scandal. Gourbillon later managed to have her revenge by convincing the Tsar to expel Louis from Russia in 1801.[5]

When Louis and Marie Joséphine left for Great Britain in 1808, Gourbillon followed them there and settled in London, where she made repeated attempts to reunite with Marie Joséphine; Louis, however, refused to allow it and would not receive her.

Notes

  1. ↑ "Gourbillon, Marguerite de (1737 - 1817)". Retrieved 15 January 2013.
  2. ↑ Nagel, Susan. Marie-Therese, Child of Terror: The Fate of Marie Antoinette's Daughter, 2008
  3. ↑ Nagel, Susan. Marie-Therese, Child of Terror: The Fate of Marie Antoinette's Daughter, 2008
  4. ↑ Nagel, Susan. Marie-Therese, Child of Terror: The Fate of Marie Antoinette's Daughter, 2008
  5. ↑ Nagel, Susan. Marie-Therese, Child of Terror: The Fate of Marie Antoinette's Daughter, 2008

References

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