| The wedding |
| At her marriage with the legitimised son of the
King, people said: 'Here is the union of a
lame and a one-armed. What a beautiful couple!'
So during the weeks that followed the wedding
both warily observed each other, calculating each other's abilities. Then
Maine, who was promoted to lieutenant general, joined the army in campagnes
where the Dauphin did very well. When most of the ladies were following
their men to the front, Louise-Bénédicte stayed in bed in
the Hotel of Condé. 'Fever of young
spouse', whispered some, 'measles' affirmed
the others. Whatever it was, the sickness lasted three months. Enough for
some kind of devil to take possession of her weakened soul and body. |
|
| Louis-Auguste duc du Maine. (1670-1736) |
| The Queen
of the Bees |
|
A "Condensed" girl
 he
was as tall as a ten-year-old child with thin, fair but ruddy complexion.
A fine face with badly aligned ugly teeth. The right arm was bruised and
somewhat shorter than the other and she couldn't stretch it easily. She
was keen to learn everything and full of pride.
Louise-Bénédicte was also called
Miss Charolais, the daughter of a fool, the sister of a monster of vices;
a dangerous small person whose beautiful black eyes lit up at the least
problem. The least dwarf of the daughters of Henri-Jules, lived at the
castle in Sceaux where she held a fastuous court.
In a funny way, she even created a kind of chivalry
order: the order of the honey bee. She was called the queen of the bees.
She also took part of the conspiracies organised by the Cardinal of Polignac
against the Regent. The principle was to put Philippe V of Spain on the
throne of France and the Duc du Maine regent in his absence.
The road to madness
 he
duchess du Maine swent to bed as a docile young bride; she got up wiser
and rebellious. No more fake submissions. Though she was born a Condé,
she and her husband must submit to a Condé.
Half-portion but so aggressive that at court
no one is fool enough to want her company.
Not that she was exactly crazy nor completely
hunchback but it seemed that she had both diminished height and mind as
if only a twelve year old. As a spoiled child she is accustomed to people
suffering all her caprices. She followed her tastes which were vivacious
and light without knowing duty nor decency nor their consequences.
In the world she liked nothing but present pleasures. She bothers of people
but so far as they can add to it.
Physically aggressive towards her family, laughs
or cries at will, Louis-Auguste her husband fears more than everything
to see her following the steps of her brother Louis III, daughter of a
fool, sister of a frantic, who wouldn't be afraid?
To her husband, legitimised son of the King she
said, 'Look at yourself a bit! A lame bastard!
Who wants to lead me? I was born a princess of the blood Monsieur without
a stain on my cradle! What would you be without the sticks at which everyone
laughs. One to support your body and the other, me, to maintain your rank!
And this Leggy would rule my steps!' [As Maine
was lame, his wife gave him this nickname which in French was 'Gambillard'
- an old word for leg]
Maine lowered his nose, the tears rose to his
the soul. Isn't it unfair to point at the wound that from the childhood
has not ceased to bleed? He suffers too much to answer. In his shame he
hides, shuts up - abdicates. The duchess abuses him at will. She never
goes to bed before four in the morning and without him, wakes up at three
in the afternoon, lunches at four and sups around midnight without ever
stopping to remind him the honour she gave him by marrying him. She treats
him like a slave and also spends all his money. On her side, she shows
up without any modesty at all. She is crazy about entertainment and theatre.
She writes plays and welcomes all kinds of plays, comedy, tragedy - everything
goes.
The kids
 f
Maine hadn't his children which he loved more than anything, his wife would
have completely damned his fate. The lame duke, who doubted of ever being
able to get a lady pregnant, managed to give life. In 1694 Louise-Bénédicte
gave birth to a puny child, all misformed that bore, for the fifteen days
of her life, the beautiful title of Miss Dombes. Like a doll, she was so
small that the time of her short life that she was held inside a hatbox
covered with cotton. Her father cried a lot. Mme de Maintenon, the grandma,
cried as well and the King took to mourning for this ugly baby. This caused
much gossip because the custom was that His Majesty should only bear black
for the death of children from the age of seven.
Louise-Bénédicte bothered less
for a baby, so soon born as gone, than for a tooth of hers that made her
suffer. Children can be born again but who will return her lost tooth,
if it must be pulled out?
As if to make fun of her, the next year, 27 November
1695 at Versailles, where they were installed to please the King who wanted
all his family next him, Louis-Constantin Prince of the Dombes was born.
Three days before Christmas 1697 came finally a Miss Aumale, vigorous and
well. Child bearing often smoothens the heart of the women but this had
no effect on the Duchess. In three pregnancies half of her teeth fell out
which caused her much anger. She abhors sucling babies in horror as disgusting
beings with thoughts only at eating and sleeping, with conversation restricted
to belches and tears! 'And this lame dog,
who always wants go to bed! He really is the son of the King to spread
the children around. No thrills, no caresses but hitting the target that's
all right.'
In order to forget her disgust, the small
duchess pretends to be crazy. Fearing that she might become thoroughly
mad, the King himself dares not contradict her. Louise-Bénédicte
gambles until very late. Of her and her sister-in-law, no one knows which
one is the most eager nor which one loses the most. But for the Duchess
of Bourbon it is the King who pays the debts when it is the weak Maine
who has to pay for the one-armed duchess ones.
The rank
n
the eyes of the Duchess, the king was a lemon that must be squeezed and
Maine, her husband, was a tool to get all the juice out. The one-armed
Duchess, by taking the bastard son, had only obeyed to her father, but
never though that she would suffer where it hurt the most - her pride.
The duke of Maine had only the rank of common
duke, that was something that Louise-Benedicte could not stand. She was
born a princess of the blood. In fury, restless, the HoneyBee stings where
ever she can. She knew no boundaries and fought with all her strength for
her two passions: theatre and issues of rank. All the rest was pointless
and she blamed her weak husband for not taking any measures to get more
favours.
A vigorous man could control her only with much
effort. What could the sweet duke do with such a fury? The only things
he liked were books, walks in the forests, silence and peace. But because
Louise-Bénédicte wanted it, he sought pensions, commands,
and favours and most of all the rank of a prince of the blood. After only
one year of efforts the King acknowledged the demand and in May 1694 a
royal declaration created an intermediary rank for the legitimised bastards
between the princes of the blood and the dukes and peers.
By this simple move all the dukes were then against
Maine who in order to gain a seat on the counsel, received the peerage
of Eu. But Louise-Bénédicte was furious too. It was only
an intermediary rank! Were they trying to make fun out of her? Did they
think that she was brought up to eat the left overs of the Greats? Princess
of the blood she wanted to be and a princess of the blood she would be!
Even if it needed to be negotiated day and night. Leggy, do your work!
He would not rest before he came back with the booty. Never will she give
up her husband was to be a prince of the blood, even if it took her to
torture him. It did not matter that the lower nobility is angry and complaining.
They would be crushed and disposed. The scoundrels, they would see what
a Condé could do with a lamy bastard, a Bourbon scrap!
 |
| Sceaux |
| The order of the Honey Bee |
This was a chivalry order that would not come
from the king. Mme du Maine has created it in 1703 to seduce and reward
her followers. It would have thirty-nine members only, all dressed with
a long dark red satin dress embroidered with silver bees. A hairdo hive-like
with a golden medal with on one face the Anne-Louise-Bénédicte
profile and on the other next to her name, the motto "baroness
of Sceaux, perpetual dictator of the order of the bee".
People were eager to get in because of the limited number of members.
Here is a fragment of the declaration one had
to sign before being admitted:
'You swear and promise to take under your protection
all the species of honeybees, to never do them any harm and to let
them sting you at will without scaring them away, wherever on your body
they would attack, even were it your cheeks, legs or buttocks.' |
The rank of the
"bastards"
he
goal of the king was to contain the greed of the princes of the blood and
certainly the duke of Orleans. He saw a solution by elevating his illegitimate
sons to the same rank. These already suffer hatred from the dukes and peers
of the kingdom because of the intermediary rank they had obtained in 1694
and a new elevation could have caused a new civil war. The king rejected
this opposition because countering the Duke of Orleans was more crucial.
By now the king was old and his sole heir was a five-year-old child
whose health was not very strong. A regency had to be organised and by
rule, the king must give it to the duke of Orleans but his testament regulated
the position to ensure the real holder of power will be the duke of Maine
who would also be in charge of the education of the little king and the
commander in chief of the army. Then came the last unexpected move, in
the case of no heir to the legitimate branch, the king declared his legitimated
sons as eligible to the throne. So they gained all the honours of princes
of the blood but were always second to the older branches.
The Dukes of Maine and Toulouse were pleased
to see the disappearance of the intermediary rank and the princes of the
blood being humiliated once and for all. These, led by Louis-Henri de Bourbon-Condé,
were outraged. The little Toulouse was worried, he would only like the
rank to get more friends but it seemed that the only one to have gained
in the whole story was the one-armed Anne-Louise-Benedicte who was now
a princess of the blood. She saw a brighter future for her sons, the Prince
of Dombes born in 1695 and the Count of Eu born in 1700.
Long live the King
!
 n
1 September 1715 a new era began. At the reading of the last will of the
late king, the Duke of Orleans manipulated the parliament to get it modified.
Having bribed most of its members, he was sure to win. The Duke of Maine
did not move and the Duke of Orleans won the entire Regency for himself.
He was now head of the council of regency, although his young age would
normally have prevented him of being eligible. The next issue was the command
of the army which was in theory in the hands of Maine but he wanted to
be begged to accept it. Maine proposed his dismissal and with astonishment,
it was accepted. Louise-Benedicte was furious, how could Maine be swindled
in this way? She called him a coward, and bitterly regretted having married
him. (As if someone else was available for her.)
'You dug your own grave, mine and the one of
my sons! - Until this day I only despised you, now I shall hate you as
my worst enemy.'
The queen of the bees was getting old and the
worries are ruining her health. She looked more and more like her sinister
brother Louis III. The uncertain future of her family made her loose appetite
and sleep. What was still in the hands must be kept, Philippe of Orleans
had the Regency but the oversight of the king's education and the rank
of a prince of the blood as well as the command of the kings guards was
still Maine's.
The days of the Honey Bee were over, no more luxurious
decorations, no more fancy costumes, there was no time for frolicking.
The fight against Orleans was top priority and anything would be done.
Printers and police were bribed so that pamphlets were distributed describing
the secret life of the Regent. For a cent, people can buy them and for
a little more there were engravings depicting the daughter of the Regent,
Elisabeth, with her father in various compromising positions. The Duke
of Orleans couldn't let it go on. Encouraged by all the other dukes, who
still resented the favours given to the sons of Louis XIV, the Regent studied
a request 1717 made by Saint-Simon to retract the ruling about the rank
of the illegitimate sons of the late king. Some months later the act passed
revoking the acts of 1714 and 1715. Maine and Toulouse were no longer eligible
to the succession of the throne, and lost their status of princes of the
blood. In the case of extinction of the legitimate branch, it would be
the nation who would have to decide on its ruler. In the same blow, the
parliament also revoked all dispositions regarding the education of the
little king and the command of the troops. There was nothing left of the
favours gained in Louis XIV's time.
'Milady, we must pack, we are chased from our
home. The duke of Condé is
now head of the education of the king.
'I know this, animal! How could you be of such
a cowardice to let yourself
be plundered without moving? Poor me, who has
married you.'
'But what do you want me to have done against
their power.'
'Show courage, stand foot, resist by all means!'
'Believe me I protested.'
'Well so, I'll show you, as you can't be anything
else than a cad. I'll
have more heart than you, your brother and your
son together!
I'll kill him, the Regent. I'll hammer a nail
in his brains.
So we must go, they'll get nothing from us.
In a fury Anne-Louise was tore everything apart
making no distinction between what was in place before them and what was
their own property. Not a single mirror was left intact. The smallest chandelier
was smashed to pieces. Marbles, wooden floors, paintings, sculptures-everything
was broken. Beds were pissed upon and curtains torn. The apartment was
one single mess. Maine, scared, was hiding in the corner crying and
weeping like a child.
|
|
| Her name: |
| She was called after her aunt Bénédicte
de Bavière, duchess of Braunschweick-Luneburg |
| Where should one go ? |
What about going away from Clagny for a while?
Louise-Bénédicte wants movement. She caught itches from eating
the vegetables, the strawberries, the crayfish, the eggs and the chicken
from Clagny. Headaches from breathing the air and the smell of the flowers
from Clagny. Sprains from walking the orange tree planted roads. She was
very allergic. Doctors are worrying. A change of air was urgent but where
can she go?
Chantilly, with Monsieur le Prince, her crazy
father and his poor wife? At a mad man's place where he barks all day.
At Versailles? The King doesn't want it because his daughter-in-law can't
behave and pities the modest Mme de Maintenon. The solution was Châtenay
where one of her friends invited her. Life suited her: parties, lightings,
plays, theatre. She followed the path of her grand-father the Great Condé
who was also very good at feasting. But if the little duchess wasn't satanical,
violent, capricious she would have been a very charming hostess. Those
coming to Châtenay wouldn't recognise the humble place. It had been
transformed by the appropriate use of fake decors and pompous lighting.
The king was not very
pleased. His son was less a prince of his blood
than a governor of the place. Because he was not participating in the entertainment
and did not play, he was forgotten and the little lady behaved like a rich
widow. Since this was not the case it caused sorrow in the heart of his
majesty. He tried to talk to his son Louis-Auguste but advice to a weak
soul are useless. |
| Sceaux |
| Anne-Louise would never exchange Sceaux for Versailles.
Versailles smelt of all kinds of terrible odours, the foul waters of the
swamps and the mouldy wood too close. Inside the smell was also awful with
dust everywhere. Ladies and gentlemen did what nature commanded behind
the tapestries or even in the stalls of the chapel. Dogs were everywhere
too. In winter it froze because most of the rooms did not have any heating
facilities. She left all the decor to her father in law; she prefered illusions,
class and the charm of no constraint. She wanted her court to be different
from the one in Versailles. No stiffness, no licence, but with a constant
appraisal of the mind and spirit above flesh or rank. Fun for sure but
with manners and invention. On this point her sweet husband agreed because
he did not like any kind of excess. For him it would be all right that
his house was referred to as being the home of good taste, and leave the
splendour to Versailles and debauchery to the Palais Royal. For too much
decoration would ruined the idea. |
| The conspiration of Cellamare |
| The conspirators were Anne-Louise of course,
the followers of the Bee, some opponents to the Regent, the Marquis of
Cellamre Ambassador of Spain in France, Alberoni the Spanish Richelieu
and Philippe V of Spain. The political context was the Utrecht treaty which
was unfavourable to Spain whose king Philippe V was deprived of the succession
of the French crown but which opened an era of peace throughout Europe.
Leading the peace process England and the Empire contacted all the neighbouring
countries to join up in an Alliance. Only France had not made its mind
up, bonds with Spain were still present but peace was also sought. The
Regent did not want a conflict with Spain whose fleet and army were the
most feared of the time. The army, reorganised by Alberoni, was very menacing.
On the other hand, the Spaniards were seeking allies in their French cousins.
For Anne-Louise why wouldn’t she use the Spanish
side against the Regent? Various scenarios have been thought of, but anyway
one looks at it the Regent must be swept out and if the little king survives,
the regency would be for Maine. And if the kid dies, it would only take
them to put Philippe V on the throne and declare Maine in charge while
the new king is absent. Philippe V is not directly involved but ruling
on the largest empire in the world can only please him. The queen of the
Bees will be queen of France!
Preparatory work is under way, Brittany and Languedoc
are uprising and contact has been laid between all parties. But this is
without taking into account the regent’s spies who are everywhere amongst
the duchess followers. But the first involved the duke of Maine is not
very favourable to the whole idea. During the parleys in the counsel about
the Alliance, he wants to reject it, so by the reconciliation of France
and Spain the conspiracy would die of itself. But the rest of the counsel
is against him. The queen of the Bees is everywhere, taking contacts,
writing letters, making all kinds of moves to get the things going, without
of course measuring the importance of what is at stake. She wants to be
the new Anne-Geneviève of the previous century Fronde. But she lacks
beauty and most of all the political and diplomacy skill that enables such
an adventure. She conspires like as if in a play, or on stage.
The king of Spain is not naïve; he doesn’t
want to engage himself in nominations and political measures so early in
the process. He can back all actions made to weaken France but not more.
At the end of 1718, a dispatcher carrying letters
from Cellamare is caught at the border, confronted with his writing, the
ambassador cannot deny and is arrested on December 9th, 1718. The letters
also give proof of the involvement of the Maine tribe. Questioned, he succeeds
in getting himself exonerated, being not the leader of the conspiracy.
But this doesn’t prevent him, as well as Anne-Louise to be assigned at
residence on the lands of their hated cousin the duke of Condé.
Brought to Dijon, the duchess’ health is weakening,
and must be moved from castle to castle in order to find one that suits
her. But always on the grounds of Condé. This she resents more than
to be in prison. Her sons are with their educator at Gien and their little
sister Mlle du Maine who is now eleven is back at the abbey at Maubuisson.
Anne-Louise knows they’ll all be safe but this doesn’t give her peace of
mind. She is getting old, she can’t part of a bad cough, her teeth are
rotting and she looses sleep. Even when transferred at Châlon, her
health is only slowly improving. She suffers of inactivity, and of someone
like her this is worse that death. Even her confessor is at the regent’s
orders. She is not angry anymore, she only welcomes death.
Summer 1719, again a new residence: Savigny-sous-Beaune.
There she finally gets some relief, a carriage to wander in the parks,
and more people for her service. And this is not everything, most of the
conjurors imprisoned at the Bastille have confessed. If she also would
completely confess her mistakes, she’ll be released. On December 14th,
1719 almost one year after her arrest, she gives the needed declaration.
“I dare to implore to let Mr of
Maine free. I consider that after the testimony I have given in a letter
of his innocence, they will remain no doubts left about what concerns him.”
“I owe a full and rightful explanation to Mr of Maine which is more precious
to me than my own liberty or life. He has never known anything and I have
hidden myself of him more than of anyone else. I have always told him that
my relation with Mr Laval did only concern matters regarding his rank and
that nothing was concerning any conspiracy what so ever. The same I said
about
Mr de Pompadour and when Maine entered a room where I was discussing with
these people we changed the subject of our talks. I must admit that I told
thoughtlessly the ambassador of Spain that his king could have counted
on Mr of Maine. This I said for myself without any consent from his part.
I must even say that on various occasions Maine forbade me to see Mr of
Pompadour and Mr Laval fearing that I would embark in some kind of trouble.
I would never have waited so long to exonerate him if I weren’t the only
one to blame. I had then to wait for a favourable moment to tell the Regent
my desire of giving him my full confession under the condition that he
would pardon all those involved and to allow me to return to Sceaux. And
to get back in favour which I desire most than liberty itself.”
The one-armed, her lame husband and the pitiful
friends are back in favour. The only ones who will pay for their treason
are Horn, Mille, Pontcallec, Montlouis, Talhouèt, Du Couèdic,
Le Moyne. So it can’t be said that under the Regent, the nobility can rule
by itself. |
| Rebuild |
At Sceaux, life is the same as if the Cellamare
episode hadn’t existed. Six years already that the duke and duchess of
Maine are back in favour. Of their adventure only remains the burden of
memories. Because not everything was easy when she was back after prison
in 1720. When she arrived at Sceaux, no one to greet her, no husband, no
children. Alone she ate, alone she slept. Not even her true Rose Delaunay
to read for her, the poor lady was still at the Bastille not willing to
confess. As early as January 5th, the Regent had everybody freed. Except
Richelieu and Malézieu who waited until February. How cruel these
days without anyone, this silence is worse than prison. Forgotten, she
is.
Maine sulks at Clagny and although she has exonerated
him in her confessions, he refuses to see her and keeps his sons with him.
Did he want to make her suffer even more after all these years? She wouldn’t
survive if her own husband would despise her publicly. The idea itself
of being not even the HoneyBee who rules over her husband, brings her to
tears. She calls upon his charity, his good will, his kindness. Times where
she could demand and humiliate him are long gone, now it is she who is
in need. Her mother, Anne of Bavaria, her doctor, all spoke for her, but
Louis-Auguste doesn’t want to hear anything concerning the Bee. He
doesn’t read the health reports sent to him daily. And would show anyone
to his carriage who comes to talk about her. His situation became better;
the Regent has given him his command back and was welcome to the court.
This past seemed forgotten. But he will not compromise on seeing his wife
again. Even asking the help of the Regent didn’t help her. On a day where
the princess of Condé, her mother came to visit her son in law,
she told him she had brought him some charming ladies to entertain him
in his solitude. Curious, Louis-Auguste leans forward to see inside the
carriage and within a second, Anne-Louise hugs him, she who was hiding
under the couch. He wasn’t strong enough to slap her and was touched by
her will to be loved again.
He can’t believe what he sees, this woman who
humiliated him for years is now begging him to take her back. Would he
be rude and make her suffer some more? No, he is too sweet and kind for
that even if it was as some kind of retaliation. Back in Sceaux, life is
like ten years ago, nothing has changed, Maine works in his study at some
translation of Latin books; visits his sons who live nearby in the “Little
Sceaux” or counts and sorts the tobacco boxes his daughter is collecting.
The duchess still plays like a child, people
around her have changed but she still makes fun out of the ones who play
with her. Polignac doesn’t want to see her anymore but Malézieu
is still around and still in love |
|
