Chantilly in History and Art
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Title: Chantilly in History and Art
Author: Luise Richter
Release date: December 1, 2013 [eBook #44334]
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Language: English
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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHANTILLY IN HISTORY AND ART ***
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(etext transcriber's note)
CHANTILLY
[Illustration: _Mary Stuart at the age of nine years from the drawing in
the Musée Condé at Chantilly._]
CHANTILLY
IN HISTORY AND ART
BY LOUISE M. RICHTER
(MRS. J. P. RICHTER)
WITH PORTRAITS AND ILLUSTRATIONS
LONDON
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, W.
1913
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
TO MY DEAR FRIEND
MRS. LUDWIG MOND
THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED
PREFACE
My first visit to Chantilly was in April 1904, when the Exhibition of
the French Primitives at the Pavillon Marsan, following close on that at
Bruges, raised interest and comment far outside the boundaries of
France. I visited the Musée Condé with the intention of studying some
more examples of the French fifteenth-and sixteenth-century art which
had so much attracted me in Paris.
The high expectations I had conceived were not disappointed, and the
result was that my studies in that marvellous collection were prolonged.
Weeks grew into months. The Limbourgs, Jean Fouquet, and the Clouets
held me in their spell; the Château of Chantilly, with the history of
its famous owners, aroused my interest more and more.
Through the great courtesy of the late M. Anatol Gruyer and of M.
Gustave Macon, Directors of the Musée Condé, I was given access to all
the art-treasures within its walls and I was allowed to while away my
time with the famous miniatures and drawings and with the pictures in
which I was so much interested. Tranquil and undisturbed, often quite
alone, meeting now and then only the furtive glance of one or other of
the Museum attendants, who were always ready at hand to be of service,
I was enabled to pursue my studies without interruption, owing to the
great kindness of my friend M. Macon. The excellent Library, too, was at
my disposal, as well as the manuscripts in the Cabinet des Livres.
Nor was that all. When at the end of the day the Museum doors were
closed I could walk in the vast park of the Château along its shady
avenues and watch the swans gliding on the silent waters, whilst the
autumn leaves were the sport of the varying breezes. In that unbroken
solitude Time, now long past, brought before me once more kings and
queens, courtiers and warriors, ladies of beauty and fame: and amid my
reveries I seemed to recognise the well-known faces whose
representations I had just left in the galleries within. For was it not
here, in these woods and on these lakes, that they had lived and feasted
in the manner recorded in the chronicles of their time?
Thus, irresistibly attracted by degrees, I conceived the idea of writing
about the history and the art at Chantilly: and I undertook a task which
grew gradually in my hands to dimensions that at first I had not
anticipated.
My chief study, as mentioned above, was intended to be on the French
fifteenth-and sixteenth-century artists which the Duc d'Aumale so
successfully collected. To the Italian and the Northern Schools and the
later French periods at the Musée Condé I have purposely given but a
passing mention, since they are equally well or better represented in
other galleries.
The Bibliography which I have appended shows that much has been written
on early French Art in France, especially during the last fifteen years;
and I feel greatly indebted to authors such as Comte Leopold Delisle,
Comte Paul Durrieu, MM. George Lafenestre, Anatol Gruyer, Louis Dimier,
Gustave Macon, Moreau Nelaton, Sir Claude Phillips, Mr. Roger Fry and
others, by whose works I have greatly profited, as also by my husband's
expert knowledge. But no book exactly covering this ground has as yet
been written in the English language.
More than special acknowledgment and thanks are due to Mr. Robert H.
Hobart Cust for his help and valuable suggestions. In the arduous task
of revising the proofs of this book he was assisted by my son Mr. F. J.
P. Richter. I have also great pleasure in expressing my deep gratitude
to my dear friend Mrs. Ludwig Mond, whose constant encouragement was of
inestimable value to me.
I am indebted to Mr. Murray for the personal interest he has so kindly
shown in the many details which this work entails.
LOUISE M. RICHTER.
_London, October 1913._
CONTENTS
PAGE
PREFACE.....vii
AUTHORITIES CONSULTED.....xxv
FIRST PART
_CHANTILLY AND ITS HISTORY_
CHAPTER I
CHANTILLY AND ITS OWNERS: THE MONTMORENCYS
The Origin of Chantilly; the Gallo-Roman Cantillius; the Seigneurs of
Senlis; the Orgemonts; the Montmorencys; the Great Constable of France;
he builds the Petit-Château; the architects Jean Bullant and Pierre
des Iles; the fair Charlotte de Montmorency; Henri IV madly in love
with her; the last Montmorency condemned to the scaffold by Richelieu;
Chantilly becomes the property of the French Crown.....3
CHAPTER II
CHANTILLY AND THE CONDÉS
The origin of the Condés; their adherence to the Protestant Faith;
Eléonore de Roy, Princesse de Condé, a staunch Huguenot; the two
brothers, Antoine de Navarre and Louis I de Bourbon Condé; Catherine
de Medicis sides with Condé in order to counterbalance the ascendancy
of the Guises; she succeeds in estranging him from his wife; severe
censure of Calvin; premature death of the Prince de Condé; his son
Henri de Bourbon succeeds to the title; he sends all his family
jewels to Queen Elizabeth to help the Huguenot cause; Charlotte de la
Trémoille his second wife; his death; his son Henri II is heir to the
Crown until the birth of Louis XIII; he is imprisoned for political
reasons by Richelieu; his release; Louis XIII on his deathbed gives
back Chantilly to its rightful owners.....16
CHAPTER III
THE GRAND CONDÉ
The Duc d'Enghien; his _mariage de convenance_ with Claire-Clemence;
his attachment to Marthe de Vigeau; Richelieu appoints him General
of the French army; the Hero of Rocroy; after his father's death he
assumes his title but is styled the Grand Condé; his victories at
Fribourg, Nördlingen, and Lens; he puts down the Fronde and brings the
boy-king Louis XIV back to Paris.....33
CHAPTER IV
CLAIRE-CLEMENCE, PRINCESSE DE CONDÉ
The enmity between Mazarin and Condé; the latter and his brother
Conti are arrested; the courageous efforts made by Claire-Clemence
to liberate her husband; her flight from Chantilly; Turenne escorts
her to Bordeaux where she is received with great enthusiasm; Paris
clamours for the release of Condé; the Queen is obliged to send Mazarin
with an unconditional order for this purpose; his entry into Paris;
he expresses his gratitude to the Princess his wife; new difficulties
arise; Condé's alliance with Spain; he leaves France and goes over to
the enemy.....47
CHAPTER V
CONDÉ'S ALLIANCE WITH SPAIN
Condé is defeated by Turenne at Dunkirk; the Peace of the Pyrenees is
signed; Condé is reinstated in all his rights; he returns to Chantilly
and lives there in retirement; Le Nôtre lays out the gardens and park;
Condé invents a hydraulic machine to receive the waters of the Nonette;
Mansart arrives at Chantilly and begins his alterations to the old
feudal castle.....59
CHAPTER VI
FESTIVITIES AT CHANTILLY
The marriage of the Duc d'Enghien with Anne of Bavaria; Claire-Clemence
is neglected by her husband; her health breaks down; a mysterious
affair; she proclaims her innocence; she is banished to the fortress of
Châteauroux; great festivities at Chantilly; Louis XIV and his Queen
Maria Theresa visit Chantilly.....69
CHAPTER VII
THE GRAND CONDÉ A WARRIOR ONCE MORE
Louis XIV after the death of Philip IV of Spain asserts the Flemish
rights of his wife; he suddenly declares war, and summons the Grand
Condé and Turenne to lead the French army; Condé conquers Franche-Comté
and the King makes Lille a French town; William of Orange inundates
the whole of Holland to save it from invasion by the French; the
Grand Condé is wounded; he returns to Chantilly; not yet recovered,
he is summoned back by the King; Turenne is confronted by Montecucoli
and meets his death near Salzburg; Condé by his brilliant operations
preserves Turenne's army and shuts out Montecucoli from Alsace, thus
terminating this great campaign; Madame de Sevigné, Bossuet, Corneille,
Racine, and Molière at Chantilly; death of the Grand Condé.....78
CHAPTER VIII
THE LAST CONDÉS
Succession of Henri Jules de Bourbon; he carries out his father's
wishes with regard to Chantilly; he is succeeded by his son Louis III,
who outlives him but a short time; Louis Henri de Bourbon inherits the
title when only eighteen; he builds the great stables; Louis XV visits
Chantilly and is magnificently entertained; the Prince de Condé is made
Prime Minister of France in 1723; influence of the Marquise de Prie
over the Prince; after her death he marries a princess of Rhinfeld; the
young châtelaine of Chantilly is greatly admired by Louis XV; he pays
frequent visits to the Château; his death; the succession of the infant
Louis Joseph de Bourbon in 1740; he marries Charlotte de Rohan-Soubise;
their only son Louis Henri Joseph marries at the age of sixteen a
Princess d'Orléans; Marie Antoinette visits Chantilly as Dauphine;
the Comte and Comtesse du Nord at Chantilly; a famous hunting party;
Princesse Louise de Condé and the Marquis de Gervaisais; an able speech
in Parliament by the Duc d'Enghien when only sixteen years of age; the
Revolution breaks out; the Condés leave France.....89
CHAPTER IX
CHANTILLY DURING THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
Chantilly deserted; the Château devastated and used as a prison for
political offenders; the so-called Black Band razes the Grand Château
to the ground; Chantilly becomes State property under Napoleon; the
Prince de Condé head of the French emigrés; he and his regiment
subsequently find refuge in Russia; his arrival in England; his simple
home at Wanstead; the tragic death of the Duc d'Enghien; the collapse
of the French Empire; the Prince de Condé returns to Chantilly; he
restores his ancestral mansion, and dies; the last of the Condés
selects his nephew, Prince Henri d'Orléans, as his heir.....106
CHAPTER X
THE DUC D'AUMALE AND LORD OF CHANTILLY
The Duc d'Aumale owner of Chantilly; Chantilly the French Epsom; the
heir of the Condés at Algiers; his victory at La Smalah; his marriage
with Princess Caroline de Bourbon, daughter of the Prince of Salerno;
Chantilly the home of the newly married pair; their son and heir named
Prince de Condé; Louis-Philippe pays a visit to Chantilly; the Duke
takes the command of the French Army in Algeria; the Duc d'Aumale in
exile; his home at Twickenham; death of his eldest son; death of the
Duchess; the Duke returns to Chantilly after the fall of the Second
Empire; sudden death of the Duc de Guise, his only surviving son; the
architect Daumet undertakes to rebuild the Grand Château; visit of the
Prince and Princess of Wales to Chantilly; the Republic pronounces
sentence of banishment on all claimants to the throne of France; the
Duc d'Aumale included in this decree; he returns to England; his home
at Wood Norton; he publicly announces his intention to leave Chantilly
with all its forests, parks and art-treasures to the French nation;
President Carnot signs a decree that France will welcome him back; he
returns to Chantilly amid great rejoicings of the people; the sculptor
Dubois is commissioned to erect his statue at Chantilly.....116
SECOND PART
_THE MUSÉE CONDÉ_
CHAPTER XI
THE ART TREASURES OF THE MUSÉE CONDÉ
The Duc d'Aumale joins the ranks of the great European collectors; his
pronounced taste as a bibliophile; he purchases the Standish Library
in 1851; the _Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry_ are acquired in
1855; the Reiset Collection of 380 drawings is bought in 1861; an
exhibition is organised at Orleans House; Disraeli's speech; the first
French drawings acquired from the Utterson sale; the Pourtales Vase
and the Minerva; the Madonna of the _Maison d'Orléans_; the Sutherland
collection of French drawings is purchased; the portrait of _Antoine de
Bourgogne_; the Carmontelle Collection is added; the Reiset Collection
of paintings acquired; Victor Hugo addresses a letter to the Duc
d'Aumale on his election as member of the Institut de France; Raphael's
_Three Graces_ purchased from the Earl of Dudley; over 300 French
drawings are acquired from Lord Carlisle; the Duc d'Aumale makes his
last important acquisition--the forty miniatures by Fouquet from the
_Book of Hours_ of Etienne Chevalier.....129
CHAPTER XII
FRENCH ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPTS AT CHANTILLY
A note in the _Inventory_ of the Duc de Berry mentions Pol de Limbourg
and his brothers as the authors of the _Très Riches Heures_; Fouquet
mentioned by François Robertet, Secretary to Pierre de Beaujeu Duc de
Bourgogne; the Cabinet des Livres of the Duc d'Aumale; the _Psalter_ of
Queen Ingeburge; the _Breviary_ of Jeanne d'Evreux; the _Très Riches
Heures du Duc de Berry_ discovered at a villa near Genoa.....154
CHAPTER XIII
THE _TRÈS RICHES HEURES DU DUC DE BERRY_
This work marks an important epoch in the history of French Art; the
_Calendar Months_ by Pol de Limbourg (the eldest brother); the scenes
from the _Life of Christ_ joint work of the three brothers; _the
Zodiac_; _the Plan of Rome_; the Duc de Berry a collector of medals;
his sudden death interrupts the completion of his _Livre d'Heures_;
Jean Colombe, half a century later, undertakes the painting of the
remaining miniatures; his mediocre workmanship.....165
CHAPTER XIV
JEAN FOUQUET OF TOURS
Court-Painter to Charles VII and Louis XI; inspired by the work of the
Limbourgs; a similar inclination for landscapes in his backgrounds;
Etienne Chevalier, Treasurer of France, his patron; the forty
miniatures by Fouquet at Chantilly; Fouquet well known in Italy as
a painter; commissioned to make a portrait of _Pope Eugenius IV_;
mentioned by Vasari; his impressions in Italy shown in the miniatures
at Chantilly and in the MS. of the _Antiquitates Judæorum_; his strong
individuality; his sense of humour and other characteristics.....179
CHAPTER XV
JEAN PERRÉAL AND BOURDICHON
Bourdichon's name found upon cartridge-cases made out of old accounts
and contracts; the _Prayer-Book_ of Anne de Bretagne and its
ornamentation of flowers; Perréal painter to the Duc Pierre de Bourbon;
studies Fouquet's work at Moulins; the miniatures of the MS. of _St.
Michel_ in the Bibliothèque Nationale attributed to Perréal by Durrieu;
affinity between the angels in the MS. and those in the triptych
at Moulins; why the original drawings of the _Preux de Marignan_
are likely to be by Jean Perréal rather than by Jean Clouet; the
handwriting of Perréal identified on the back of a drawing attributed
to him; the Tournois tapestries; Perréal mentioned in the Royal
Accounts as Architect and Sculptor; his medals representing _Louis XII_
and _Anne de Bretagne_ in the Metropolitan Museum, New York, and in the
Wallace Collection.....196
CHAPTER XVI
JEAN CLOUET
Migrates to France; settles at Tours; marries Jeanne Boucault;
his portrait of _Oronce Finé_ exists only in an engraving; his
craftsmanship of a more elaborate nature than that of Perréal; the
_Duc de Guise_ and the unknown man at Hampton Court; his portrait
of _Francis I_ in the Louvre; _Queen Claude_ and her sister
_Renée_; numerous drawings to be attributed to Jean Clouet; his
characteristics.....211
CHAPTER XVII
FRANÇOIS CLOUET AND HIS FOLLOWERS
Favoured by Francis I; he adheres at first to parental teaching;
_Mary Stuart_ in her girlhood by Germain le Mannier; _Mary Stuart_ as
Dauphine and as Queen of France; _Francis II_; _Charles IX_ by François
Clouet; his exquisite drawing of _Margot de France_ at Chantilly;
portrait of _Pierre Quthe_ at the Louvre; the portrait of _Odet de
Coligny_ at Chantilly; _Catherine de Medicis_ as a collector; her
handwriting identified on the margins of drawings at Chantilly, and
elsewhere; Corneille de Lyon and the _Dauphin François_; Jean de Court
court-painter to Henri III; Carron and the brothers Lagneau; Daniel
Dumoustier; his portrait of _Henri, Duc de Guise_; the Quesnels,
court-painters to the first Bourbon Kings; the painting of Gabrielle
d'Estrées and her two sons at Chantilly.....227
CHAPTER XVIII
FROM NICOLAS POUSSIN TO COROT
_Dr. Fagon_ by Mathias le Nain; Nicolas Poussin; his drawing of
_Daphne_; Gaspar Poussin; Claude Lorraine; Mignard and his portrait
of _Molière_; the portrait of _Louis XIV_ by Rigaud; Largillière and
his portrait of a _friend of the Condés_; he painted _Liselotte as a
Naiad_; the _Princesse de Condé_, wife of Louis Joseph, by Nattier;
Desportes and Oudry; a copy by Boucher of a portrait of _Watteau_ by
himself; the relations between Crozat and Watteau; Lancret adopts
Watteau's style; _Madame Adelaide de France_ by Latour; the portrait
of _Georgette_ by Greuze; the small portraits of the Royal Bourbons
and of the _Bourbon Condés_ by Fragonard; Ingres; Delaroche and
Eugène Delacroix; Descamps represented by no less than ten paintings;
Fromentin's _Arab Chiefs hawking in the Sahara_; Meissonier and his
great pupil Detaille; Corot and the Barbizon School; the tomb of the
Duc d'Aumale by Dubois.....248
INDEX.....279
LIST OF PLATES
PLATE
I. MARY STUART IN HER GIRLHOOD _Frontispiece_
_Germain le Mannier, Musée Condé._
FACING PAGE
II. GUILLAUME DE MONTMORENCY 4
_Attributed to Perréal, Musée Condé._
III. THE CHÂTEAU DE CHANTILLY 6
IV. ANNE DE MONTMORENCY 8
_François Clouet, Musée Condé._
V. HENRI II DE BOURBON, PRINCE DE CONDÉ 12
_School of François Clouet, Musée Condé._
" GENEVIÈVE DE BOURBON 12
_Beaubrun, Musée Condé._
VI. ANTOINE DE BOURBON 16
" CHARLOTTE DE LA TRÉMOILLE 16
_School of Francois Clouet, Musée Condé._
VII. LOUIS I DE BOURBON, PRINCE DE CONDÉ 18
" HENRI I DE BOURBON, PRINCE DE CONDÉ 18
_School of François Clouet, Musée Condé._
VIII. FRANCIS II 20
_François Clouet, Bibliothèque Nationale._
IX. JEANNE D'ALBRET, QUEEN OF NAVARRE 22
_François Clouet, Musée Condé._
X. CATHERINE DE MEDICIS 26
_Attributed to Corneille de Lyon, Musée Condé._
" HENRI II 26
_François Clouet, Biblothèque Nationale._
XI. THE GRAND CONDÉ 36
_David Teniers, Musée Condé._
XII. THE VIRGIN AS PROTECTOR OF THE HUMAN RACE 42
_E. Charonton and Vilatte, Musée Condé._
" THE TOMB OF THE DUC AND DUCHESSE DE BRETAGNE IN
THE CATHEDRAL AT NANTES 42
_Executed after Designs by Perréal._
XIII. CHANTILLY BEFORE 1687 50
XIII. CHANTILLY IN THE TIME OF THE GRAND CONDÉ 50
XIV. ANTOINE DE BOURGOGNE, CALLED LE GRAND BÂTARD 62
_Memling, Musée Condé._
XV. MOLIÈRE 84
_Mignard, Musée Condé._
XVI. CHARLOTTE DE ROHAN SOUBISE, PRINCESSE DE CONDÉ 96
_Nattier, Musée Condé._
XVII. LOUIS JOSEPH DE BOURBON, PRINCE DE CONDÉ 104
_Madame de Tott, Musée Condé._
XVIII. LOUIS HENRI JOSEPH DE BOURBON, LAST PRINCE DE CONDÉ 114
_Danloux, Musée Condé._
XIX. HENRI D'ORLÉANS, DUC D'AUMALE 124
_Léon Bonnat, Musée Condé._
XX. THE "MINERVA" OF CHANTILLY 136
_Greek Bronze, Musée Condé._
XXI. THE "MADONNA" OF THE HOUSE OF ORLÉANS 140
_Raphael, Musée Condé._
XXII. A GAME OF CHESS 144
_Carmontelle, Musée Condé._
XXIII. THE MYSTIC MARRIAGE OF ST. FRANCIS 146
_Sassetta, Musée Condé._
" PORTRAIT OF SIMONETTA VESPUCCI 146
_Piero di Cosimo, Musée Condé._
XXIV. THE THREE GRACES 148
_Raphael, Musée Condé._
XXV. THE STORY OF ESTHER 150
_School of Sandro Botticelli, Musée Condé._
XXVI. THE "TRÈS RICHES HEURES DU DUC DE BERRY":
PLAN OF ROME 152
_Pol de Limbourg and his Brothers, Musée Condé._
XXVII. THE "TRÈS RICHES HEURES DU DUC DE BERRY":
JANUARY 154
_Pol de Limbourg, Musée Condé._
XXVIII. THE "TRÈS RICHES HEURES DU DUC DE BERRY":
FEBRUARY 156
_Pol de Limbourg, Musée Condé._
XXIX. THE "TRÈS RICHES HEURES DU DUC DE BERRY":
APRIL 158
_Pol de Limbourg, Musée Condé._
XXX. THE "TRÈS RICHES HEURES DU DUC DE BERRY":
MAY 160
_Pol de Limbourg, Musée Condé._
XXXI. THE "TRÈS RICHES HEURES DU DUC DE BERRY":
JUNE 162
_Pol de Limbourg, Musée Condé._
XXXII. THE "TRÈS RICHES HEURES DU DUC DE BERRY":
JULY 164
_Pol de Limbourg, Musée Condé._
XXXIII. THE "TRÈS RICHES HEURES DU DUC DE BERRY":
AUGUST 166
_Pol de Limbourg, Musée Condé._
XXXIV. THE "TRÈS RICHES HEURES DU DUC DE BERRY":
OCTOBER 168
_Pol de Limbourg, Musée Condé._
XXXV. THE "TRÈS RICHES HEURES DU DUC DE BERRY":
DECEMBER 170
_Pol de Limbourg, Musée Condé._
XXXVI. THE "TRÈS RICHES HEURES DU DUC DE BERRY":
THE ZODIAC 172
_Pol de Limbourg and his Brothers, Musée Condé._
XXXVII. THE "TRÈS RICHES HEURES DU DUC DE BERRY":
THE PROCESSION OF THE MAGI 174
_Pol de Limbourg and his Brothers, Musée Condé._
XXXVIII. THE "TRÈS RICHES HEURES DU DUC DE BERRY":
THE FALL OF THE REBEL ANGELS 176
_Pol de Limbourg and his Brothers, Musée Condé._
XXXIX. THE "TRÈS RICHES HEURES DU DUC DE BERRY":
THE CORONATION OF THE VIRGIN 178
_Pol de Limbourg and his Brothers, Musée Condé._
XL. ETIENNE CHEVALIER AND HIS PATRON SAINT 180
_Jean Fouquet, Musée Condé._
XLI. THE VIRGIN WITH THE INFANT CHRIST 181
_Jean Fouquet, Musée Condé._
XLII. THE MARRIAGE OF THE VIRGIN 182
_Jean Fouquet, Musée Condé._
XLIII. THE ANNUNCIATION 184
_Jean Fouquet, Musée Condé._
XLIV. THE VISITATION 186
_Jean Fouquet, Musée Condé._
XLV. THE BIRTH OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST 188
_Jean Fouquet, Musée Condé._
XLVI. THE ADORATION OF THE MAGI 190
_Jean Fouquet, Musée Condé._
XLVII. THE ASCENSION 192
_Jean Fouquet, Musée Condé._
XLVIII. ALL SAINTS' DAY 194
_Jean Fouquet, Musée Condé._
XLIX. SEIGNEUR DE LA PALISSE 202
" COMTE DE LIGNY 202
_Attributed to Perréal, Musée Condé._
L. ERASMUS 204
" JUST DE TOURNON 204
_Attributed to Perréal, Musée Condé._
LI. FRANCIS I 206
_Perréal, Musée Condé._
" MINIATURES OF FRANCIS I AND CÆSAR 206
_After Perréal, British Museum._
LII. LOUIS XII 208
" ODET DE FOIX 208
_Attributed to Perréal, Musée Condé._
LIII. MEDALS OF LOUIS XII AND ANNE OF BRITTANY 210
_After Designs by Perréal, Victoria and Albert Museum._
" MEDAL OF JEAN CLOUET 210
_Victoria and Albert Museum._
LIV. THE DAUPHIN FRANÇOIS 212
_Jean Clouet, Antwerp._
LV. MONSIEUR DE NEVERS 214
_Jean Clouet, Musée Condé._
" DUC DE GUISE 214
_Jean Clouet, Musée Condé._
LVI. FRANCIS I 216
_Jean Clouet, Louvre._
LVII. QUEEN CLAUDE OF FRANCE 218
_Attributed to Perréal, Musée Condé._
" RÉNÉE DE FRANCE, DUCHESS OF FERRARA 218
_Attributed to J. Clouet, Musée Condé._
LVIII. THE DAUPHIN FRANÇOIS 220
" HENRI D'ORLÉANS 220
_Jean Clouet, Musée Condé._
LIX. MADAME VENDÔME D'ALENÇON 222
" JEANNE BOUCAULT 222
_Jean Clouet, Musée Condé._
LX. MADAME L'ESTRANGE 224
_Jean Clouet, Musée Condé._
LXI. JEANNE D'ALBRET IN HER GIRLHOOD 226
_Jean Clouet, Musée Condé._
" MADAME MARGUERITE, SISTER OF HENRI II 226
_Attributed to François Clouet, Musée Condé._
LXII. FRANCIS I 228
_Jean Clouet, Louvre._
" MARGUERITE, QUEEN OF NAVARRE, SISTER OF FRANCIS I 228
_Attributed to François Clouet, Musée Condé._
LXIII. CHARLES IX 230
_François Clouet, Vienna._
LXIV. MARY STUART AS QUEEN OF FRANCE 232
_François Clouet, Bibliothèque Nationale._
LXV. ELISABETH OF AUSTRIA, QUEEN OF FRANCE 234
_François Clouet, Bibliothèque Nationale._
" JOSSINE PISSELEU 234
_François Clouet, Musée Condé._
LXVI. PIERRE QUTHE 236
_François Clouet, Louvre._
LXVII. MARGOT OF FRANCE 238
_François Clouet, Musée Condé._
LXVIII. DIANE DE POITIERS 240
_François Clouet, Musée Condé._
LXIX. MARY TUDOR 242
_Copy after Perréal, Musée Condé._
" MADAME DE BOUILLON 242
_Attributed to J. Clouet, Musée Condé._
LXX. THE DAUPHIN FRANÇOIS AT THE AGE OF TWENTY 244
_Corneille de Lyon, Musée Condé._
LXXI. HENRI DE GUISE 246
_Dumoustier, Musée Condé._
" MARÉCHAL DE VIELVILLE 246
_François Clouet, British Museum._
LXXII. DAPHNE METAMORPHOSED INTO A LAUREL TREE 250
_Nicolas Poussin, Musée Condé._
LXXIII. LOUISE-HENRIETTE DE BOURBON CONTI 254
_J. M. Nattier, Musée Condé._
" A FRIEND OF THE CONDÉS 254
_Largillière, Musée Condé._
LXXIV. JOSEPH AND POTIPHAR'S WIFE 258
_Prud'hon, Musée Condé._
" THE GUITAR PLAYER 258
_Watteau, Musée Condé._
LXXV. YOUNG GIRL 262
_Greuze, Musée Condé._
LXXVI. ARAB CHIEFS HAWKING IN THE DESERT 272
_Eugène Fromentin, Musée Condé._
LXXVII. THE GRENADIERS AT EYLAU 274
_Détaille, Musée Condé._
LXXVIII. CONCERT CHAMPÊTRE 276
_Corot, Musée Condé._
LXXIX. TOMB OF THE DUC D'AUMALE 278
_P. Dubois, in the Cathedral at Dreux; cast at Chantilly._
AUTHORITIES CONSULTED
DUC D'AUMALE:
Histoire des Princes de Condé pendant le XVI et le XVII siècle. 7
vols. Paris: Calman Levy, éditeur; _Recueil Anglais Philobiblon
Miscellanies_.
BERENSON, BERNHARD:
A Sienese Painter of the Franciscan Legend, Stefano di Giovanni,
called Sassetta, _Burlington Magazine_, 1903.
Amico di Sandro, _Gazette des Beaux Arts_, 1899.
The Study and Criticism of Italian Art. London: George Bell & Sons,
1901-1902.
BOUCHOT, HENRI:
Les Primitifs Français, Librairie de l'Art Ancien et Moderne.
Les Clouets et Corneille de Lyon, Séries "Artistes Célèbres."
COLVIN, SIR SIDNEY:
Catalogue of Drawings at the British Museum.
Selected Drawings by Old Masters in the University Galleries and in
the Library at Christ-Church, Oxford.
CUST, LIONEL:
Some Portraits at the National Portrait Gallery, _Studio_, 1897.
Notes on the Authentic Portraits of Mary Queen of Scots. John
Murray, 1903.
The Royal Collection at Buckingham Palace and Windsor, with an
Introduction and Descriptive Text. 1906.
CUST, ROBERT H. HOBART:
The Life of Benvenuto Cellini. A New Version. George Bell & Sons,
1910.
DELISLE, COUNT LEOPOLD:
Les Livres d'Heures du Duc de Berry, _Gazette des Beaux Arts_,
1884.
Le Cabinet des Livres au Château de Chantilly, _Revue de l'Art
Ancien et Moderne_, 1900.
Les Heures du Connétable de Montmorency, etc.
DILKE, LADY:
French Painters of the Eighteenth Century.
French Engravers and Draughtsmen. George Bell & Sons.
DIMIER, LOUIS:
French Paintings in the Sixteenth Century. London: Duckworth & Co.
DURRIEU, COUNT PAUL:
Heures de Turin avec 45 feuillets à Peintures des "Très Belles
Heures." Paris: 1902.
Les Débuts de Van Eyck, _Gazette des Beaux Arts_, 1903.
Les Aventures de deux Splendides Livres d'Heures ayant appartenu au
duc Jean de Berry, _Revue de l'Art Ancien et Moderne_, 1911.
FRIEDLÄNDER, MAX:
Die Votivtafel des Etienne Chevalier von Fouquet, _Jahrbuch der
Königl_. _Preussischen Kunstsammlungen_, 1896.
Die Brugger Leihaustellung, _Repertorium für Kunstwissenschaft_.
FRY, ROGER:
The Exhibition of French Primitives, _Burlington Magazine_, 1904.
French Painting in the Middle Ages, _Quarterly Review_, 1904.
English Illuminated MSS. at the Burlington Fine Arts Club, 1908.
GRUYER, ANATOLE:
La Peinture au Château de Chantilly.
Les Quarante Fouquet.
LABORDE, MARQUIS LÉON:
Renaissance des Arts à la Cour de France.
Les ducs de Bourgogne.
Études sur les Lettres, les Arts et l'Industrie pendant le XV
Siècle.
LAFENESTRE, GEORGE:
Les Primitifs à Bruges et à Paris, 1900, 1902, 1904, _Librairie de
l'Art Ancien et Moderne_.
Jehan Fouquet, "Les Artistes de tous les temps." Séries B.
MACON, GUSTAVE:
Château de Chantilly et le Parc, _Revue de l'Art Ancien et
Moderne_.
Chantilly et le Musée Condé, _Librairie Renouard_.
MANTZ, PAUL:
La Peinture Française du IX Siècle à la fin du XVI; Alcide Picard
and Kaan, éditeur.
MAULDE, DE LA CLAVIÈRE:
Jean Perréal; Ernest Leroux, éditeurs.
MOREAU-NELATON, ETIENNE:
Les Le Mannier, Peintres officiels à la cour des Valois, _Gazette
des Beaux Arts_, 1901.
Les Clouet, Peintres officiels des Rois de France.
Le Portrait à la cour des Valois et les Crayons français du 16ième
siècle conservés au Musée Condé à Chantilly, _Librairie des Beaux
Arts_, rue Lafayette.
NOLHAC, PIERRE DE, et ANDRÉ PÉRATÉ:
Le Musée National de Versailles; Braun, Clément & Co.
PHILLIPS, SIR CLAUDE:
Impressions of the Bruges Exhibition, _Fortnightly Review_.
Masterpieces of French Art in the Eighteenth Century in Possession
of the Emperor of Germany.
TURNER, P. M., and C. H. COLLINS-BAKER:
Stories of the French Artists from Clouet to Delacroix. London:
Chatto & Windus, 1909.
WILLIAMS, H. NOEL:
The Love-affairs of the Condés. Methuen & Co.
FIRST PART
_CHANTILLY AND ITS HISTORY_
CHAPTER I
CHANTILLY AND ITS OWNERS
THE MONTMORENCYS
The Château of Chantilly, now known as the Musée Condé, the magnificent
gift so generously bequeathed to the French nation by the late Duc
d'Aumale, has experienced great changes and passed through many
vicissitudes.
At a very early date a Gallo-Roman, by name Cantillius, fixed his abode
upon an isolated rock, in the midst of wild forest and marshland; hence
the name of Chantilly.
In the ninth century we find established here the Seigneurs of Senlis,
who bore the name of _Bouteillers_, from their hereditary task of
wine-controllers to the Kings of France--an honorary post which they
held for some centuries. But the last scion of that sturdy race, having
seen his castle pillaged during the Jacquerie of 1358, died without
issue.
After changing hands through three decades, Chantilly in 1386 became the
property of Pierre d'Orgemont, Chancellor to Charles V of France, who
laid the foundations of an imposing feudal fortress, flanked by seven
stately towers.
Several centuries later a change again occurred in the ownership of
Chantilly. By default of male issue it passed into the possession of
Jean II, Baron de Montmorency, who married Marguerite, sole heiress of
the Orgemonts; and with this illustrious family Chantilly emerged from
comparative obscurity into historical fame. Henceforth it became a
favourite centre for the leading men of France, and within its
hospitable walls kings and princes found sumptuous entertainment.
Matrimonial alliance in the beginning of the seventeenth century brought
the property into the family of the Condés, a younger branch of the
Bourbons; and later still, by the marriage of the last Prince de Condé
with Princesse Bathilde d'Orléans, and the tragic death of their only
son, the Duc d'Enghien, Chantilly passed into the possession of its last
private owner, Prince Henri d'Orléans, Duc d'Aumale.
The family of the Montmorencys was well known and famous in France
during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, but became extinct under
Richelieu, who, for reasons of state, sent the last scion of that race,
Henri de Montmorency, to the scaffold.
[Illustration: Plate II.
Photo. Giraudon.
GUILLAUME DE MONTMORENCY.
Attributed to J. Perréal.
Musée Condé.]
Guillaume, son of Jean de Montmorency, who married the heiress of
Chantilly, joined in an expedition to Italy under Charles VIII of
France. There are portraits of him in the Louvre, and at Lyons, whilst a
fine crayon drawing representing him in his younger days is to be found
in the portfolios of the Musée Condé. He it was who, in 1515,
constructed the Chapel of the Château, obtaining from Pope Leo X a bull
for its foundation. He married Anne de Pot, and their eldest son was the
famous Anne de Montmorency, known as the _Grand Connétable_. Queen Anne
of Brittany held him at the baptismal font, conferring upon him her own
name, and he was educated with the Duc d'Angoulême, afterwards King
Francis I.
Anne de Montmorency in early youth distinguished himself by artistic
taste, probably acquired at the Court of Louise of Savoy, mother of
Francis I. No sooner had he succeeded his father as Lord of Chantilly
than he endeavoured to create a mansion more in accordance with the
refined taste of his time. Without demolishing the fortifications and
the stately towers of the Orgemonts, he succeeded in introducing more
light into the mediæval chambers by piercing their walls with large
windows. He hung the interior of the castle with tapestries, and
furnished it richly with the artistic spoils of his expeditions into
Italy. He also commenced the formation of the famous Library,
subsequently continued by the Condés until it reached the fame which it
enjoyed under its latest owner, the Duc d'Aumale.
Under the Grand Connétable's directions were executed the forty-four
painted glass windows still at Chantilly. They illustrate the legend of
_Cupid and Psyche_ after cartoons by the school of Raphael, and were
produced in France about 1546 by Jean Mangin and Leonard Gautier.
Montmorency's artistic tastes, however, did not prevent him from being
the greatest warrior of his time. Together with his maternal uncles,
Gouffier de Boissy and Gouffier de Bonnivet, he was numbered among the
so-called _Preux_ who fought victoriously by the side of King Francis I,
at the Battle of Marignan. He followed the King to Pavia, where he was
made a prisoner with his Royal master, and in 1530 he was at Bayonne, to
negotiate the release of the young Princes of Valois, who had been kept
as hostages by the Emperor Charles V. After the Peace of Madrid he again
fought against the Imperial troops in Picardy, and it was upon this
occasion that he received the title of "Great Constable" of France.
In spite, however, of his great prowess he fell into disgrace with the
King through the intrigues of Madame d'Estampes. As in the case of the
Connétable de Bourbon, Francis I, ever fickle in his friendships, became
so jealous of Montmorency's fame that the latter was obliged at last to
retire to Chantilly; where he employed his time in improving this
favourite abode. He constructed on an island close to the older feudal
castle, the fine Renaissance palace known as the Petit-Château, which by
some miracle has remained almost intact to this day. It is probable that
Jean Bullant, the architect of Ecouen, was consulted with regard to this
Petit-Château at Chantilly, for the style of its architecture marks
the transition between the mediæval Gothic and the period of the
French Renaissance, and ranks it with buildings such as the châteaux of
Chambord, Chenonceaux, d'Azay le Rideau, and Langeais.[1]
[Illustration: PLATE III.
THE CHÂTEAU DE CHANTILLY.]
This style, according to Viollet-le-Duc, grew up like the beech-trees
and the willows near the Loire, and--as in the case of Chantilly--is
often found side by side with feudal castles of a much older period; the
owners of which, apparently unwilling to demolish their ancestral homes,
preferred at the same time to occupy more modern and commodious
residences.
The chief distinction between the French and Italian Renaissance is that
the former is less conventional and offers less regularity of style in
its building. It is a style that reached its climax in the châteaux of
Blois and Chambord, each of which preserves some characteristics of the
nobles who erected them, although the names of the actual architects, in
spite of their undoubted creative skill, remain for the most part
unknown. Such is the case with the Petit-Château of Chantilly.
Anne de Montmorency was an intimate friend of Diane de Poitiers, the
friend and mistress of Henri II. This lady was owner of the Château of
Clemonceaux, which no doubt served as a model to Montmorency when
erecting his own new palace. The complete absence of documents with
regard to this structure is greatly to be regretted, but the
supposition that Jean Bullant, who was in constant relation with Pierre
des Iles, known as "Maçon" of Chantilly, had a hand in its erection, as
stated above, is by no means unreasonable. It is an architectural gem,
and provoked the admiration of Leonardo da Vinci and Benvenuto Cellini,
who both enjoyed hospitality within its walls.
Anne de Montmorency was created Duke by Henri II, and after the sudden
death of that King he succeeded in securing the goodwill of Francis II
and Charles IX. Queen Catherine de Medicis cordially disliked him, but
nevertheless endeavoured to use him as a tool against the Huguenot Louis
I de Bourbon, Prince de Condé.
In 1562 he won the battle of Dreux against Condé and Coligny, and he
routed them again in 1567 at Saint-Denis, though at the sacrifice of his
own life; for he was severely wounded, and died shortly afterwards in
Paris.
Anne de Montmorency at various stages of his life is presented in a
series of French drawings, dating from 1514, as a _Preux de Marignan_,
down to his old age. There also exists a drawing of his wife Madeleine
de Savoie. By a fortunate coincidence these drawings--of which we shall
speak later on--have found their way back to Chantilly. In the
stained-glass windows of the chapel, painted in 1544, may be seen
portraits of his numerous children executed by Bardon after
still-existing cartoons by Lechevallier Chevignard. In order to complete
the family the Duc d'Aumale commissioned the artist Guifard to add on
the walls of the same chapel portraits of the great Constable and his
wife.
[Illustration: Photo. Giraudon.
ANNE DE MONTMORENCY.
François Clouet.
Musée Condé.]
After the death of Anne de Montmorency, his eldest son François became
Lord of Chantilly. He married Diane de France, whose portrait is also
amongst the drawings in this collection. She was a natural daughter of
Henri II, and widow, at the early age of eighteen, of Orazio Farnese,
Duca di Castro. Brantôme says of her that it was not possible to see a
lady mount on horseback like her, nor with better grace. The woods of
Chantilly offered great opportunities to her passion for the chase, and
it was probably for this reason that, in the company of her
mother-in-law, Madeleine of Savoy, she made it her principal residence.
Diane, so called after her godmother Diane de Poitiers, was a great
favourite with her royal brothers, and after the death of her husband
became known by the title of "Duchesse d'Angoulême." Since she was
childless, François de Montmorency was succeeded by his brother Henri,
who distinguished himself as one of the strongest opponents of the
_Ligue_. He, too, was created Constable, and subsequently assisted Henri
IV in the reconquest of his kingdom. His second wife, Louise de Budos,
died at the early age of twenty-three, soon after giving birth to a son
and heir, called Henri after his father. Their elder child, a daughter,
Charlotte, was renowned for her beauty; and Lord Herbert of
Cherbury--who in his _Memoirs_ describes Chantilly at that
period--expressed a wish for her portrait in order that he might show
it to the Queen of England. Invited by Henri de Montmorency to make a
lengthened stay at Chantilly, he was so enchanted that he calls it "an
incomparably fine residence, admired by the greatest princes of Europe."
He relates that the Emperor Charles V was received by the first Duc de
Montmorency, Anne, the _Grand Connétable_, whilst on his way across
France from Spain to the Netherlands; and that after that monarch had
examined the castle with its moats, bridges, and extensive forests, he
was so overcome with admiration that he said he would gladly give one of
his provinces in the Netherlands for this unsurpassable residence.
Lord Herbert further discourses upon the hangings of silk adorned with
gold, and of the pictures, statues, and works of art in the sumptuous
chambers of the Château. He also mentions the huge carp and trout in the
ponds, and the merry hunting parties attended along the avenues by packs
of hounds.
Another great admirer of Chantilly was Henri IV, who was on terms of
intimate friendship with Henri de Montmorency. This King was even
accustomed to visit Chantilly during the absence of its owner, and had
his own apartments there and his own garden, the so-called _Jardin du
Roy_, of which he enjoyed superintending the arrangements.
There was, however, another reason for his numerous surprise visits: no
less an object than Charlotte, Duke Henry's beautiful daughter. Bereft
of her mother, as we have seen, at an early age, she was presented at
the French Court by her aunt, the Duchesse d'Angoulême, and her beauty,
as described by Bentivoglio, seems to have been of so irresistible a
charm that it made a deep impression on the fancy of the gallant King.
So great indeed was the admiration which he displayed for the young
Charlotte de Montmorency that it became a matter of public notoriety,
and throws a curious light upon the famous personages of that period and
their morals.
Although Charlotte had not yet attained her fifteenth year, a marriage
had been arranged for her with the brilliant Bassompière, at that time a
great favourite with the King. His Majesty had given his consent to the
marriage; but he nevertheless one day made the following proposals to
Bassompière: "Listen! I wish to speak to you as a friend. I am in love
with Mademoiselle de Montmorency, and that even madly. If you marry her
and she loves you, I should hate you; if she loved me, she would hate
you. Now, for the sake of our mutual friendship, it would be better that
this marriage should not take place, for I love you with real affection
and inclination. I have therefore resolved to arrange a marriage between
Mademoiselle de Montmorency and my nephew the Prince de Condé in order
to keep her near me. She will thus be the consolation of my old age. To
my nephew, who prefers the chase to the ladies, I shall give 100,000
francs a year and claim nothing for it in return but the affection of
the newly-married couple!" After this confession, poor Bassompière
understood that he had better comply with the King's wishes, and the
fair Charlotte was therefore married to Henri II de Bourbon, third
Prince de Condé. The wedding was celebrated at Chantilly with much pomp,
and the King lavished splendid jewels and rich dresses upon his new
niece, making no secret of the admiration he cherished for her. He spoke
of it as only a fatherly affection; but in spite of his good intentions
his fancy took the character of so violent a passion that he could not
control it. Condé, not insensible to what was going on, purposely
retired to his remotest country-seats so as to protect his wife from the
gallantries of the King; but, unable to endure her absence, Henri
appeared disguised as a falconer at one of the hunting parties,
whereupon Charlotte, who was present, fainted on recognising him. His
distress at being separated from his "_bel ange_" was so great that even
the Queen, Marie de Medicis, took pity on him, and entreated Condé to
return with his charming wife to Court, and Malesherbes sang the amours
of the King in glowing love-poems. Condé, considering the honour of his
young wife at stake, carried her off instead to the Netherlands, on a
visit to his sister the Princess of Orange. When the King heard of this
he was furious, and asserted that the charming Princess had been
compelled to leave her country by force. He sent a captain of his own
Guard to explain the matter to the Archduchess Isabella, at that time
Governess of the Netherlands, whilst Chaussé, a police official, was
ordered to follow up the fugitives and prevent their reaching Belgium.
Chaussé actually overtook the Princess, who, having been obliged to
leave her carriage near the River Somme, had broken down after a fifteen
hours' ride on horseback.
[Illustration: PLATE V.
HENRI II DE BOURBON, PRINCE DE CONDÉ.
GENEVIÈVE DE BOURBON.
_Musée Condé._]
But we cannot digress here to pursue this love-affair of Henri IV and
Charlotte de Montmorency. Suffice it to say that, transferred to foreign
territory, it immediately became a _cause célèbre_, and even threatened
for a time to create serious political disturbances between France and
Spain. The fact that the Regent of the Netherlands, in order to please
both parties, allowed the Princesse de Condé to prolong her visit to the
Princess of Orange but at the same time ordered her husband to leave the
Netherlands within three days, was severely commented upon by the
Marchese Ambrogio di Spinola, at that time representative at Brussels of
the Spanish Court.
This valiant captain, originally a Genoese merchant, had equipped 9,000
men at his own cost, and with them had succeeded--where so many had
failed--in confronting Prince Maurice of Nassau and terminating the
siege of Ostend. Reduced after this exploit to comparative inactivity,
he hailed an opportunity likely to bring about a conflict between
personages of such importance as Henri IV of France and the King of
Spain.
There was, moreover, another motive for Spinola's pertinacity in
retaining the Princesse de Condé in the Netherlands in spite of the
most urgent entreaties of the gallant King. He himself was also
suspected of having become enamoured of that dangerous beauty, and he
alleged that it was quite against Spanish etiquette that Henri II de
Bourbon, Prince de Condé, a Prince of the Blood Royal of France, should
not have received the honours due to his rank while passing through the
Netherlands. Condé, who, leaving his young wife with the Princess of
Orange, had already departed to Cologne, was therefore recalled. He saw
his wife, and received a gracious welcome from the Archduchess and the
Prince and Princess of Orange; and then, accompanied by his secretary,
in a violent snowstorm and under Spanish escort, he left for Milan,
secretly determined to seek the assistance of Philip II, King of Spain,
against the grievous wrong done to him by Henri IV.
The gallant King enjoyed the _rôle_ of Lancelot, and the fair Charlotte
was rather proud of his attentions, so that their amours became a
subject of discussion and comment throughout the whole of Europe. It was
even alleged that Henri IV was preparing for war against the Netherlands
to obtain by force the return of the Princesse de Condé, held in bondage
by the Archduchess Isabella in Flanders. This, however, was in truth but
a pretext on the part of the King; for in spite of the libertinism in
which His Majesty indulged on this occasion, and which seemed for the
moment to overcloud his sense of right and wrong, we must remember that
Henri IV always proved himself a patriot, and one whose constant
endeavour it was to advance the welfare of France. We may, therefore,
surmise with the late Duc d'Aumale that it was chiefly his desire to
liberate Europe from the Austrian yoke, and thus give to France the
position he wished her to hold--not merely the _beaux yeux_ of the
Princesse de Condé--which actually induced him to prepare for war.
Nevertheless he so successfully frightened the Archduchess Isabella that
she agreed to let the Princess depart at last.
In the midst, however, of all these unsolved problems Henri IV was
suddenly struck down by the hand of Ravaillac, and as soon as the news
reached Condé, who was already on his way to Spain, he immediately
returned to France and made a temporary truce with the Regent, Marie de
Medicis. But to his wife he seemed unforgiving, requesting her father,
Henri de Montmorency, to keep her at Chantilly.
CHAPTER II
CHANTILLY AND THE CONDÉS
The family of Condé derived their origin from the French town Henegau,
in Flanders, where a certain Godefroy de Condé owned part of the barony
of Condé as early as 1200. In 1335 his great-granddaughter married Jacob
de Bourbon, who in due course became the ancestor of the Royal branch of
the Bourbons. His second son received for his inheritance the barony of
Condé, and it was one of his descendants, Louis de Bourbon, who
eventually took the title of "Prince de Condé." This Louis was one of
the many sons of the Duc de Vendôme, only surviving brother of the
famous Constable, Charles de Bourbon, who met a premature death at the
Sack of Rome in 1527: a turbulent spirit who caused Henry VIII to say to
Francis I, "_Mon frère de France a là un sujet dont je ne voudrais pas
être le maître_."
[Illustration: Plate VI.
Photo. Giraudon.
ANTOINE DE BOURBON.
School of François Clouet.
Photo. Giraudon.
CHARLOTTE DE LA TREMOILLE.
School of François Clouet.
Musée Condé
_To face page 26._]
The eldest brother Antoine de Bourbon, by his marriage with Jeanne
d'Albret (daughter of Marguerite, sister of Francis I), became King of
Navarre; and their son, Henri IV, succeeded to the throne of France on
the death of Henri III de Valois. Louis de Bourbon, first Prince de
Condé,[2] married Eleonore de Roye, granddaughter of Louise de
Montmorency, a sister of the famous Constable Anne and mother of the
Huguenot chief, Gaspard de Coligny. It was no doubt owing to the
influence of his wife Eleonore--so named after the second wife of
Francis I--that the Prince de Condé embraced the Protestant cause, and
was thenceforward regarded by the Huguenots as one of their leaders.
Eleonore was on terms of great intimacy with her sister-in-law, Jeanne
d'Albret, Queen of Navarre, who had herself become a Protestant; and one
may fairly assert that if Antoine de Bourbon, King of Navarre, and his
brother Louis de Condé, had in any way equalled their noble wives in
pious sentiment and religious fervour, the Protestant Faith in France
would never have been nipped in the bud, but would have become as firmly
established there as it did in England and Germany.
As it was, the Guises of Lorraine who embraced the Catholic cause gained
considerable ground after the death of Henri II, through their cousin
Mary Stuart, Queen of France; and with the ostensible object of
furthering this cause, they also tried to supplant the Bourbon Princes,
Antoine de Navarre and Louis de Bourbon Condé, who were by right nearer
the throne. The latter during the reign of Francis II was thrown into
prison for high treason, under a false accusation brought against him
by the Guises, and condemned to death. In her despair, his unhappy wife,
Eleonore, threw herself upon her knees before the King, imploring
permission for a last interview. The young King was about to relent; but
the Cardinal of Lorraine, fearing that she might attain her object,
drove her roughly from the Royal presence. The unscrupulous Guises had
even conceived a plan of making away with this Princess before her
husband; for (as a contemporary writer tells us) they feared her
intellect and courage in proclaiming her husband's innocence. They hoped
to get rid, not only of her, but also of the King of Navarre and the
Châtillons. But at this juncture a change occurred in political affairs.
[Illustration: Plate VII.
Photo. Giraudon.
LOUIS I. DE BOURBON, PRINCE DE CONDÉ.
School of François Clouet.
Photo. Giraudon.
HENRI I. DE BOURBON, PRINCE DE CONDÉ.
School of François Clouet.
Musée Condé.
_To face page_]
Francis II, whose health had always been delicate, suddenly showed
alarming symptoms of decline. Catherine, the _Royne Mère_, cast about to
get the Regency into her own hands; and in order to check the steadily
growing power of the Guises, she resolved to recall the Bourbons,
promising to save Condé from death if they would accept her as Regent.
The King of Navarre, Antoine de Bourbon, consented to her proposition in
order to save his brother. The terrified Guises entreated Catherine to
keep Condé still in prison; since he would, if set at liberty, get the
better of them all. It is characteristic to note that when the state of
the King's health became desperate, the Guises were wholly without
sympathy; though we read that Mary Stuart nursed her dying husband
with tenderest solicitude. As soon as the King had breathed his last,
Gaspard de Coligny addressed these memorable words to those who stood
by: "_Messieurs, le roi est mort, çela nous apprend à vivre_."
The death of Francis II opened Condé's prison doors; whereupon he
insisted on proving his innocence, and claiming punishment for those who
had caused his incarceration. The Guises began to tremble, and their
friends trembled with them. Meantime, Catherine de Medicis, always
intent on her own interests, tried to placate the Protestant nobility,
and even showed toleration for the Protestant cult in various parts of
France. She endeavoured to entice Condé to her Court through the charms
of one of her Court ladies--the beautiful Isabelle de Limeuil--in order
to make him an instrument for her own purposes. Brantôme, with reference
to this, speaks of Louis de Bourbon as a man of corrupt morals. Nor
could he resist the passion shown for him by Marguerite de Lustrac,
widow of the Maréchal de Saint-André, from whom he accepted the
magnificent château of Valery, with its vast appanage, originally
intended as a dowry for Mademoiselle de Saint-André, the affianced bride
of his own son Henri I de Bourbon, who had died young, poisoned, it is
said, by her mother. Condé's irregular habits called for the severe
rebuke of Calvin, and his noble wife Eleonore was broken-hearted over
them.
Antoine, King of Navarre, the eldest of the brothers, also became a
puppet in the hands of the Queen-Mother and the Guises, who deliberately
provoked the sanguinary conflicts at Vassy between the Huguenots and the
Catholics.
Jeanne d'Albret, who sided with the Protestants, left the Court in
consequence, and to the great regret of Eleonore, retired to her kingdom
of Navarre. Had the husbands of these two great ladies been equally
desirous of keeping the peace the Massacre of St. Bartholomew would
never have taken place. Indeed, when Eleonore de Roye died at the early
age of twenty-eight the Protestants of France lost faith in Condé as
their leader, believing that it was through her influence alone that he
served their cause.
When Eleonore felt her end approaching she sent a messenger for her
husband and upon his hurrying to her bedside most generously forgave him
for all his infidelities. Her eldest son, Henri I de Bourbon, who had
shared all her anxieties and who had been her constant companion,
listened with deep emotion to her exhortations to his father that he
should remain true to the Protestant Faith; and the memory of this noble
woman prevailed with Condé after her death.
[Illustration: Plate VIII.
Photo Giraudon.
FRANÇOIS II. KING OF FRANCE.
Francois Clouet.
Bibl. Nar. Paris.
_To face page 20._]
The intriguing Catherine, after much wavering, then declared herself
upon the Catholic side, and compelled Michel de l'Hôpital, who had tried
to reconcile the two parties, to resign. The consequence of this
decision was the bloody battle of Jarnac, where Condé died the death of
a hero. No one could deny that he loved and honoured France, and that
he was a great warrior. Even the Guises, his implacable enemies,
endeavoured to conciliate him, and tried to arrange, after his wife's
death, a marriage between him and Mary Stuart. How different, if this
alliance had been accomplished, would have been the destinies of that
ill-fated Queen![3]
Henri I de Bourbon[4] succeeded his father as Prince de Condé, and
secured the friendship of Jeanne d'Albret, Queen of Navarre; so that
when the Huguenots, after the disaster of Jarnac, shut themselves up in
La Rochelle, the widow of Antoine de Bourbon appeared in their midst and
presented to them her son Henri de Béarn, together with his cousin the
young Prince de Condé. Under the guidance of Gaspard de Coligny these
two young Princes were received amongst the leaders of the Protestant
army, at that time in a critical position and in great pecuniary
straits. The young Prince de Condé disposed of most of his jewels,
whilst Coligny and Jeanne d'Albret made similar sacrifices. These jewels
were sent to Queen Elizabeth of England as security for a sum of money
forwarded by her to the Protestant forces.
Coligny seems to have thought highly of the abilities of the young Condé
Prince, to whom he deputed the command in his absence.
It is indeed remarkable that so fervent a Calvinist as Jeanne d'Albret
should have consented to the engagement of her son to Margot de France,
youngest daughter of Catherine de Medicis. It is true that the horrors
of St. Bartholomew had not then taken place, nor had the close ties of
relationship between the houses of Valois and Navarre at that date been
loosened. At the same time a marriage was arranged by Jeanne d'Albret
between Henri de Condé and Marie de Clève, daughter of the Duc de Nevers
and Marguerite de Bourbon. This lady was rich, accomplished, and of rare
beauty; and it was an open secret at the time that the Duc d'Anjou
(afterwards King Henri III) was madly in love with her.
[Illustration: Plate IX.
Photo. Giraudon.
JEANNE D'ALBRET, QUEEN OF NAVARRE.
François Clouet.
Musée Condé.
_To face page 21._]
The marriage of the Prince de Condé was an occasion for great rejoicing
amongst the Protestant party, when all at once news arrived of the
sudden death of Queen Jeanne d'Albret under suspicious circumstances. It
was rumoured that Catherine de Medicis wished to remove her before the
nuptials of her son Henri of Navarre and Margot de France. The _douce
enfant_ (as Francis I called her, when Dauphine of France) had schooled
herself well to the difficult position in which as a young wife she
found herself with Diane de Poitiers; but as Queen-mother and Regent she
developed into a false and ambitious woman, who actually planned the
carnage of St. Bartholomew on the eve of her own daughter's marriage
to the chief of the Huguenot party.
It does not enter into our present work to describe the horrors for
which she was responsible on that occasion, but it is sufficient to say
that Gaspard de Coligny found his death, whilst the lives of Condé and
of the King of Navarre were only spared on the condition that they
abjured the Protestant Faith. Condé, however, at first persisted in a
refusal, although his young wife obeyed. For this reason he was summoned
before the boy King, Charles IX, who, advancing towards him, called out,
"The Mass, Death, or the Bastille, Choose!" "God will not allow," said
Condé quietly, "that I choose the first, my King! The two other
alternatives are at your pleasure." In a fury, the King rushed upon him
and would have slain him then and there, had not the Queen, Elizabeth of
Austria--the only redeeming feature of this contemptible Court--thrown
herself at the feet of her husband to prevent him. Finally, however, the
two Bourbon Princes did attend Mass, and the Cardinal de Bourbon gave
Condé and his bride the nuptial benediction in the church of St. Germain
des Prés.
But this was not enough; for both Navarre and Condé were forced to fight
against those very Huguenots whose leaders they had been; and they were
compelled to march under the command of the Duc d'Anjou against that
same La Rochelle where Condé had passed so many years with his noble
friend Gaspard de Coligny, engaged in furthering the Protestant cause.
In 1574, however, upon the death of Charles IX, Condé and Henri of
Navarre again joined the Protestant forces. Not so Marie de Clève, who
was even trying to make this a plea for a separation when she died
suddenly in giving birth to a daughter.[5] Twelve years later Condé
contracted another marriage, with Charlotte Catherine de la Trémoille.
We propose in this brief sketch of the Condé family, who eventually
became Lords of Chantilly, to say something also regarding the lives of
the Princesses de Condé, since some of them rank amongst the most noble
and interesting women of their time. Charlotte de la Trémoille[6] was
the daughter of the Duc de Thouars and Jeanne de Montmorency. She lived
with her mother in the fortified castle of Taillebourg, and was of a
romantic turn of mind and very handsome. Condé, presented by her
brother, the young Duc de Thouars, whilst he chanced to be in the
neighbourhood, paid a visit to the young lady; and although of the
opposite party--for the Trémoilles were Catholics--he came unattended.
He showed her more attention than was his usual custom, so that she fell
in love with him. She was but seventeen years of age, whilst Condé was
by that time thirty-three, but without an heir to his name. He had a
fine head and well-cut features; his expression was pensive, and
betrayed a delicate and nervous constitution. The fact of his being a
Prince of the Blood Royal and of illustrious lineage stimulated, no
doubt, Mademoiselle de la Trémoille's poetic imagination.
When, after the disaster of Angers, Condé was compelled to go into
hiding in Guernsey whilst vainly soliciting the help of Queen Elizabeth,
he saw one morning two well-equipped ships approaching the harbour. The
captain of the party presently sent one of his officers to the Prince,
bearing a letter from Charlotte de la Trémoille begging him to make use
of these, her ships. Condé, who had remained so long a helpless prisoner
on the island, embarked at once, and upon his arrival at La Rochelle
found the Princess awaiting him at that port.
A few days later the wedding was celebrated quietly at the Château de
Taillebourg: both the Princess and her brother having become adherents
of the Reformed Faith before that event took place.
In 1587 a daughter was born to Condé, named Eleonore after her noble
grandmother, who subsequently married the Prince of Orange.
* * * * *
In that same year (1587) the eighth and last religious war broke out in
France, known as the War of the Four Henris--Henri III, Henri de Guise,
Henri of Navarre, and Henri de Bourbon Condé. The first battle was
fought at Coutras, between the Duc de Joyeuse, who commanded 7,000 men
for Henri III, and the joint forces of Henri of Navarre and Henri de
Condé, who had between them but 5,000 men. The fight was a prolonged one
and ended in a victory for the two Bourbons, who both greatly
distinguished themselves, "_Messieurs_," cried Navarre, before the fight
began, "_souvenez vous que vous êtes de la maison de Bourbon. Vive Dieu!
Je vous ferai voir que je suis votre ainé!" "Et nous, vous montrerons
des bons cadets_," replied Condé.
But Duc Henri de Guise presently restored the fortunes of the Catholics
by the victories of Vimory and Auneau, wherein no less than twenty
thousand Protestants perished.
Henri III, true Valois that he was, was not, however, grateful to the
victor. Jealous of his success and growing popularity, he caused him to
be foully murdered at the Château of Blois, whither he had summoned him
from Paris. The Cardinal de Lorraine, his brother, shared his fate.
Even Catherine de Medicis, then on her deathbed, was horrified at her
son's treachery towards the Guises, who had fought so ably for the
Catholic cause. "_Vous avez fait mourir le duc de Guise!_" she
exclaimed; "_Dieu veuille que vous vous trouviez bien de l'action que
vous venez de faire. Mais vous ne pouvez, je crois, vous en felicitez.
Ce n'est pas tout de tailler, il faut savoir coudre._"
[Illustration: Plate X.
CATHERINE DE MEDICIS.
Attributed to Corneille de Lyon.
Musée Condé.
HENRI II.
François Clouet.
Bibl. Nat. Paris.
_To face page 26._]
When the news of the murder of the two Guises became known in Paris,
greatest public indignation was aroused; and the Sorbonne declared that
France ought to strive earnestly against such a King. In order to save
himself, the wretched King made overtures to Henri of Navarre,
addressing him as "brother." A reconciliation took place between them,
and together they laid siege to Paris with an army of 40,000 men.
Before, however, the assault took place, Henri III was murdered by a
fanatic monk, designating with his last breath Henri of Navarre as his
successor to the throne of France, but imploring him at the same time to
embrace the Catholic Faith.
The crown thus devolved upon Henri de Bourbon, King of Navarre, as
lineal descendant of Robert de Clermont, sixth son of Saint Louis;
whilst Henri de Bourbon Condé, his cousin, became heir-presumptive. The
health of the latter, however, began to fail, owing partly to an injury
incurred by a fall from his horse, and partly to severe attacks of
fever. Trusting to a partial recovery, he ventured too soon into the
saddle, being, according to a contemporary writer, over-fond of riding,
and in consequence suffered a relapse which ended fatally. Tifburn, the
faithful custodian of the Château de Saint-Jean d'Angely, thus describes
his unexpected death: "I was the person selected to report this sad
mischance to the Princess, and I found her coming down the stairs of the
large apartment to visit her husband. He had been ill, and had become
worse since the day before, but none would have supposed the end was so
near. When she saw me so downcast she pressed me to tell her what had
occurred. When she heard the sad news she fainted, and had to be
transported to her bed, where she sobbed and cried and would not be
consoled."
Henri IV, on hearing of this disaster, hastened to Saint-Jean d'Angely;
but on the way information reached him that two of the Princesse de
Condé's servants--her page, Belcastle, and a valet--had suddenly
disappeared, and that they had fled on two horses, kept in readiness for
them by one Brillant, known to be a procurer employed at the castle. On
hearing this, he turned the bridle of his horse, unwilling to interview
the widowed Princess.
In a letter to la belle Corisande, Duchesse de Grammont, he writes
regarding this incident as follows: "_Jeudy, le Prince de Condé ayant
couru la bague, il soupa se portant bien. A minuit lui prit un
vomissement très violent, qui luy dura jusqu'au matin. Tout le Vendredy
il demeura au lit. Le soir il soupa, et ayant bien dormi, il se leva le
Samedi matin, dina debout, et puis joua aux eschecs. Il se leva, se mit
a promener par sa chambre, devisant avec l'un et avec l'autre. Tant d'un
coup il dit: 'Baillez moi ma chaise, je sens une grande faiblesse.' Il
n'y fut assis qu'il perdit sa parole, et soudain après il rendit l'âme,
et les marques du poison sortirent soudainement._"
When Brillant was interrogated, he denied everything, but under torture
he made admissions which greatly compromised the widow of the dead
Condé. Subsequent versions of the story stated first that the Catholic
party had administered the poison; and later that the Prince had died a
death in full accordance with the malady from which he was suffering.
Nevertheless the poor Princess had to bear the burden of this terrible
charge. She was allowed to remain in her own apartments only until she
gave birth to a son, who was pronounced by all who saw him to greatly
resemble the late Prince de Condé; and the fact that Henri ultimately
consented to become godfather to the child destroyed all false
accusations. For many years, however, she was kept under close guard at
Saint-Jean d'Angely; and in the archives at Thouars there still exist
some touching letters from her to her mother and to the Constable de
Montmorency, asserting her innocence and imploring help. She also
describes her straitened circumstances, her allowance being quite
insufficient to supply the needs of her children, Eleonore and Henri.
Throughout all her trials she behaved with singular fortitude, until at
length, when her son Henri de Bourbon was recognised as the legitimate
son of his father, and thenceforth held the position of
heir-presumptive, she was allowed to return to Court. De Thou even
obtained an order directing the French Parlement to come immediately to
Saint-Germain to salute the Prince as heir to the throne until it
should please God to give children to the King himself. Henri IV
displayed considerable anxiety that his heir should receive the best
possible education, and that he should embrace the Catholic Faith, as he
himself had done. Thus the tradition of the Princes de Condé as Huguenot
Princes was abruptly broken; and Charlotte Catherine de la Trémoille
also abjured the Protestant Faith with great ceremony at Rouen. She then
endeavoured to conciliate the Catholic party, but they never forgave her
for the great services which she had rendered Condé at Guernsey.
In the preceding chapter we have related the matrimonial adventures of
this Prince, and how when Henri IV fell passionately in love with his
young wife, the beautiful Charlotte de Montmorency, he fled with her to
the Netherlands to seek the protection of Eleonore, Princess of Orange,
until the death of the King.[7]
On his return he became the principal factor in opposing the government
of Richelieu, for he was highly dissatisfied that the Regency during the
minority of Louis XIII had not passed to him, as premier Prince of the
Blood, but had been seized upon by the Queen-Mother before he could
reach France. The government of Berry was given to him with one and a
half million of francs as a sort of compensation--which, however, did
not satisfy him. Subsequently he was accused of having designs on the
throne, and although this was not proved, Richelieu, in the name of the
Regent, had him arrested. He was imprisoned in the Bastille and treated
most rigorously as a State criminal. It is greatly to the credit of his
wife that she volunteered to share his captivity. It was most touching
how she arrived at the Bastille accompanied by her little dwarf, who
refused to be separated from her. A journal[8] of that time states that
the meeting of the Princess with her unfortunate husband was most
affectionate, and that he repentantly asked her forgiveness for past
wrongs.
Owing to his precarious state of health he was soon after removed to the
Château of Vincennes, where he was allowed more liberty, and there he
could take exercise on the top of a thick wall built in the form of a
gallery. The poor Princess, once so radiant in beauty, suffered cruelly;
and at the birth of a still-born son her life was despaired of.
At last, after nearly three years of imprisonment when her little
daughter Geneviève de Bourbon was born, their prison-walls opened and
they were free at last.
But presently Henri de Montmorency, the Princess's brother, who had but
recently succeeded his father as Lord of Chantilly, was thrown into a
dungeon, whence he only emerged to be guillotined later at Toulouse.
Unfortunately he had sided with Gaston, the King's brother, in a
conspiracy against the mighty Cardinal. In vain his wife, Marie Felice
Orsini, pleaded for her husband. She herself was imprisoned for two
years for doing so; and when finally released, retired for the rest of
her life to a convent at Moulins, where she was known and much beloved
as "Sister Marie."
The whole property of the last Montmorency, the last scion of so
illustrious a race, was confiscated after his execution, and Chantilly
fell to the Crown. A house called _La Cabotière_, bearing to this day
the Royal coat-of-arms, marks this transition period; and not far from
it is the so-called _Maison de Sylvie_, which recalls Marie Felice
Orsini. It was there that she and her husband hid the poet Théophile de
Viau, who had been condemned to death; and from this retreat he sang in
charming verses the beauty and the noble qualities of the Princess under
the name of "Sylvie."
These cruelties against the Montmorencys and the Condés, Louis XIII in
after-years never ceased to regret, and when on his deathbed he wished
to atone for them he summoned Henri II, Prince de Condé, and told him
that Chantilly should be restored to his wife, the Princess, as sister
of the last Montmorency. Thus Chantilly came back to its rightful
owners.
CHAPTER III
THE GRAND CONDÉ
With Charlotte, wife of Prince Henri II de Condé, Chantilly passed into
the possession of the Princes of Bourbon Condé, and its history from
that date becomes part of the history of France. The son of Charlotte,
Louis II de Bourbon, when barely twenty-two years of age, was already
called the "Hero," in consequence of his victory at Rocroy (1643) over
the German and Spanish armies. This famous descendant of Huguenot
Princes was, at the age of four years, baptized a Roman Catholic, with
great pomp, in the Cathedral at Bourges. Both Marie de Medicis, the
Queen-Regent, and Charlotte de la Trémoille, the Dowager Princess de
Condé, were present; and the infant Prince, though so young, recited his
_Credo_ without a hitch. His education was subsequently placed in the
hands of the Jesuit Fathers at Bourges, who commended his clear
intellect and excellent memory. He received the title of "Duc
d'Enghien," a title which became thereafter hereditary in the Condé
family.
His father, Prince Henri II de Condé, thought it wise, after the
execution of his brother-in-law Henri de Montmorency and his own
imprisonment, to contract a matrimonial alliance with the all-powerful
Cardinal; especially as Richelieu was obsessed by the desire that one of
his nieces should become a Royal Princess. A marriage was therefore
arranged between the twelve-year-old Duc d'Enghien and the little
Claire-Clemence, then barely five. This _mariage de convenance_ brought
no happiness to the parties concerned, and ended in completely crushing
the unloved wife. In a book recently published, "_Sur la femme du Grand
Condé_,"[9] the excellent qualities of Claire-Clemence--so little
appreciated during her lifetime--have been set out for us. At a court
where women were chiefly given over to pleasure and amusement, it is but
natural that soberer qualities such as hers should have passed
unnoticed, or even have aroused opposition. Between her brilliant
mother-in-law, Charlotte de Montmorency, and her beautiful but vain
sister-in-law, Geneviève de Bourbon[10] (subsequently Madame de
Longueville), to the courtiers of her time Claire-Clemence appeared to
be lacking both in beauty and _savoir-faire_. A fall on the very day of
her marriage, caused by her high heels when dancing a minuet which Anne
of Austria had opened with the Duc d'Enghien, was recorded with great
glee by the Grande Mademoiselle, daughter of Gaston d'Orléans. The
prospects of this new establishment were not exactly promising, since
Claire-Clemence received no support from her parents, whom she hardly
knew. When her uncle, the Cardinal, decided to make an instrument of her
to serve his purposes, he took her away from her egoistical and immoral
father, the Maréchal de Brézé, and her sickly mother, who suffered from
transitory attacks of madness. Claire-Clemence had been educated,
therefore, in accordance with the high station for which she was
intended. After her marriage Richelieu watched over her welfare and
superintended arrangements by which she and her princely husband should
have a suitable establishment in Paris; where, it was said, the young
couple led _un train de Prince_.
Presently, however, the sharp-eyed Cardinal became aware that the Duc
d'Enghien was neglecting his young wife, and was constantly in the
company of the charming Marthe de Vigeau, of whom he had become wildly
infatuated and whom he constantly met at the house of his sister. His
Eminence, therefore, decided to send the young Duke to Burgundy, of
which province he was supposed to be the Governor; and for
Claire-Clemence he arranged a temporary retirement in the convent of
Saint-Denis, there to escape the intrigues which would, as he said,
naturally arise round a young wife so completely neglected by her
husband. She was accompanied to the convent by a small Court, consisting
of Madame la Princesse Douarière de Condé, Madame d'Aiguillon, Madame de
Longueville, and Mademoiselle de la Croix. This last was her constant
companion, and wrote to Richelieu that Her Serene Highness did
everything in the convent which His Eminence desired her to do. In very
truth she soon became a great favourite at Saint-Denis, where she did a
great deal of good among the sick and poor.
[Illustration: PLATE XI.
THE GRAND CONDÉ.
_Musée Condé._
David Teniets.]
Meanwhile the Duc d'Enghien, to annoy the Cardinal, led a very gay life
in Burgundy, in obstinate defiance of the remonstrances of his father.
Finally, he was compelled by Richelieu's orders to leave Burgundy and
join the Minister at Narbonne. There is no doubt that the Duc d'Enghien,
inordinately proud by nature, was suffering keenly under the tyranny of
the haughty Cardinal, who, although wishing his nephew-in-law well,
derived a certain amount of satisfaction from the spectacle of this
proud-spirited young Duke submissive to his yoke. The following incident
is an illustration of this. It was a long-accepted fact that Cardinal
Richelieu, as Prime Minister to his Majesty the King, should claim
precedence over the Princes of the Blood Royal. But that Mazarin, just
created Cardinal, should on his return from Italy also have this
privilege was--the young Duc d'Enghien thought--most improper.
Richelieu, on hearing of this, took up the cause of Mazarin, and even
asked d'Enghien to visit his brother, the Cardinal of Lyons. D'Enghien,
fearing that this Cardinal would also claim precedence over him at
Lyons, merely sent one of his attendants to salute him. Richelieu was
furious at this, would accept no excuse, and desired the Duke to
purge his fault at Lyons, on his way back. D'Enghien, compelled by his
father, the Prince de Condé, to submit to Richelieu's demand, was
greatly chagrined. Moreover, a message reached him immediately
afterwards to join his wife at Paris, since she was ill. He was also
informed that the details of his private life--in which he was the lover
of many women but not the husband of the one woman who was his
wife--were well known. So severe a reproof seemed at last to produce
some effect upon him, and he returned to his wife, who quickly recovered
her health and spirits when she found that her husband was kindly
disposed towards her.
Richelieu, who had watched d'Enghien since his childhood, remembered the
distinctions he had acquired as student at Bourges, and was shrewd
enough to see that the young man would more than fulfil the high
expectations placed in him. He therefore knew what he was doing when he
allied the young Condé to his own family, and selected him and Henri de
la Tour d'Auvergne (known in history as Turenne) as Commanders-in-chief
of the French Army.
After the death of Richelieu, the King, Louis XIII, showed the high
regard he cherished for his great minister by confirming and adhering to
all the dispositions made by him before he passed away. Amongst these
were the appointments of Condé and Turenne as Generals of the French
troops sent to check the advancing forces of the Spaniards. It was a
choice which showed the rare capacity of this remarkable minister in
finding the right man for the right place. Turenne was thirty-one years
of age, whilst Condé was but twenty-one. Marie de Medicis and her party
thought Condé too young for so important a post, but Louis XIII was not
to be dissuaded; and to Condé he gave the command of the army in
Picardy.
This war had been going on between France and Spain for more than ten
years. It revolved around those frontier regions to the north, near the
Somme and the Oise, which divide the original possessions of the Kings
of France from those of the former Dukes of Burgundy; and in 1643 it was
carried on with great ardour by the Spaniards under their General, Don
Francisco Melo, and his lieutenants, Fountain and Beck. With them the
Duc d'Enghien was confronted near Rocroy. On the night before the battle
the future hero was asleep amongst his soldiers on the bare ground when
all at once a French horseman who had taken service amongst the
Spaniards presented himself and asked permission to speak to the
General. In a subdued voice he told him that the Spaniards had prepared
an attack for seven o'clock that very morning. On hearing this Condé at
once called for his horse, his arms, and the traditional hat with the
white plume, which, since the time of Henri IV, had become the special
badge of a Commander-in-chief of the French Army. The Duc d'Aumale, in
his "_Histoire des Princes de Condé_," relates with much spirit the
issue of this battle. He tells us how Condé was at first repulsed by
Isembourg, and then how, by a sudden change of tactics in attacking the
rear, he reaped a complete victory.
The King, tossing upon a sick-bed, was full of anxiety regarding the
issue of this war. He had had a dream, or rather a vision, which he
narrated to the Prince de Condé (father of the Duc d'Enghien) who sat
near his bedside. "I have," he said in a faint voice, "seen your son
advancing towards the enemy. The fight was sharp, and the victory was
for a long time undecided; but at last it was ours." These are said to
have been the last words of Louis XIII.
A few days later, whilst the Requiem Mass for His Majesty was being sung
at Saint-Denis, it became known that Louis de Bourbon, the Duc
d'Enghien, had gained the battle of Rocroy, and from that time he bore
the name of the "Grand Condé." The flag taken on this occasion from the
Spaniards may still be seen at Chantilly in the gallery where paintings
by Sauveur Lecomte record his famous deeds. It is now reckoned amongst
the most precious trophies of France, since most of those preserved at
the Invalides were destroyed in 1814. All Paris desired to see the
Spanish flag taken at Rocroy, and it was therefore exhibited publicly at
the Louvre, at Notre Dame, and on the Quai. Congratulations poured in
upon the Condés, and the Duc d'Enghien was pointed out as the hero who
had won the first battle for the new four-year-old King. His father,
full of pride, wished him to return to Paris to receive the ovations of
the people; but, like a true strategist, the Duke was anxious before all
else to reap the advantages of his victory. In a characteristic letter
to his father, who was urging him to come home, he explained that the
enemy had invaded France, and that he felt that he must remain at the
head of his regiment in order to serve his country, at least as long as
their foes were on French soil.
His next act was to attack Thionville on the Moselle, upon which
occasion he succeeded in separating the troops commanded by Beck from
the main army in the Netherlands, thus displaying a great example of
military skill. It was, however, no longer from Louis XIII that he
received his orders, but from Mazarin and the amiable but weak and
irresolute Anne of Austria. Condé, in spite of his youth, had therefore
to act on his own responsibility. In the spring of 1645 he won with
Turenne the great battle of Nördlingen,[11] where he completely defeated
the Austro-Spanish general Mercy.
The Duc d'Aumale, a military man of great distinction himself, speaks of
the three victorious battles of Rocroy, Thionville, and Nördlingen as
most important in their results, unblemished by any sort of reverse. He
attributes to the Grand Condé all the qualities necessary for a great
general: foresight in his preparations and a supreme ability to vary his
tactics according to circumstances; great boldness and sudden
inspiration during action; prompt decision and a far-reaching political
outlook to confirm the victory and reap its fruits. It is rare indeed to
discover all these qualities united in one man, and to find Condé's
equals we must look to men like Frederick the Great, Napoleon, and
Wellington.
After the battle of Nördlingen, Condé fell ill of a fever, which
compelled him at length to return to Chantilly. His mother, the
Princesse Charlotte de Condé, his sister Geneviève, and his wife
Claire-Clemence, with her little son the Duc d'Albret, whom he had not
yet seen, welcomed him home. The historical "_petite chambre_" which he
had always occupied was made ready for him, and "_eau de Forges_" to
fortify his impaired strength. There he was invited to repose after the
excessive fatigues of camp-life.
The attraction Condé had felt for Marthe de Vigeau when forced to marry
the Cardinal's niece had by this time passed away; and his plans for
divorce in order to marry the woman he had so passionately adored had
been definitely abandoned since the birth of his son Henri Jules. But he
could not bring himself to show any affection to Claire-Clemence, who,
during the long absence of her husband, had retired into the Convent of
the Carmelites. It was a marriage into which he had been forced--a fact
that he could not get over. Meanwhile Marthe de Vigeau had burnt his
letters; had even gone so far as to burn his portrait; and, to make the
sacrifice complete, had taken the veil and was henceforth known as
"Soeur Marthe" in the same Carmelite Convent. But the Court was
teeming with intriguing women who all wished to approach the young hero,
around whose forehead laurels were now so thickly wreathed. Strong as
Condé was in the field, he proved weak in the hands of an intriguing
woman. In this he resembled his ancestor Louis I de Bourbon, whose name
he bore. It was his beautiful cousin, Isabelle de Montmorency, who
exercised the most pernicious influence over him. She had become the
wife of Dandelot de Coligny, who for her sake had abjured the Protestant
Faith. Ambitious to the extreme, she strove, after the death of her
husband, to attract Louis XIV whilst still a youth, and after vainly
trying to marry Charles II of England, she ended by marrying the Duke of
Mecklenburg-Schwerin.
[Illustration: PLATE XII.
THE VIRGIN AS PROTECTOR OF THE HUMAN RACE.
Photo Giraudon.
_Musée Condé._
Charonton and Vilatte.]
[Illustration: THE TOMB OF THE DUC AND DUCHESSE DE BRETAGNE AT NANTES.
Photo Giraudon.
After Designs by Perréal.]
Two other well-known women also contrived to attract the Grand Condé,
and with them he contracted a lifelong friendship. These were Louise
Marie de Gonzague of Cleves, afterwards Queen of Poland, and her sister
Anne, known as the Princess Palatine on account of her marriage with the
son of the Elector Frederic V. Their portraits, by Dumoustier, can be
seen at Chantilly. These Princesses de Gonzague, before their marriages,
lived at Paris. Princesse Louise Marie held her Court at the Hôtel
Nevers, a majestic building between the Tours de Nesle and the Pont
Neuf, which afterwards became the Hôtel Conti, and is now the Palais de
Monnaie. The two sisters were in their time leaders of Parisian society
and played an important part amongst the women of the Fronde.
A letter, one of the last that Prince Henri II de Condé wrote to his
son, refers to the neglect with which he treated his wife, and blames
him severely for not writing to her upon the occasion of the sudden
death of her only brother. It runs thus: "_Mon fils, Dieu vous bénisse.
Guérissez vous, ou il vaut mieux vous poignarder vous même, que de faire
la vie que vous faites; je rien sais ni cause ni raison, et je prie Dieu
de me consoler; je vous écris au désespoir, et suis Monsieur votre bon
père et ami._" Soon afterwards the old Prince de Condé died and his last
words and wishes were for the Duc and Duchesse d'Enghien. He, who had
always held so high the honour of his own wife, had been a great support
to Claire-Clemence in her trials. The title of Prince de Condé devolved
at his father's death upon the Grand Condé, whilst the little Duc
d'Albret bore henceforth the title of Duc d'Enghien, rendered so
celebrated by the victor of Rocroy.
But the Grand Condé did not stop here. In that same year (1648) he again
won the great battle of Lens against the Austrians. In that battle it
was said that he charged twelve times in one hour, took eight flags and
thirty-eight cannon, and made 5,000 prisoners. The Emperor Ferdinand
III, after this, felt his powers of resistance at an end and decided at
last to agree to the Peace of Westphalia, which was signed at Münster,
and brought to an end the famous Thirty Years' War. By it France
acquired the whole of Alsace except Strasbourg and Philipsbourg. Liberty
of conscience, inaugurated by Henri IV, was also recognised throughout
the rest of the world, and perfect equality of rights was enjoined
between Roman Catholic and Protestant.
Anne of Austria received the hero of Rocroy and Lens with open arms,
calling him her third son, and Louis XIV, the boy King, caressed him
constantly. He felt that he was in peril, and he trusted to Condé to
help him out of his difficulties. In order to improve finances exhausted
by the lavish expenditure of the Court, Mazarin had committed the great
mistake of forcing taxation upon all merchandise entering Paris.
Parlement had refused to conform to this kind of taxation; but the
Cardinal thought that this was the moment to again bring forward this
claim. Upon the very day when the _Te Deum_ was sung at Notre Dame for
the victory of Lens, he chose to assail the leaders of the Parlement,
amongst whom was the venerable Councillor Broussel. This was the signal
for the breaking out of the _Fronde_, and a general rising of the
people. Paul Gondi (subsequently known as Cardinal de Retz), at that
time Archbishop of Paris, came in full state to entreat the
Queen-Regent to appease the people. But Anne of Austria maintained that
this was a revolt and that the King must enforce order, upon which the
Archbishop himself joined the insurgents and even became one of their
leaders. At last the Queen-Regent, frightened by the triumphs of
Cromwell in England, gave in, and Broussel was released. To her intense
chagrin, persons of the highest aristocracy had joined the Fronde;
amongst them the Duchesse de Longueville, the Grand Condé's own sister,
the Duchesse de Bouillon, and others--all more or less vain women
seeking notoriety. They endeavoured to gain Condé over to their side,
but he resisted proudly, answering, when asked to join the Frondeurs: "I
belong to a race that cannot identify itself with the enemies of the
Crown." Anne of Austria thought it wiser to leave Paris, and in great
haste departed to Saint-Germain-en-Lay--an exodus which the Grande
Mademoiselle has described in all its picturesqueness. On account of the
suddenness of the departure no time had been given for the necessary
preparations, and the young King and the Princesses de Condé, Charlotte
de Montmorency, and Claire-Clemence, had to sleep on straw--an incident
which Louis XIV never forgot.
Condé, however, blockaded Paris, overthrew the Fronde, and on the
evening of August 18, 1649 the young King with the Queen-Regent, Condé,
and Mazarin entered Paris and reached the Palais-Royal in safety. When
Condé prepared to take his leave, the Queen turned to him and said,
"Sir, the service you have rendered the State is so great that the King
and I would be most ungrateful should ever we forget it!"
CHAPTER IV
CLAIRE-CLEMENCE, PRINCESSE DE CONDÉ
Mazarin with difficulty restrained his impatience at numerous Royal
favours bestowed on Condé. Indeed, whilst the latter was engaged in
keeping the Army loyal, he agitated against him and did his utmost to
undermine the confidence placed in him by the Queen-Regent. In this way
the warrior and the priest soon became open adversaries. If it was hard
for Condé to submit to the tyranny of Richelieu, still less could he put
up with the haughty insolence of the Italian, who stood between him and
his own Royal relations. It was natural, therefore, that he should
become bitter and think himself insufficiently recompensed for the great
services he had rendered to the King. All those members of the
aristocracy who were likewise irritated against Mazarin gradually
crowded round Condé, and he who had defeated the so-called _Old Fronde_
now became the leader of the second, known as the _Young Fronde_.
Mazarin, therefore, found an excuse for undermining the position of
Condé and succeeded in making the Queen believe that the second Fronde,
led on by Condé, was opposed to the Government. In order to counteract
these false reports, the Prince came to the Palais-Royal to pay a
formal visit to her Majesty, who was, however, ill in bed. His own
mother (now the Dowager Princess), who had always been on terms of great
intimacy with Anne of Austria, was then at her bedside. It was the last
interview between Condé and his mother. Her Majesty seemed tired, and
after a few words dismissed the Prince, who then proceeded to the Salle
de Conseil, where Mazarin awaited him. There he found also his younger
brother, Conti, and his brother-in-law, Monsieur de Longueville.
Presently Mazarin under some pretext left the room, and no sooner had he
gone than the captain of the Queen's body-guard, Captain Quitaut,
entered, and making his way towards Condé and the others, said, not
however without embarrassment, "Gentlemen, I have the Queen's orders to
arrest you." Condé for a moment seemed thunderstruck. Was this her
Majesty's gratitude for the victories he had gained against the enemies
of France? Then, seeing that this arrest was intended in all
seriousness, he addressed the group of councillors around him, saying,
"Can you believe that I, who have always served the King so well, am now
a prisoner?" For a space they all stood speechless. Presently someone
offered to speak to the Queen, and all left the apartment. Then, since
they did not return, Quitaut was compelled to carry out his orders. A
door then was opened into a dark passage, and there appeared some of the
King's men-at-arms. Condé, his brother Conti, and M. de Longueville
were overcome with amazement. It was indeed true! Mazarin had
triumphed. They were transported then and there to the donjon of
Vincennes, that self-same prison wherein Henri II de Condé, with his
wife the beautiful Charlotte, had been secluded for three years.
The hour was past midnight when they reached the prison, and Condé found
himself shut up in a cell whence little could be seen but a tiny patch
of sky. He did not, however, lose his courage, and his spirit never
seemed to forsake him, even though he was behind prison walls. One day
he learned from the doctors who came to visit his sick brother Conti,
that his wife Claire-Clemence was employing every effort she could to
get him free. To while away his weary hours he took a fancy to
cultivating flowers. "Is it not strange," he said to the doctor, "that I
should be watering carnations, whilst my wife is fighting!"
After her husband's unforeseen imprisonment, Claire-Clemence was
permitted to join the Dowager Princesse de Condé at Chantilly, since
Mazarin looked upon her as harmless. It was rather Condé's sister,
Madame de Longueville, whom he feared, and whom he had intended to
arrest with her husband. She, however, escaped in time, braving by night
a terrible storm at sea, and joined Turenne, who helped her in her
attempts to liberate the prisoners.
Nor did Claire-Clemence remain inactive. She consulted with Lenet, a
great friend of the Condé family, who had come to Chantilly, on what
course to adopt to set her husband at liberty. Rumours reached her that
she would be separated from her son, at which she was greatly alarmed.
Taking Lenet aside, she declared to him emphatically that she would
never be separated from her only child; but that she intended, on the
contrary, to conduct him at the head of an army to deliver his father.
This indomitable courage on the part of Condé's spouse was to be the
first step in a course of action which later on contributed much to his
eventual deliverance.
Meanwhile spring had come, and, in spite of the great misfortune which
had befallen the Grand Condé, Chantilly became the resort of a crowd of
visitors, who flocked round its brilliant _châtelaine_, Charlotte de
Montmorency, Dowager Princesse de Condé. The young Duc d'Enghien took
his morning rides on his pony, anglers with rod and line repaired to the
ponds, gay parties of pleasure-seekers roamed over the lawns and along
the avenues, and the woods resounded with the winding of the huntsman's
horn. In the evening the guests assembled in the splendid apartments of
the castle to hear music, or listen to the many interesting tales
related by the Dowager Princess, who loved above all else to dilate upon
the attentions shown to her by Henri IV.
[Illustration: PLATE XIII.
CHANTILLY BEFORE 1687.]
[Illustration: CHANTILLY IN THE TIME OF THE GRAND CONDE.]
Soon, however, the visits to the Château of Lenet and of Madame de
Châtillon, both of whom had played a prominent part in the Fronde, were
reported at Court; and one day the Princesses were suddenly surprised
by the sight of Swiss guards stationed around their dwelling, and
Monsieur de Vauldy simultaneously arrived at the Château with special
orders from the King himself. He first asked for the Dowager Princess
and endeavoured to persuade her to leave Chantilly for Berry; which,
however, she flatly declined to do. In despair, the envoy, who had
orders from the King not to show force, then asked to see the Princesse
Claire-Clemence. On being conducted into a bedchamber, a lady lying in
bed was pointed out to him as the Princesse de Condé; and he was told
that she was suffering from so severe a cold that she could not possibly
leave Chantilly at once. Furthermore a child, also suffering in the same
way, was shown to him as the young Duc d'Enghien. These persons were,
however, in reality an English governess and the gardener's son, for the
Princess herself, with her son in her arms, had made good her escape by
a pathway that had by chance been left unguarded. Some of her ladies and
gentlemen followed her at a distance until she safely reached a spot in
the woods where she found a carriage, which had been kept always ready
for emergencies. In this conveyance, after a fatiguing journey, she
reached Montroux, an old country-seat of the Condés, where the hero of
Rocroy had passed his early youth. Thence she wrote to the Queen,
stating that she had undertaken this journey to show obedience to the
Royal commands, since she had been desired to leave Chantilly. Anne of
Austria took this communication good-humouredly enough, and admired the
pluck of the young mother, whilst everybody was amused at Vauldy's
discomfiture. At Montroux the Princess soon found herself surrounded by
friends and partisans; and she succeeded in arousing enthusiasm by her
easy and natural method of expression in speaking, which, upon occasions
of importance, could rise to flights of real eloquence.
In order to be of service to the State and to the Prince, she decided to
push on in the company of Lenet and Coligny to Bordeaux, whence the Duc
de Bouillon came out to meet her. The Princess, mounted on a splendid
charger named "_Le Brézé_," which had come from her father's stables,
was received with Royal honours by Turenne, who defrayed all her
expenses and those of her escort as far as Bordeaux.
Claire-Clemence and her supporters now decided to attack Mazarin openly
for having imprisoned the Princes, but the Cardinal, getting wind of it,
ordered the gates of Bordeaux to be shut in her face. The people of the
city, however, revolted against such an injustice and opened the gates
by force, crying, "_Vive le Roi, et point de Mazarin_." It may be
remarked here that the citizens of Bordeaux had every reason to be
grateful to Condé for his kindness to them when, upon a previous
occasion, they had revolted against their hated Governor, the Duc
d'Epéron. The Princesse de Condé decided to approach the city by water,
and as soon as her ship came in sight, it was saluted by a cannonade
from eighty vessels, whilst more than twenty thousand people welcomed
her at the landing-stage. The streets were adorned with flowers, and
public enthusiasm was so great that she was compelled to show herself on
the balcony of her palace until midnight to receive the ovations of the
populace.
In order to secure the support of the Bordeaulese, Claire-Clemence
resolved to present her petition before their Parlement in person. With
great spirit, therefore, she made her way to the Chamber of the
Councillors, accompanied by her son. "I come to demand justice of the
King against the violence of Mazarin," she said imploringly, "and I
place my person and that of my son in your hands." At the same time the
little Duke, dropping on one knee, cried out: "Gentlemen, I implore you
to assume the place of a father to me; since the Cardinal has deprived
me of my own." The whole assembly was deeply touched, and after some
deliberation, the members of the Parlement agreed to extend to her their
protection to the suppliants.
It would be superfluous to pursue here in full detail all the efforts
made by Claire-Clemence at Bordeaux on behalf of her husband. The chief
difficulty now was, however, that Mazarin, having treated Condé with
such injustice and violence, was afraid to set him free; and he
therefore even went so far as to entertain ideas of destroying him
altogether. The Court, meanwhile, in spite of the events which were
taking place at Bordeaux, had removed the Princes from the fortress of
Vincennes to a prison at Havre; and at the same time ordered the
Princess to leave Bordeaux and retire to Montroux. After distributing
handsome gifts to all those who had befriended her, she departed with a
numerous cortège, amid a shower of flowers; and on hearing that the
Queen was at Bourg-sur-Mer, sought an interview with her. With her
little son beside her, she fell upon her knees before Anne and begged
for her husband's freedom. Her Majesty's answer was: "I am very glad, my
cousin, that you at length recognise that you adopted a wrong course by
which to get what you so intensely desire. But now that you seem to take
another more fitting and more humble attitude I will see whether I can
satisfy your request."
To the united efforts of Claire-Clemence and of Condé's devoted friend
Lenet, there was also now added the powerful help of Anne de Gonzague,
Princess Palatine, whose influence extended from Paris to Warsaw and
even to Stockholm. She persuaded no less a person than Queen Christina
of Sweden to plead for the Grand Condé's liberty. Moreover, her sister,
Marie de Gonzague, Queen of Poland, who had never ceased to be the
hero's devoted friend, also came to his aid with considerable effect.
Meanwhile France was rent by civil war, and Anne of Austria began to
regret the loss of Condé's strong arm, which had done so much for her
infant son, Louis XIV. The disorder, in fact, became so great and the
clamour for Condé's liberation so imperative, that Mazarin was compelled
to proceed to Havre with an order under the Queen-Regent's sign-manual
for his unconditional release. The Cardinal entered the cell wherein the
Princes were confined in his travelling attire and himself announced to
them that their captivity was at an end. Whereupon compliments were
exchanged and healths drunk; Mazarin even privately affirming to Condé
that it was not to him that he owed his long imprisonment. A carriage
was in waiting for the liberated prisoners, and Mazarin, taking his
leave of them, bowed so low as to create unbounded mirth amongst those
present. Then he himself departed into exile; whence, however, it was
not very long ere he returned.
All Paris turned out to welcome Condé, and no less than 5,000 cavaliers,
the flower of the French aristocracy, went out to meet the Princes at
Saint-Denis. They were conducted by Gaston d'Orléans to the
Palais-Royal, where they were received by the Queen-Regent and the young
King, who welcomed them with his accustomed warmth, as if nothing had
occurred. In the evening a supper was given in their honour by Monsieur
the King's uncle, and a ball by the Duchesse de Chevreuse. Next day a
solemn session of the Parlement took place, and for several nights Paris
was brilliantly illuminated.
The young Princesse de Condé came from Montroux, accompanied by the Ducs
de Bouillon and de Rochefoucauld, and the Prince, who appreciated to the
full all that she had done for him, endeavoured to show his gratitude.
He met her with a train of twenty carriages to accompany her entry into
Paris; and nothing could have touched the Princess's heart more
profoundly than to hear the crowds along the road repeat: "_Voici une
femme fort chèrie de son mari_." It testified to the sympathy held by
the public for this long-neglected wife.
From Paris the reunited pair proceeded to Chantilly, where festivities
and hunting-parties followed fast one upon another. Condé, however, felt
bound to claim a certain amount of recompense for the great wrong which
had been done to him. He demanded for himself the Governments of
Burgundy and Champagne, besides other rewards for his friends de
Rochefoucauld and Nemours. At first the Queen-Regent promised
everything, but presently, upon the remonstrance of the exiled Mazarin,
went back on her word.
This was sufficient to enrage Condé once more, and a report spread that
amid the rural charms of Chantilly he had opened negotiations with
Spain. Gondi, Archbishop of Paris, anxious to obtain a scarlet hat for
himself, went secretly to the Queen, and knowing that Her Majesty was
lamenting Mazarin's absence, promised her that he and Gaston d'Orléans
would bring the Cardinal back from exile if Condé were once more
arrested. Condé, although his freedom was so recent, felt insecure and
retired with his wife and son to Saint-Maur, where Madame de Longueville
joined them; so that he was not present when Louis XIV was proclaimed
King, but was holding council with his adherents at Chantilly. "_Il faut
pousser M. le Prince_" was a stock saying of Mazarin and Gondi (now
Cardinal de Retz), both of whom were endeavouring to goad Condé to his
own destruction.
Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé, along with his many great
qualities, had unfortunately inherited also all the faults of the
Condés--faults which the Duchesse de Nemours (daughter-in-law of his
sister, Madame de Longueville) describes as follows: "_Ils avaient des
airs si moqueurs, et disaient des choses si offensentes que personne ne
les pouvaient souffrir ... quand on leurs déplaisait ils poussaient les
gens jusqu'a la dernière extremité, et ils n'etaient capable d'aucune
reconnaissance pour les services qu'on leurs avait rendu_." These were
the qualities which at this period of his life turned the scale against
him. It was not against France or the King that Condé proposed to fight,
but against the Italian Cardinal, the trusted confidant of Anne of
Austria; and his grievance was that he had not only been deprived of his
liberty, but that attempts had even been made upon his life. It was for
that reason that Condé did not take part in any of the festive
celebrations held at the King's Proclamation, and he made his excuses
in a letter presented to the King by his brother, the Prince de Conti.
This was unquestionably a great blunder, and was done against his wife's
wishes, who had given such great proofs of devotion and courage.
On September 13, 1651 Condé retired to Montroux, where his sister,
Madame de Longueville, and the leaders of his party triumphed over his
last scruples. It was then that he pronounced the famous words: "_Vous
me forcez à tirer l'epée,--eh bien! soit! mais souvenez vous que je
serai le dernier à la remettre dans le fourreau_."
CHAPTER V
CONDÉ'S ALLIANCE WITH SPAIN
Condé's alliance with Spain against Mazarin was the immediate cause of
another civil war in France. The Prince left his wife and son in
Bordeaux, where, as we have said, they had already acquired much
personal popularity. The history of this town and of its Parlement is of
considerable interest. In 1653 the people of Bordeaux sent envoys to
England to inquire into the details of the Revolution under Cromwell;
whereby we may note what strong Liberal tendencies had already
manifested themselves in this place, even at the beginning of the reign
of Louis XIII. More than once the townspeople had shown a spirit of
rebellion against the Government, and they had espoused, as we have
seen, the cause of the Princes against Mazarin during the second Fronde.
When the Princesse de Condé returned thither with her husband, she
found, to her surprise, that a Republican spirit had developed amongst
her former friends, and that they wished to see in Condé an ally rather
than a chief. Nor did Condé, although a Prince of the Blood, and well
known for his pride of birth, object to signing a Declaration before the
Parlement of Bordeaux, whereby he promised not to lay down his arms
until he had obtained for his country the following concession, namely:
"That the supreme authority should in future be given to a
representative of the people, chosen by free men, who were of age and
entitled to the vote."
Mazarin, at the head of a small army, had joined the King at Poitiers,
whilst the city of Paris, left under the command of Gaston d'Orléans and
the Paris Parlement, declared Condé guilty of high treason. On hearing
this the Prince made a desperate effort to reach Paris, and with the
help of the Grande Mademoiselle (Gaston's notorious daughter), who
boldly opened the gates to him, he entered the town with his troops at
the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, making himself for a moment master of the
situation. Unfortunately, however, the bloodshed which took place on
this occasion rendered his cause most unpopular, and, finding himself
abandoned by the populace, he was soon obliged to retreat before
Turenne. Whereupon the young King, accompanied by Mazarin, re-entered
the capital and succeeded in controlling it.
Bordeaux meanwhile continued to assert itself as a Republic. There were
two parties fighting against one another--the rich _bourgeoisie_
struggling against the lower classes. Claire-Clemence, who was still
resident amongst them, strove to make peace between these two parties,
but in the middle of it all her health broke down and she was obliged to
retire, leaving to Condé's brother Conti and to his sister, Madame de
Longueville, the task of managing public affairs. On hearing, however,
that the _Chapeau-Rouge_ party,--that is to say, the rich
_bourgeoisie_,--had actually opened fire upon their rivals, she again
made her appearance, accompanied by Lenet and Ormée, the head of the
popular party and succeeded in bringing about a peaceful settlement.
Shortly after this, on September 20, 1652, the Princesse de Condé gave
birth to another son, to whom was given the name of Louis Bordeaux. The
whole city was decorated to celebrate this auspicious event; and there
still exists in the archives at Chantilly a letter of Condé's, wherein
he writes as follows: "_J'ai une extrême joie de l'accouchement de ma
femme; elle serait parfaite si elle se portait bien, et si j'étais
assuré son enfant dût vivre_."
Unfortunately, however, Claire-Clemence found herself unable to recover
her former strength, and it was terrible news for her that her husband,
alone and bereft of his adherents, had left Paris and had even accepted
the post of General-in-Chief in the Spanish army. She had stood beside
him in his fight against Mazarin and a treacherous and faithless Court;
but Richelieu's niece could not get over the fact that the "Hero of
Rocroy" had actually gone over to the enemy. To fill her cup of
tribulation Condé found himself in terrible financial difficulties since
he had to feed his own troops whilst receiving insufficient support from
his allies, the Spaniards, who were themselves unable to offer him
material aid. In despair he wrote to Lenet: "Have my silver and plate
melted down, and tell my wife to pawn her jewellery. She will, I am
sure, not object, nor will my sister refuse to do the same. Borrow
wherever you can, and do not hesitate to pay high interest. I am so much
in want of money that I do not know what to do.... Sell everything, even
to my landed property."
This was certainly bitter news for the wife of the Grand Condé, and, at
the same time, she endured the heavy sorrow of losing her infant son,
Louis Bordeaux. In order to provide her husband with necessary material
help she ordered her own mode of living with strictest economy and
reduced her household. But Madame de Longueville and Conti, realising
that their brother was engaged in a hopeless cause, presently left
Bordeaux; and the latter, becoming reconciled with Mazarin, not long
after married one of his nieces.
[Illustration: PLATE XIV.
ANTOINE DE BOURGOGNE, CALLED _LE GRAND BÂTARD_.
_Photo. Braun & Co._
_Musée Condé._
Memling.]
A general amnesty was now offered to the people of Bordeaux if they
would surrender to the King. To this they agreed; and a passport was
granted to enable the Princesse de Condé to retire with her son wherever
she might choose. Claire-Clemence, for a moment, was undecided whether
to join her husband or to go to Flanders. She chose the latter course.
She had to part, however, with her elder--now her only--son, the Duc
d'Enghien, whose education was committed into the hands of the Jesuits
at Antwerp. Broken in health and spirits, she left for Valenciennes,
accompanied only by her secretary, the faithful Lenet, and a small
suite. Nor was the news which she received from her husband of a nature
to restore her health. The success which had hitherto always accompanied
him when fighting for his country seemed to have entirely abandoned him
since he raised his sword against France. Accused of high treason,
abandoned with insufficient resources to meet his liabilities, and
frequently prone upon a bed of sickness, we cannot but admire the man
who succeeded in facing such terrible trials. More than once he had to
rectify grave errors committed by the Spanish generals, even by Don Juan
of Austria himself, who was regarded in Spain as a conquering hero.
Mazarin, having succeeded in putting down the civil war, could now turn
his attention to the struggle with Spain; and at length the two armies
faced one another on the Dunes, near Dunkirk. The Spaniards were led by
Condé, the French by Turenne. The hero of Rocroy, so famous for his own
strategic powers, as he surveyed the two armies, was struck by the
excellent dispositions of Turenne. Addressing himself to a young
Englishman who was in his camp, he said, "Have you ever seen how a
battle is lost?" "No," answered the youth. "Well, in less than half an
hour you will see such an event," was Condé's grave response. His
prediction was verified; and Dunkirk was captured by the French,
although Condé, with great skill, succeeded in limiting the extent of
his rival's victory.
The result of this battle was the famous "Peace of the Pyrenees,"
signed at Münster on November 7, 1659 by Mazarin and Louis de Haros,
minister of Philip IV. Amongst the more particular clauses of this Peace
was a marriage contract, arranged between Louis XIV and the Infanta
Maria Theresa, which had far-reaching consequences. Another stipulation
made by Spain was that Condé should be allowed to return to France, and
be reinstated in all his rights as a Prince of the Blood. His implacable
enemy Mazarin opposed this at first, but through the prayers of his wife
and his sister Geneviève de Bourbon the Grand Condé was finally allowed
to return home. After having exercised so pernicious an influence over
her brother during the second Fronde, and after having brought upon him
so many disasters, Geneviève, on the death of her husband, the Duc de
Longueville, turned her attention to religion, and retired to the
convent at Moulins, where the widowed Marie Felice, last Duchesse de
Montmorency, still mourned her dead spouse.
Condé's letters, whereby he promised fidelity to the King and engaged to
live on good terms with the Cardinal, preceded him. Madame de
Longueville had, moreover, made great preparations for her brother's
return to Court; whilst Conti, who, as already mentioned, had meantime
married one of Mazarin's nieces, arranged the first meeting between the
Prince and the powerful Minister. He was welcomed by the Queen, and
presented his respects to the King; and on the following day the
_Gazette de France_ announced that he had dined with His Eminence
Cardinal Mazarin.
That Condé was truly sorry for having raised his sword against his own
country, is proved by the following remark: "When Mazarin had me
imprisoned, I was innocent; but I came out of prison the most culpable
of men."
From Paris the Prince went straight to his residence at Saint-Maur to
meet Turenne, who appeared at first embarrassed on seeing him. Condé,
however, at once addressed his rival in a most friendly manner, and
asked his advice regarding the repatriation of his soldiers, many of
whom were Swiss and Germans who declined to enter the French army.
When presently Louis XIV made his entry into Paris the Prince de Condé
and the Duc d'Enghien appeared amongst the Royal retinue, whilst the
Princesse de Condé sat in the State coach with the Queen.
Yet, although established once more as a Prince of the Blood, with all
the prerogatives and appurtenances of his rank--even his Government of
Burgundy--many years had still to pass before Condé could regain the
entire confidence of the King. Nor did Mazarin ever cease to distrust
him. And when, before his death, the Minister presented him with a
valuable diamond ring, assuring him of his sincere friendship, it was
merely a proof of his own power of dissimulation; for, with his last
breath, he warned the King to protect his crown from the insatiable
ambition of the Grand Condé.
If Condé had hoped to play a prominent part in the public affairs of
France after the death of Mazarin, he was mistaken; for the young King,
himself full of ambition, announced at the outset that he meant
henceforth to rule alone. In accordance with his famous saying "_L'Etat
c'est moi_" Louis now began to reign himself.
For Condé retirement from public life had come too early. His sword
which had rendered such great services to France was no longer needed;
and he therefore retired to his Château at Chantilly. Here he almost
immediately began to make extensive restorations, the completion of
which occupied over twenty years, and greatly changed the aspect of the
old place, so long abandoned and unoccupied. The financial difficulties
in which he found himself on his return were happily overcome by
Gourville, who acted energetically as his agent. The celebrated Le Nôtre
was called in to lay out the gardens; the vast grounds were converted
into parks, interspersed by the charming pieces of water which still
exist. With great ingenuity a channel was dug to receive the waters of
the streamlet Nonette, an affluent of the Oise, and a hydraulic machine
invented by Condé himself--who was as skilled an engineer as he was a
soldier--was constructed by Le Manse, under whom all these wonderful
waterworks were kept in order. The courtyard which forms the present
entrance to the Château dates from that time.
Letters have come down to us in which Condé expresses to Le Nôtre the
highest satisfaction with his work. The latter was quite overcome by the
Prince's appreciation, and replied to him: "_Jamais l'Honneur que je
receu d'embraser nostre Saint Pere, le pape, et de baiser sa mule ne m'a
fait tant de bien ny donne tant de joie que celle que je ressenty par la
bonté que vous avez eu de me donner le benefice que votre Altesse a
refusé a tant de testes couronnees.... Je continueray a eslever mes
pensées pour l'embellissement de vos parterres, fontaines, cascades de
vostre grand jardin de Chantilly._"
In 1684 Mansart was entrusted with the entire transformation of the
interior of the Petit Château; the first floor being arranged for the
use of the Grand Condé, whilst the ground floor was reserved for his
son, the Duc d'Enghien. The exterior of this exquisite building was
fortunately left intact, and has remained unchanged since the time of
Anne de Montmorency. Nor has the interior changed since Mansart's
alterations. When the visitor passes through these apartments to-day, he
can feel that they are in the same state as when the Grand Condé dwelt
there. The Grand Cabinet with its exquisite Beauvais tapestry, its
Boulle table, and its Louis XVI consoles and lustres, and the Petit
Cabinet where the victor of Rocroy came to rest from his labours, still
exist, to recall their former owner. In an adjacent apartment we may
admire a fine piece of furniture, companion to the famous Louis XV
bureau in the Louvre, upon which is placed the Grand Condé's own
despatch-box. Then there is the Long Gallery, where the painter Sauveur
Lecomte has illustrated, under the hero's own directions, all his
victories from the battles of Rocroy, Nördlingen, and Fribourg to the
conquest of the Franche Comté, and the campaign and passage of the
Rhine.
Mansart, once installed at Chantilly, did not leave it for many years.
He unfortunately attempted to tamper with the old feudal castle of the
Orgemonts and the mediæval architecture which combined so well with
Montmorency's Petit Château, creating an inordinately lofty building,
with a straight line of innumerable windows and attics all precisely
similar in form. It was this structure which was razed to the ground at
the time of the Revolution, and which was reconstructed in a far more
suitable style by the late Duc d'Aumale.
CHAPTER VI
FESTIVITIES AT CHANTILLY
Since there was no prospect for Condé to take any prominent lead in the
affairs of his own country his name was proposed as a possible successor
to the throne of Poland. He declined, however, to accept a crown which
had been the cause of so much misery to King Wladislav IV and to his
brother Jean Casimir. There being no heir-apparent to that throne the
eyes of Marie de Gonzague, Queen of Poland, turned upon the Duc
d'Enghien, Condé's only surviving son, and it was in connection with
this idea that a marriage was arranged between Henri Jules de Bourbon
and Anne of Bavaria, eldest daughter of the Princess Palatine, sister to
the Polish Queen. Claire-Clemence was not over-pleased at the idea of
this marriage, since she did not share her husband's ambitions. The
uneasy throne of Poland for her only son was a proposal which she could
not face with equanimity.
The union that she would have preferred was one with Mademoiselle
d'Alençon, youngest daughter of Gaston d'Orléans, a Princess whom Henri
Jules often saw and greatly admired, for the Orléans family at that time
lived in the sumptuous Palais d'Orléans, not far from the Palais Condé,
which was built on the site now occupied by the Odéon Théâtre. But the
Princess could not prevail upon her masterful husband, who had not only
taken his son's education, but also his entire future, into his own
hands. The brave lady, who had played so important a part during the
Fronde, and had shown so much courage and determination under her many
difficulties and trials, had at this time completely broken down in
health. She only appeared at Court festivities at long intervals, and
although she was present at her son's marriage she did not join the
young couple at Chantilly. The Grand Condé, surrounding himself with
friends, lived there from choice; and there Anne de Gonzague paid him
frequent visits, whilst Claire-Clemence was left neglected in Paris.
Society soon followed suit; and such neglect and isolation told upon a
constitution naturally delicate. This Princess, once so full of
admiration for her hero, now began to cherish resentment against him;
and she who for long years had, in spite of his neglect, never uttered
one word of complaint, at last broke out into bitter recrimination. We
gather from Condé's letters that she suffered from violent fits of
passion, and that a secret fear lest he should make away with her became
more and more a fixed idea. It is said, however, that when she appeared
at the baptism of the Dauphin her attitude was full of dignity and
commanded involuntary respect. Two years after this an unfortunate
incident happened, never entirely explained, which reduced
Claire-Clemence to imprisonment for the rest of her life. Condé had
compelled her to dismiss a page, named Duval, who had been in her
service. She had, however, promised him a pension which it seems was
left unpaid. One day, whilst the rest of the servants were at their
meals, he penetrated into the Princess's apartments to beg for his
pension. His voice was heard by the page on duty in the next room, who
at once entered the chamber in order to protect Her Highness from his
importunities. A violent quarrel arose between the two men, and the
Princess, in her endeavours to separate them, was severely wounded. When
the rest of the servants, on hearing the noise, rushed into the
apartment, Her Highness was found unconscious on the floor. This was the
version put about in Paris; but Condé, on being informed of it, was
beside himself with rage, and caused Duval to be arrested and condemned
to the gallows.
Condé, so magnanimous alike to friends and enemies, in this instance
behaved most brutally to his wife, and availed himself of this
opportunity to get rid of her. Instead of defending her against a
scandal which increased day by day from its very mystery, he himself
heaped calumny upon her. He immediately left Chantilly for Paris, and
without visiting the Princess his wife, went straight to Louis XIV and
demanded a _lettre de cachet_ against her. The King, however, with
greater humanity, refused his request; upon which Condé returned to
Chantilly in great wrath and contrived another scheme. He concocted a
document under which the Princess consented to transfer all her property
to her son during her lifetime; which deed he persuaded the Duke to
present to his mother for signature. There was, however, a clause under
which Her Highness was to retain a right of disposal over her jewels. By
this scheme he proposed to induce her to retire altogether from the
world without offering any defence.
Abandoned by her husband, robbed by her own son--who actually did
persuade her to sign the above-mentioned instrument--the unfortunate
Princess found herself no longer the courageous woman that she once had
been. Instead of rebutting the wicked calumnies which attacked her
honour, she merely endeavoured to save the unworthy Duval from the
guillotine--a wretch who, under torture, uttered confessions
compromising the Princess, which were, however, considered by the
Parlement as inconclusive. Condé, furious with his wife as the cause of
all this scandal, again demanded of Louis XIV a _lettre de cachet_ and
this time secured it. Her very generosity on behalf of the accused Duval
was employed as a pretext for separation; and crushed and broken in
health and spirits, she was transported one morning to the fortress of
Châteauroux. In the presence of her son, the Duc d'Enghien, she said to
the _curé_ of Saint-Sulpice, who was her confessor: "This is the last
time that I shall be able to talk to you, for I shall never return from
the place where the King is pleased to send me. Nevertheless the
confession which I have made to you will always prove my innocence."
Embracing her son for the last time, she fainted away; and in that state
she was conveyed to the carriage which was to transport her to the
distant castle of Châteauroux, where she was to be buried for the
remainder of her life. No news of the outer world ever reached her, and
even her only child never visited her. This barbarous treatment, this
cruel seclusion, brought on hallucinations, during which it is said that
she was haunted by the image of her husband. Châteauroux, a gloomy
fortress with numerous towers, inspired her with terror; and there were
even rumours that she was ill-treated by her gaolers. Madame de
Longueville was the only member of the Condé family who showed any pity
for this poor, forlorn woman, and she expressed a wish to visit her; but
Condé, unrelenting, refused her permission. He sent, however, Père
Tixier to ascertain whether she had all she needed, who reported that
she seemed to be in constant terror lest the food offered to her might
contain poison. Through many long years she dragged on a sad life in
this cruel solitude; and not even the news of her husband's death, whom
she outlived by several years, reached her. Unrelenting to the last,
Condé is said to have written on his death-bed a private letter to Louis
XIV, desiring him as a favour never to release Claire-Clemence. When at
last death delivered her, she was buried in the little church of St.
Martin, within the precincts of Châteauroux. Only a few Franciscan monks
and some poor people of the neighbourhood, whom out of her own scanty
resources she had continually assisted, attended at her funeral. Neither
her son nor any of her relations were present. When, in 1793, this
little church was restored, her remains were thrown to the winds, and
not one of her descendants took the trouble to raise a protest. More
than a century had to pass before even one voice was raised in defence
of this cruelly wronged woman. Louis Joseph de Bourbon, the father of
the last Condé, in his _Biography_ of his famous ancestor, could not
refrain from a severe condemnation of the cruelty with which the "Hero"
had treated the wife who had shown so much courage and loyalty on his
behalf.
The noble-minded Duc d'Aumale, in his _History of the Princes de Condé_,
is also full of sympathy and appreciation for poor Claire-Clemence;
although he endeavours to excuse the great Condé's conduct towards her
by explaining the repugnance he must have felt for Richelieu's niece.
A curious circumstance which seems still further to enhance the tragic
fate which befell Claire-Clemence is the indifference shown to her by
her own nearest relatives. At the very time when she was pining away in
the fortress of Châteauroux, not only her husband but her son also seems
to have felt no pity nor care for her. At Chantilly, where Anne de
Gonzague reigned supreme, festivity followed festivity, and it was she
who received the crowds of guests who thronged to visit that delectable
resort.
* * * * *
The visits to Fontainebleau, where, after the death of the Regent, the
King so often shut himself up for hours together, are described as being
very tame compared with those to Chantilly, where the time passed far
more agreeably. Turenne and the Maréchal de Grammont were frequently
invited. Also such celebrated men of letters as Boileau, Racine,
Corneille, La Fontaine, and Molière found their way thither; for Condé
took a great personal interest in their works, and helped and encouraged
them considerably. Boileau was a specially welcome guest at Chantilly.
Once, however, during an animated conversation with the Prince, he
contradicted him in some statement; but noticing an angry look upon His
Highness's countenance, he became alarmed, and, making a profound bow,
said: "_Je serais toujours de l'avis de M. le Prince, surtout quand il
aura tort_"--a piece of tact which was much appreciated by his host, and
disarmed his anger. Condé was also the first to recognise the greatness
of Molière, and to protect him from his rivals. The _Precieuses
Ridicules_ were first acted at Chantilly, and the players were lodged
there for over a week. When Louis XIV fell so passionately in love with
Madame de Montespan, Molière wrote his poem _Amphitryon_, wherein he
advises husbands to offer to Jupiter a share of their nuptial love--a
work which he dedicated to the Prince de Condé. It was Boileau who
brought Racine to Chantilly, and his tragedies were often performed
there. Moreover, the Court itself paid prolonged visits to the Grand
Condé, and thither thronged all the most distinguished personages in
Europe. Madame de Sévigné, in her famous _Letters_, describes the
"_delices_" of Chantilly; and descriptions of festive gatherings of all
kinds held there are frequently to be found throughout the records of
the period. The _Gazette_ devoted many columns to details regarding
pleasure and hunting parties and lunches at the Maison de Sylvie.
In the month of April 1671 Chantilly opened its portals to receive Louis
XIV and his bride, the Infanta Maria Theresa. The Château itself was
reserved for the Royal party, whilst the courtiers and the officers of
the suite were lodged throughout the neighbouring villages. Sixty tables
were served three times a day; and it was during this Royal visit that
Vatel, the _maître d'hôtel_, whose skill directed the whole, suddenly
committed suicide because he was unable to provide the necessary fish on
a fast-day. He was greatly mourned, especially by his master; but a
substitute was soon found, who succeeded even better than his
predecessor, so far eclipsing him, in fact, that his loss was soon
forgotten.
Louis XIV was so charmed with this visit that he is said to have been
inspired by Chantilly to create Versailles. "_Mon cousin_" he jokingly
said to Condé when leaving, "_il faut que vous me cédiez Chantilly_." To
which Condé promptly replied, "_Chantilly est aux ordres du roi.
J'espère que sa majesté me nommera son concierge._"
CHAPTER VII
THE GRAND CONDÉ A WARRIOR ONCE MORE
Shortly after this memorable visit of the Court to Chantilly the Prince
de Condé was summoned by the King to Paris to give his opinion upon a
possible conquest of Holland. The truth was that the youthful monarch,
thirsting for military glory, had but recently uttered the celebrated
statement that the only way to conquer the Spanish Netherlands was to
subdue and annihilate the Dutch.
Upon the death of Philip IV of Spain the French King had immediately
asserted the Flemish rights of his wife Maria Theresa, daughter of the
late King of Spain by his first wife. According to the ancient Statutes
of Brabant there was no doubt about her title to this inheritance, but,
since the long-drawn-out negotiations regarding it led to nothing, Louis
XIV suddenly declared war. His Majesty had not forgotten Condé's
successes at Rocroy, Nördlingen and Lens, and his admiration for the
Prince's skill in strategy and geography was unbounded. In the
exuberance of his imagination he even contemplated, with the aid of so
great a hero, the subjugation of the whole of Europe.
It was in this spirit that Louis, accompanied by Turenne, marched into
Flanders, and made Lille a French town; whilst Condé once more
surprised the world by his conquest of the whole of Franche-Comté in
less than a month. England, Holland, and Sweden, terrified at the young
King's ambition and the success of the French arms, promptly entered
into a Triple Alliance, which arrested the conquering hero in full
career and brought about the Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle, whereby he was
forced to be content with Flanders alone. But such terms were scarcely
calculated to satisfy the ambitions of either the King, his generals, or
the French nation. Hostilities were therefore soon resumed. With an army
of thirteen thousand men commanded by Condé and Turenne Louis advanced
on Holland. He crossed the Rhine, devastating and conquering everything
before him. No less than ninety-five towns and villages capitulated in
ten days. Holland, conscious of her inability to resist, begged for
peace, but the French, encouraged by their successes, refused to lend an
ear to her entreaties.
It was then that William of Orange conceived the daring plan of
submerging the whole of Holland by piercing the dykes. In this way the
French were brought up short in their destructive course by an
inundation which lasted over two years. Louis, obliged by these
circumstances to postpone for a time the conquest of Holland, retired to
Saint-Germain and left to Turenne the arduous task of remaining with the
army. Condé, meanwhile, led the advance-guard with a rapidity which in
less than nine days made him master of six strong fortresses on the
Rhine; and it apparently only remained for him to cross the Yssel to
where the young Prince of Orange was stationed. Once more he displayed
remarkable military strategy in crossing this river at a point where he
was unexpected: and two Dutch regiments ordered to oppose him were cut
to pieces by overwhelming numbers, so that the French troops there and
then crossed the Rhine without hindrance. Montbas, the Dutch General,
accused of treason, was supplanted at the last moment by de Wirty, in
order to shield William of Orange himself, who recognized his mistake
too late.
This easy victory, however, was marred by an event which proved most
unfortunate in its consequences. When the French squadrons had reached
the opposite bank of the river Condé, with his son and his nephew, the
Duc de Longueville, also crossed immediately in a boat, followed by
their men and horses. The Princes, on landing, promptly threw themselves
into their saddles, and riding ahead fell in with a small body of Dutch
soldiers, who begged for mercy. The young Duc de Longueville, without
waiting for the decision of his chief, cried out: "_Pas de quartier_,"
and fired off his pistol. The Dutch promptly replied with a volley, one
shot of which struck de Longueville and mortally wounded him, whilst
another seriously injured Condé himself. The Prince and his dead nephew
were immediately transported to a fisherman's hut. By a strange
coincidence, the mourners were met by the Ambassador of Poland, who had
come to offer the crown of the Jagellons--refused by Condé for his own
son--to the unfortunate young Duke.
Condé's wound changed the course of the whole campaign, since it
incapacitated him at the supreme moment when he might have reaped the
full advantages of his victory. The wound healed but slowly, and his
son, Henri Jules, could not replace him at the head of his troops. Time
lost to the French was time gained by William of Orange, who, as has
been said, conceived the heroic plan of inundating Holland, whereby the
French military operations became impossible. The auspicious moment for
invading Holland being thus lost, Condé travelled slowly back to
Chantilly, where he found a much-needed rest, and by degrees recovered
his health.
On his way back he had an interview at Port Royal with his sister, the
Duchesse de Longueville, who, on hearing of her bereavement, gave way to
long but silent grief; and, retiring from the world, passed her days in
prayer and fasting for the repose of the soul of her dead son.
Subsequently she became a devout Jansenist.
Louis' ambitious plans to conquer Europe, frustrated for the moment, had
now roused Spain, Denmark, and some of the German Princes to take up
arms to prevent possible renewed attacks upon their territories; and two
great soldiers came forward to keep guard upon the Rhine: William of
Brandenburg (a hero himself and ancestor of heroes), and Montecucoli (so
named after his feudal castle), who took the command of the Imperial
troops. Condé, hardly yet recovered, was summoned by his sovereign, and
was requested once more to operate in the Netherlands. William of Orange
began by attacking the French army at Senef, and in spite of the
"_fougue_" of Condé the battle remained undecided. Turenne, meanwhile,
was manoeuvring on the Rhine against Montecucoli, who was marching on
Alsace; he succeeded in repulsing the Imperial troops near the Neckar,
taking Heidelberg and Mannheim, and forcing his way into the Palatinate.
Suddenly, however, he had to change his tactics owing to the unexpected
appearance of the Margrave of Brandenburg; and the French commander's
plans terminated in a campaign in Alsace, where he was victorious at
Mulhouse and Schletstadt. In that same year he was also confronted by
Montecucoli, and unfortunately met his death at Salzbach before any
decisive battle had been fought. His loss was a severe blow to his
soldiers. Condé was immediately sent for; and, inspired by the memory of
the dead general, followed his tactics, and succeeded without a single
battle in driving the Imperial troops back across the Rhine. This was
precisely what the King and his minister, Louvois, desired; for
Montecucoli was thus shut out of Alsace, and obliged to take up his
winter-quarters on the far side of the Rhine. By these brilliant
operations Condé preserved Turenne's army, and terminated this great
campaign, in which were engaged three of the most celebrated generals of
the period: Montecucoli, the profound strategist, the sagacious Turenne,
and the great Condé, who in the cause of France was always victorious.
These were his last exploits, and he returned to Chantilly, there to
pass a life of peaceful quiet until his death in 1687. Madame de
Sévigné, who was repeatedly invited to the Château, says in her
_Letters_ that Condé was quite admirable in his retreat, from which he
only emerged occasionally to pay a visit to the King at Fontainebleau,
Paris, or Versailles, where a splendid suite of apartments was always
reserved for him. Chantilly at that time became a small Court in itself.
Not only was it a resort for kings, princes, ambassadors, generals, and
statesmen, who never omitted to pay their respects to the Grand Condé,
but it was also a rallying-place for the most distinguished literary and
scientific men of the day. Here Bossuet, Fénelon, and the philosopher
Malebranche, the poets Corneille, Racine, and Molière discussed their
works and their theories in that avenue in the park which to this day
bears the name of "the Philosophers."
The newest books and publications passed their first public ordeal at
Chantilly; and at the theatrical representations which frequently took
place there, the greatest actors of the day produced famous plays, or
made their _début_. The Prince kept a special company of comedians in
his own pay at Rouen for practice, so anxious was he that they should
perform at Chantilly to the utmost perfection; and he himself
distributed to them their various parts.
His interest in scientific discoveries was also very great, and he
studied all the latest books upon these subjects. The humorous letters
addressed to him upon such matters by that fantastic personage Bourdelot
still exist. The famous waterworks at Chantilly, imitated later at
Versailles, were to a great extent, as we have already remarked, planned
and carried out according to his own designs. Nor was he lacking in
artistic interest, for he made important additions to the collection of
manuscripts founded by his ancestors, the Montmorencys; and during his
stay in Holland he collected many Dutch pictures and some fine
furniture, which may still be seen in his own rooms at the Petit
Château. For him Charles Le Brun and Mignard worked assiduously, and
some of the paintings by Paul Veronese, Guido, Guercino, the Carraccis,
Van Dyck, and Antonio Moro which now adorn the walls of the Musée Condé
were acquired by him.
His passion for the chase was notorious; and hunting and hawking in the
woods of Chantilly were amongst his greatest pleasures. He revived the
art of hawking, introduced into Europe from Arabia by the Crusaders, and
he is said to have taken particular interest in his own hawks,
conferring upon each of them individual names.
[Illustration: PLATE XV.
_Photo. Giraudon._
Molière. By Miguard. Musée Condé.]
In concluding these notices on the life and character of the Grand
Condé, we must not forget to mark a trait in his character which has
perhaps not been hitherto so generally acknowledged: namely, a feeling
that he owed it to family tradition to protect the Huguenots. When
therefore Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes, and thereby caused an
exodus of some of the best amongst his subjects, Condé, wherever it was
possible, protected the persecuted Protestants; and Chantilly itself
became a shelter for Huguenot fugitives.
Disappointed in his own son, Henri Jules de Bourbon--a man devoid of all
ability, whose chief aim was to follow the Dauphin's hounds--Condé in
his old age attempted to take in hand the education of his grandson, the
young Duc de Bourbon, and of his favourite nephew, François, Prince de
Conti, left orphaned by the early death of his father. By these means he
hoped to restore the glory of the race: for François de Conti had
displayed military talent and great valour during the famous day of
Steinkerque, where two horses were killed under him, and where he
contributed greatly to the victory achieved by French arms. For the
benefit of these two young men, Condé invited to Chantilly La Bruyère,
who had been introduced to him by Bossuet, and engaged him to undertake
their education. But the Duke, like his father, was too much attracted
by the Court of Louis XIV. At a very early age his father arranged an
alliance for him with Mademoiselle de Nantes, a daughter of the King by
Madame de Montespan, and contemporary chronicles are filled with
references to this child-marriage, which was celebrated with the
greatest pomp; the bride being but thirteen and the bride-groom
seventeen years of age. After the nuptials, the two children took their
places in a state bed, supported on either side by their respective
mothers: but as soon as festivities were over they were separated and
only permitted to see each other in the presence of their relations. The
new Duchesse de Bourbon was extremely handsome; but her husband was
rather small and of an unamiable disposition. His shortcomings were,
however, compensated for by the brilliant valour which he displayed at a
subsequent period.
Bossuet himself was prevailed upon to give instruction to the young
Duke. This famous prelate was always greatly admired by the Grand Condé.
Upon one occasion we are told that he entered the Church of the Minimes,
when the great philosopher happened to be preaching. Bossuet, who was
arguing upon the vanity of the glories of this world to which Condé had
sacrificed so much, suddenly perceived the hero among the audience.
Whereupon, with his customary skill, on the spur of the moment he
introduced an appropriate compliment by pointing out how the Prince de
Condé, after having been so long the ornament of his century, was now
also endeavouring to attain Eternal Life--an immortality more lasting
than that which worldly fame affords.
In early life Condé had been a member of a society of free-thinkers, to
which the Princesses Marie and Anne de Gonzague had also belonged. He
had studied Spinoza, and had approved of his pantheistic doctrines;
then, gradually leaving Spinoza, he took up Descartes. Later the example
of his sister, Madame de Longueville--who, from leading a worldly life,
had become a pious Jansenist--made a deep impression upon him: as did
also the death of Anne de Gonzague, who, after a life of wildest
excitement, had before her end become a sincere and devout penitent. In
his old age he often sought the company of a friend of his early youth
and college-days at Bourges, who had distinguished himself as a
brilliant orator. Shortly before his death, in company with this friend,
Condé went to receive the Holy Communion at his parish church of
Saint-Sulpice; and on leaving was met by the plaudits of the people of
Paris. His own adherence to the Catholic Faith did not, however, change
his friendly attitude towards the Huguenots, nor did it alter in any way
his mode of living at Chantilly. Madame de Langeron at that time did the
honours of his house, and the freedom of thought which reigned there so
much appreciated by men like La Bruyère and Bossuet, was never
interfered with. Saint-Évremond sang Condé's praise in the following
characteristic verses:
_À ta vertu, Condé, tu t'es enfin soumis_
_Tu n'étais pas encore au comble de ta gloire,_
_Senef, Lens, Fribourg et Nordlingen et Rocroi_
_N'étaient que des degrés pour monter jusqu'à toi._
_Le vainqueur s'est vaincu, c'est la grande victoire._
* * * * *
_Tranquil et glorieux,_
_Il vit à Chantilly comme on vit aux cieux._
Bossuet has described the last moments of the hero: "Such as he was in
his warrior days, resolute, quiet, always occupied, without anxiety for
what had to be done, such was he in his last hour. Nor did death seem to
him any more repulsive or terrible now than in the midst of battle and
victory."
Whilst his family and friends shed copious tears as his end approached,
he continued to give all necessary orders; and he remembered everyone,
from the highest to the lowest of his friends and attendants, showering
gifts upon them all with a munificence fully in accordance with his high
rank and generous heart.
CHAPTER VIII
THE LAST CONDÉS
When Henri Jules de Bourbon succeeded to the Condé inheritance, he
continued with filial piety to carry out all the improvements and
additions to Chantilly which his father had planned. François Mansart,
the most fashionable architect of the period, had by that time nearly
completed those unfortunate alterations which transformed the ancient
feudal fortress into a species of Versailles. This Prince also built the
parish church on a site presented by the Grand Condé to the inhabitants
of the hamlet which had begun to form itself around the castle. He
completed the menagerie and by his orders Mansart built an orangery
ending in a pavilion called by him _Le Pavillon d'Oronthée_. Statues of
the Grand Condé, of Bossuet, of Molière, of Le Nôtre, and of La Bruyère,
executed by the most famous sculptors of the day, were placed along the
Terrasse du Connétable; whilst marble copies of celebrated antiques were
set up in the gardens and park. He spoke of Chantilly as "_ses delices_"
and was never weary of planning improvements there. He also directed
that the famous deeds of his father should be recorded on canvas by
Sauveur Lecomte in accordance with directions left by that hero himself.
In 1688 the Prince de Condé entertained at Chantilly the Grand Dauphin,
only son of Louis XIV, with whom he was on terms of great intimacy; and
the apartments in the Petit Château occupied by that Prince were those
once inhabited by the Grand Condé himself. A description of the
entertainments given upon this occasion may be read in the _Mercure de
France_ of that year, as follows: "A great _battue_ had been arranged,
and the Dauphin appears to have been delighted by the enjoyment of such
splendid sport. Luncheon was served on a big stone table in the middle
of the forest.[12] On the centre of the table was placed a basket
containing the most exquisite fruit, and during the repast mythological
deities made their appearance whilst dances were performed to the sound
of appropriate music. Every day--and the Dauphin remained for
seven--some new diversion was contrived."
As Henri Jules de Condé grew older he seldom left Chantilly. His temper
became more and more violent and difficult; and during his last years he
rarely appeared at Court. He died in 1709, leaving a legacy to the
Hospital at Chantilly, which had been founded by his grandmother,
Charlotte de Montmorency.
The Duc de Bourbon, generally known as Louis III, Prince de Condé, died
soon after his father. Louise Françoise, his wife, had presented him
with six daughters and three sons; of whom the eldest, Louis Henri,
succeeded to the title of Prince de Condé at the early age of
eighteen.[13] He, like his predecessors, also spent great sums on the
embellishment of Chantilly. By him were built the great stables--a
monument unique of its kind--in which vast buildings more than two
hundred horses and packs of hounds for fox, deer, and boar hunts, were
housed. In the adjoining courtyards were lodged their numerous
attendants--_piqueurs_, _chasseurs_, and stable-boys--and the carriages,
coaches, etc., needed for such an establishment. The central cupola of
this stupendous edifice was originally adorned with a statue of _La
Renommée_, but this was destroyed by a cannon-ball during the Revolution
of 1792.
The famous Duchesse de Berry, daughter of the Regent and wife of the
younger grandson of Louis XIV, passed a whole week at Chantilly as the
guest of this Prince; and great magnificence was displayed for her
entertainment. Saint-Simon in his _Mémoires_ relates an incident which
happened during these festivities. On the farther side of the grand
canal the Duke kept a very beautiful menagerie, full of rare animals and
fine birds; and whilst the company were strolling about and playing
games in the grounds a huge tiger escaped and prowled about the gardens
to the terror of the gay revellers. After some time, however, and
fortunately before any accident had occurred, the beast was captured and
induced to return to his cage.
In consequence of the numerous royal visits paid to him, Louis Henri
entirely remodelled the interior of the Grand Château. The King's
Apartment was over the Museum; it extended from the Chapel to the
so-called North Tower, and was composed of guard-rooms, long galleries,
and vast chambers. That of the Queen was over the present Entrance-Hall,
and ran as far as the Treasury towers. From it one could penetrate into
the Chapel, which at that time was situated where is now the splendid
staircase leading to the Museum.
During the time of this Prince the youthful Louis XV came to Chantilly
from Reims. He arrived in the evening and the whole place was
beautifully illuminated--so much so that "every detail of the building
could be seen as if in broad daylight." The festivities on this occasion
were many and various. The chase during the day and in the evening
performances by an Italian comedy company engaged for the occasion, and
by a famous ballet which lasted four-and-twenty hours.
In 1723, after the death of the Regent, the Duc de Bourbon became Prime
Minister of France. His wife, Anne Marie de Bourbon, had died and his
mistress, the famous Marquise de Prie, reigned supreme--an even more
fascinating, and certainly a more intelligent woman than the Montespans,
Pompadours, and Du Barrys, who so completely succeeded in captivating
the Bourbon Kings. She possessed a beautiful voice, with which she
interpreted Italian music, learnt during her stay in Turin where her
husband for many years had been ambassador. She also, like Madame de
Pompadour, patronised art and had portraits of herself painted by
Rosalba and Vanloo. Her house was furnished with exquisite taste, and
she understood to perfection the arts of the toilet. At first she
devoted herself to a life of pleasure, but she soon saw the wisdom of
becoming her lover's adviser-in-chief. In order to shield him against
the intrigues of the Orleans family--as long as the King remained
unmarried and without a nearer heir--she persuaded the Prime Minister
that the Spanish Infanta, daughter of Philip V, who had been educated at
the French Court and was intended to be the future Queen-Consort of
France--though she was still a child of not much more than ten years
old--should be sent back to her father. When this had been accomplished
a marriage was speedily arranged with Maria Leczinska of Poland,
although she was several years older than the young King. This act led
to an immediate rupture with Spain and brought no political advantage to
France. But in order to understand to the full the game played here by
Madame de Prie, we should note that Maria Leczinska had been at first
intended for Monsieur le Duc; wherefore by making her Queen of France
she not only hoped to keep her lover to herself, but also to get
ascendancy over the King through a queen whom she had helped to raise to
so exalted a position. Somewhat unexpectedly, however, she found an
implacable enemy in Cardinal Fleury, who was to Louis XV what Richelieu
and Mazarin had been to his predecessors. He had been the young King's
preceptor and exercised a great influence over him. When it occurred to
Fleury that he might become Prime Minister in place of the Duc de
Bourbon the latter, notwithstanding the strenuous efforts of Madame de
Prie, was compelled to yield and to resign on the charge that he had
confided affairs of State to unqualified persons. He retired to
Chantilly with his mistress, where, the lady received a most
discourteous welcome from Madame la Duchesse Douarière; and to the grief
and dismay of the Duke a _lettre de cachet_ from the King presently
commanded her to retire to a property in Normandy which belonged to her
long-neglected husband. The Duc de Bourbon never ceased to regret her,
because, as he asserted, he felt that she was so devoted to his
interests as to have subordinated every other sentiment. She only
survived her humiliation a few years; but it was some time after her
death before the childless Duke thought of remarrying. His choice fell
upon a young princess of Hesse Rhinfeld, whose eldest sister had married
the King of Sardinia. The new Duchess, who was barely fifteen, was as
beautiful and graceful as she was good. This marriage put an end to the
disgrace into which the Duke had fallen at Court; and from that time
Louis XV, who very much admired the young _châtelaine_ of Chantilly,
never went to Compiègne without paying her a visit on the way. In memory
of these Royal visits he sent her a beautiful spray of diamonds, which
the Duc de Luignes in his _Mémoires_ values at seventy-two thousand
francs. The same writer adds that in the month of August 1738 the King
came to Chantilly for a stag-hunt; and that he arrived at the Château in
a gondola, accompanied by four Court ladies. The Duke and Duchess
received this gay party and supper was immediately served, but next
morning the heat was so excessive that the stag-hunt had to be
abandoned. At nine o'clock, however, His Majesty promenaded upon the
terrace, while airs from well-known operas were sung to amuse him. The
Queen, Maria Leczinska, also enjoyed strolling about the gardens and
driving through the park, where all sorts of games were specially
devised for her.
In 1740 the Duc de Bourbon fell ill and died rather suddenly. His young
wife survived him barely a year; and their only son, Louis Joseph, then
but five years of age, was left to the charge of his grandmother. She
presented him soon after to Louis XV as Prince de Condé, and it was then
remarked that he was very fair and tall for his age. His uncle, the
Comte de Charolais, meantime administered the property at Chantilly
with great judgment and skill on behalf of his nephew and ward.
The young Prince was taken to Chantilly by his uncle for the first time
at the age of fourteen, and all sorts of amusements suitable for his age
were prepared for his pleasure. He at once conceived a great affection
for the place, which continued for the rest of his life.
When he attained the age of seventeen his uncle Charolais considered it
time for him to marry, and proposed to him several suitable matches. At
one of the entertainments given to further this end the young Prince's
choice fell on Charlotte de Rohan Soubise, a young lady renowned for her
grace and beauty; and their marriage was celebrated at Versailles with
great pomp. The young couple passed their honeymoon at Chantilly and,
according to the chronicles of the old Château, they immediately
commenced to display the traditional Condé taste for profuse
hospitality. Balls, theatricals, garden-fêtes, etc., followed each other
in quick succession for six weeks.
[Illustration: PLATE XVI.
CHARLOTTE, PRINCESSE DE CONDÉ, WIFE OF LOUIS JOSEPH DE BOURBON.
_Musée Condé._
Jean M. Nattier.]
In 1756 their son and heir was born. At first he was known as the Duc
d'Enghien but this was afterwards changed to Duc de Bourbon. The second
child was a daughter, Louise de Condé, subsequently famed for her great
intelligence and beauty. The Princess Charlotte de Soubise was a general
favourite at Court; but in spite of her many social engagements she
never neglected her maternal duties and always showed herself a most
devoted wife and mother.
The Prince, notwithstanding his domestic felicity, considered it his
duty to add a "sprig of laurel" to the trophies of his glorious
ancestor, the Grand Condé. He therefore joined the army and greatly
distinguished himself during the Seven Years' War. In 1762 he gained the
victories of Grinningen and Johannesberg.
The sudden death of his wife the Princesse de Condé from an attack of
diphtheria put an end to his conjugal happiness; but to Chantilly he
always returned after his campaigns, so as to be in the old home and
with his children. A highly cultured gentleman, he took intense interest
in literature and scientific research, enriching with numerous volumes
the library of the Château and adding thereto mineralogical and
physiological collections of great value.
His only son, Louis Henri Joseph de Bourbon, when just fifteen was
affianced to Louise Marie Thérèse Bathilde d'Orléans, five years his
senior and an intimate friend of his sister Louise. Even in those days
of early marriages this union was considered abnormal, and it was at
first arranged that the young couple should wait for a time. But the
youthful pair threatened to elope unless they were allowed to marry that
same year, so with "_un éclat de rire_" the King gave his consent.
When Marie Antoinette as Dauphine visited Chantilly the grace and charm
of the young Duchess, who presided over the brilliant fêtes given upon
that occasion, were much admired. Louis Joseph, like the Grand Condé,
was passionately devoted to the art of the stage, and his
daughter-in-law, like so many great ladies of her time, was
distinguished for her literary talents. She herself composed the
comedies in which she, her husband, and her Royal guests took part.
The theatre at Chantilly, celebrated for its elaborate decorations and
beautiful scenery, was approached by a terrace adorned by forty-eight
marble vases; whence a double staircase led through the Salon d'Apollon.
Palm-trees formed an avenue before its entrance, and the back of the
theatre opened upon the garden, where a statue of Diana surrounded by
waterfalls stood in the background. Amongst the improvements in the
gardens first introduced by this Prince was a "_Hameau_," which was
erected long before that in the Petit Trianon at Versailles.
From the time of Henri IV Chantilly, as we have seen, had been a
favourite pleasure-resort for Royal personages. Louis XV used to combine
excursions thither with his visits to Versailles. The King of Denmark,
the hereditary Prince of Prussia, and Gustavus III, King of Sweden, were
all entertained at the Château; and the latter presented to the Prince
de Condé the magnificent cabinet containing many strange and curious
minerals now at the Musée Condé.
In 1782 the Comte du Nord, afterwards the Emperor Paul of Russia, with
his wife, Dorothea of Wurtemberg, paid a long visit to Chantilly. One
of the Russian ladies-in-waiting, the Baroness Oberkirch, gives the
following description of their stay: "We joined the Prince at eleven
o'clock, which was the dinner-hour. This dinner, which opened the fêtes
of the day--we were a hundred and fifty at table--was splendid, and
quite in accordance with the traditions of this princely house, so
famous for its magnificent hospitality. When we left the dining-hall we
found carriages waiting for us. The Prince and the Duke, his son,
themselves drove us along the avenues, where a thousand surprises were
prepared for us. The trees were hung with flags and decorated with the
Russian colours. After the drive we went to the theatre. They played
_The Friend of the House_, _The Supposed Poet_, and _The
Fifteen-year-old Lover_. The latter piece told the love-story of the Duc
and Duchesse de Bourbon and had been played on the eve of their wedding.
It ended with a fine ballet. On coming out we found the gardens
illuminated and fireworks blazing all round, while the façade of the
Château was decorated with the heraldic bearings of the Emperor and
Empress. Supper was served on the _Isle d'Amour_ and then followed a
ball which was so gay and full of merriment that it seemed to us a quite
exceptional thing, since this is not usually the case amongst princes.
The next morning a hunting-party was arranged, a diversion of which the
Condé princes and princesses are particularly fond. A stag was hunted
for three hours, and when at last he went into the water he was followed
by the whole pack of hounds. The sight was really superb."
A picture representing this famous hunting-party was painted by Le Paon
and presented to the Russian Emperor. It still hangs in one of the
Imperial Palaces in St. Petersburg; but a copy was offered to the Duc
d'Aumale by the Grand Duke Wladimir, which is now in the Musée Condé.
Another day the magnificent stables were visited and dinner was served
in the central hall beneath the cupola. Much admiration was expressed
for the gorgeous hangings which divided this part of the building from
the rest. When the Royal party left the table these hangings were lifted
on both sides, so as to exhibit the two hundred and forty horses stabled
in either wing.
At that time two bronze horses stood beside the great fountain, which
was completed in 1782. But they disappeared during the Revolution.
The hostess upon this occasion was the Princesse Louise de Condé, for
the Duchesse de Bourbon, after but a few years of married life,
separated herself from her gay young husband. This Princess inherited
her father's great qualities. She had been educated in the same convent
where a relation of hers, Henriette de Bourbon Condé, was Abbess under
the name of Madame de Vermandois--a lady of whom it was rumoured that
she had refused to marry Louis XV and had preferred the life of a
convent to that of Queen of France! Over the young Princesse de Condé
she exercised great influence and Princesse Louise tells us that she
looked upon her as a mother, since she had never known her own. Of her
father she saw very little; but in her childhood he used to send the
Surveyor of the Province to her every Sunday to ask whether she wanted
anything. At the age of twelve she left this peaceful life for Paris,
where she attached herself to her cousin Princesse Bathilde d'Orléans,
who presently became her sister-in-law.
These two Princesses had each a royal household of their own, with
maids-of-honour and attendants; and they were permitted to receive the
visits of relations and certain selected friends. The Duc de Bourbon,
whose attachment to his sister was the one redeeming point in his
otherwise unsatisfactory character, often came to see her, and it was
during one of these visits that he first met his wife.
The Princesse Louise de Condé at this time was presented at Court, where
her beauty and grace created a great sensation; and she then received
the title of "Mademoiselle." The Duc d'Artois, third son of the Grand
Dauphin, was greatly attracted by her, and a marriage between them was
much discussed in Court circles. It was even said that it was desired by
the people; but Louis XV, wishing to revenge himself upon Louis Joseph
for having opposed the "_pacte de famine_,"[14] insisted on his
grandson marrying Marie Thérèse of Savoy. This bitter disappointment,
coming to her in yet tender years, made a deep impression upon the
Princess, and from thenceforth she preferred solitude to worldly
pleasure. She continued to reside in the Convent, refusing all other
proposals of marriage, and devoting herself to literature. Later on in
life she indulged in a platonic friendship with the Marquis de
Gervaisais, who is said to have collaborated with her in the drama of
_Friendman_. They often made excursions together from the watering-place
of Bourbon d'Archambault, where the Princess had gone for her health, to
visit the old Château de Bourbon; and it was during these excursions,
amid ruins clad with ivy "as with a Royal mantle," that the young poet
wrote this drama (subsequently acted at Bourbon d'Archambault), wherein
he hymned the praises of his adored Princess. "_L'âme n'a pas d'âge,
comme elle n'a pas de sexe_" wrote her admirer.
But Louise de Condé, who at first had given herself up entirely to the
joy of meeting with a kindred soul, recoiled suddenly on finding that
this friendship was on both sides fast approaching passionate love. At a
period of history when princely personages rarely denied themselves
anything that attracted their fancy, it is remarkable to find a Princess
who held such a high moral standard, and this also at a time when Madame
du Barry was the supreme ruler of the Kingdom of France. The Princess
went so far as to force herself to give up this friendship, because she
became aware that her sentiments towards the poet were after all not
wholly platonic, and that she, as a Princess of the Blood, could not
marry him.
It is characteristic of the customs of the period that Louis Joseph
looked very indulgently upon his daughter's friendship, and even
proposed to secure for the Marquis de Gervaisais means for leaving his
regiment at Saumur in order to come to Paris and thus be able to meet
the Princess more freely. It was the lady herself who could not be
induced to do aught that might bring a stain upon her name; and she
wrote a most touching letter of farewell to Gervaisais, imploring him
not to answer it, nor to try to meet her again, requests which his
unbounded love for her induced him to accede to.
The festivities given in honour of the Russian Grand Duke were the last
of the entertainments held at Chantilly; for, although the Princesse
Louise in the absence of the Duchesse de Bourbon made a charming
hostess, the separation of her brother from his wife, who had returned
to her own family, cast an inevitable gloom over Chantilly. The young
heir, the Duc d'Enghien, however, became warmly attached to his aunt,
who acted as a mother to him. He was highly gifted and very proud of his
famous ancestor, the Grand Condé. On taking his seat in the Parlement at
the early age of sixteen he made a most able speech; whereupon the
President remarked that never before had three members of the Condé
family honoured the House of Peers at the same time. This, alas! was
not for long; for we now approach that fateful year 1789, and the
horrors of the French Revolution.
In July of that year, late in the evening, an adjutant of the Prince de
Condé arrived breathless at the Château, bringing tidings of the
terrible events which had just occurred in Paris. He told how a bullet
aimed at the Royal carriage had killed a woman standing near; and how
the King had been applauded when he appeared on the balcony bearing a
"_cocarde tricolore_." On hearing this, the three Princes de Condé
accompanied by Princess Louise departed next day for Versailles. Their
advice to Louis XVI was "not to yield"--advice which the King was loth
to follow. The three Condés, seeing that they could not prevail upon him
to remain firm, determined to quit France so as to be able themselves to
remain true to their Royalist principles. In taking leave of the King,
Louis Joseph said that he would endeavour to serve the Monarchy abroad,
since he could no longer serve it in France.
[Illustration: PLATE XVII.
LOUIS JOSEPH DE BOURBON, PRINCE DE CONDE.
_Musée Condé._
Madame de Tott.]
The three Princes returned to Chantilly for one day only, and then left
France for Germany. The youngest, the Duc d'Enghien, was destined never
to see his ancestral home again. It must have been a touching spectacle
to see the old Prince de Condé, accompanied by his daughter, his son the
Duc de Bourbon, and his grandson the Duc d'Enghien, leaving the
sumptuous abode of their ancestors, so full of glorious memories. The
Comte d'Artois--afterwards Charles X--followed their example; and
numerous French officers volunteered to make common cause with Prince
Louis Joseph de Condé, whose name was associated so closely with the
glories of France.
There still exists a history of Condé's army written by Bittard des
Portes, wherein is related in detail the courage and fortitude with
which these French _emigrés_ endured their great privations. The
Austrian General Würsmer, we are told, was deeply moved at the sight of
Condé's regiment, which he styled "_la vielle France militaire_"; and
Napoleon, in his _Memoirs_, when speaking of the Condés and their army
abroad, wrote: "_La France donna la mort à leur action, mais des larmes
à leur courage. Tout dévoûment est héroïque_."
CHAPTER IX
CHANTILLY DURING THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
No sooner had Chantilly been deserted by its owners than a detachment of
the National Guard of Paris was sent down to the Château. The
twenty-seven cannons were first seized: then all the arms found were
taken away; and finally the whole property was confiscated. Next a band
of six hundred soldiers arrived, devastated the place, and removed what
they pleased. Fortunately, the art-treasures did not attract them, as is
proved by the _Inventory_ made in 1793 of the pictures and furniture
then at Chantilly--a document which took forty days and cost 2,130
francs to draw up.
Throughout the period of the Revolution the Château at Chantilly was
used as a prison for political offenders; and the first arrivals were
forty-one persons from Beauvais,[15] amongst whom were M. des Courtils
de Merlemont, Knight of St. Louis, with his wife and son. On the road
thither they were deliberately exposed to the insults of the mob, but
they escaped the execution which they anticipated. Arriving at two
o'clock in the morning, they were thrust into the Chapel, but later on
they were lodged in the Château itself, which had been already
demolished to such a degree that none of the rooms were wind or weather
tight.
The moats had been allowed to dry up, so that they began to exhale
unwholesome odours; and the number of sick persons amongst the prisoners
soon amounted to over three hundred. The corpse of a young woman, who
was the first to die, was transported on the back of the concierge to
one of the still-existing chapels on the Pelouse built by Madeleine de
Savoie, wife of Anne de Montmorency. Amongst the prisoners was the
Duchesse de Duras, daughter of Philippe de Noailles, who had defended to
the last the person of Louis XVI, and who, in consequence, ended his
life on the scaffold. In some notes descriptive of her misfortunes, her
arrival at Chantilly is most dramatically related: "We were first locked
up in the chapel, which was still elaborately gilded, and where in the
days of the Condés I had often heard Mass. It was now filled with sacks
of flour, on one of which I took my seat, whilst the Commissioner
mounted upon the altar. He was accompanied by one Marchand, whom I
recognised as the son of my aunt's chambermaid. This vulgar man
concentrated all the insolence of the Committee of Public Safety. He
derived much pleasure from saying rude and insulting things regarding
the nobles and the clergy, and even expressed a wish that I should be
lodged as uncomfortably as possible." Fortunately he departed soon
after this speech and the Commissioner, more humane, apportioned to the
Duchess one of the better rooms. From her window she could see into the
courtyard, and she descried many of her acquaintances amongst the
prisoners and their children there assembled. She describes the food as
scanty and of very poor quality. They dined in the gallery, where she
could remember the brilliant fêtes given by Prince Louis Joseph de Condé
not so long before.
The death-rate amongst the prisoners, to whom even the most necessary
relief was denied, after a few months became so great that Chantilly had
to be entirely evacuated; and it was then proposed that it should be
used as a military hospital--a proposal which was, however, not carried
out. Subsequently the Château d'Enghien[16] was converted into barracks,
whilst Chantilly with its woods and parks found purchasers amongst the
Black Band, who were then buying up the castles and palaces of the hated
aristocrats with the sole purpose of demolishing them and profiting by
just what could be got out of them as building material, etc. Of the
so-called Grand Château, erected by Mansart during the time of the Grand
Condé, nothing remained but the foundations; for it was razed entirely
to the ground. The adjoining Petit Château of the Montmorencys, however,
as already stated, miraculously escaped.
Under Napoleon I, Chantilly in 1805 became the property of the State,
but the revenue of its woods was assigned to Queen Hortense, who also
figures upon the list of the owners of this famous estate. A military
school was presently established in the Château d'Enghien, and the
magnificent stables were once again devoted to their proper uses.
Meanwhile Prince Louis Joseph de Condé since he left France had
sojourned with the Elector at Worms, as Commander of the army of the
French _emigrés_, whilst the Comte d'Artois had formed his camp at
Coblenz. The former subsequently found a refuge for his family and his
regiment with the Tsar Paul; but eventually, when he saw that he could
no longer serve France and his King, he retired with his son to Wanstead
House, near Wimbledon. Over the doorway of this most attractive abode
the Seigneur of Chantilly inscribed the motto "_Parva domus magna
quies_."
Here he married as his second wife Marie Catherine de Brignole, the
widowed Princess of Monaco, who had long been his constant and faithful
friend, especially during his exile. She shared with him his literary
and artistic interests, and she put her whole fortune at his disposition
when he was in need. His daughter, Louise de Condé, after many
vicissitudes, at last found quiet and rest in a Benedictine convent,
where she took the veil. In 1807 she received a terrible shock when the
news reached her of the tragic death of her beloved nephew, the Duc
d'Enghien, and she felt it to be her duty to leave her seclusion and
proceed at once to condole with her father and brother in their
overwhelming sorrow. She started immediately for England, where she was
received on landing with Royal honours: Pitt, Lord Moore, and the two
surviving Condé Princes coming to meet her.
The execution of the Duc d'Enghien has left a stain on Napoleon's
character; it was not only a crime, but what was worse, it was a
blunder; for d'Enghien at the time of his arrest was living in strictest
seclusion at Ettenheim in Baden with the Princesse Charlotte de Rohan,
to whom he was deeply attached, and, it was said, had married. He was
therefore absolutely innocent of the conspiracy against the Republic, of
which he was accused; and it is affirmed that it was only because
Bonaparte could not get hold of the legitimate Princes--Artois and
Berry--whose claims to the throne of France he grudged and feared, that
he took his revenge upon the Duc d'Enghien. He had tried in vain to
entrap these Princes, and failing committed this act of personal revenge
on the eve of proclaiming himself Emperor, in order to frighten the
Royalists, who, as he declared, were continually conspiring against him.
When this dastardly murder became known there was a cry of indignation
all over Europe. The Russian Court went into mourning, and Napoleon
found it necessary to lay the blame upon Talleyrand and Murat. The grief
of the unhappy father at the loss of his only son and the last scion of
his race was so great that he became a prey to chronic melancholy; but
Louis Joseph, the grandfather, strove bravely to live down his anguish.
More than twelve years had still to elapse before their exile was ended,
and then, for a brief period, on the collapse of the Napoleonic Empire,
the Bourbon Monarchy was restored in France. At last, in 1815, the two
Condés returned to Chantilly from England and found the old place, with
the exception of the Petit Château, which they henceforth made their
chief abode, a pile of ruins, and themselves almost strangers. The
Princess of Monaco had died in England; and the Duc d'Enghien, upon whom
all hope had centred, had been ruthlessly slain. In spite of all these
misfortunes Louis Joseph remained faithful to the old home and began to
repurchase his former possessions acre by acre. Some portions of the
property had passed into alien hands; as, for instance, the site of the
great waterfall, which had been separated from the original grounds by a
wall. One of the alterations made at this time was the filling in of the
moat, which hitherto had divided the smaller from the larger Château;
and later the present Entrance-Hall was built on that site, whilst two
new rooms decorated in the style of the period were added where the
covered bridges had formerly stood. These new buildings gave access to
the rooms formerly occupied by the Grand Condé, which, by a strange
piece of luck, the Revolutionists had not demolished. The old Prince
held these apartments in high honour; and they were the first to be
redecorated and exquisitely panelled. During the four remaining years of
his life he was continually occupied in restoring his ancestral palace
to that dignity which he remembered so well in the past. He also
succeeded in recovering the larger number of the works of art which the
Montmorencys and the Condés had accumulated, not only at Chantilly but
also at Ecouen and the Palais Bourbon in Paris. Most of these treasures
had fortunately fallen into good hands, for during the worst horrors of
the Revolution there had been men in France who had succeeded in
preserving the art treasures belonging to the old family mansions which
their proprietors had been compelled to abandon. Alexander Lenoir was
one of these faithful guardians, and it is certainly due to his efforts
that so many of these monuments and works of art in France were not
destroyed. Conspicuous amongst them were the valuable collections at
Chantilly.
But after the long exile of the owners no more entertainments were held
at Chantilly such as had been given so lavishly in happier days. After
the great reverses which Louis Joseph and his son had undergone they
seemed to indulge in one pleasure only, namely, that of the chase--the
single luxury which they allowed themselves. They kept a splendid pack
of hounds--the descendants of which still survive and are lodged in a
corner of the great stables--and in spite of his great age the Prince
himself appeared on horseback almost daily; often alone, but sometimes
accompanied by his son, and hunted until quite late in the afternoon.
Though past his eightieth year, he still had vigour enough, even on his
return from a day's hunting, to shoot the wild duck which abounded in
the moats. He died at Chantilly in his eighty-second year during the
absence of both his son and his daughter, and was buried at Saint-Denis.
As a true Condé he was very imperious and held strong opinions of his
own: but he was tenaciously faithful in his friendships; and it was, no
doubt, this fidelity to the Royal cause which characterised his conduct
during the Revolution, and made him sacrifice everything rather than
give up his Royalist principles.
His son, the Duc de Bourbon, had not the iron nature of his father. He
refused to take the title of Prince de Condé on his father's death,
since he knew that this title must die with him. He, who had begun life
under such happy auspices, long before his death became a broken man.
His wife, the Duchesse de Bourbon, Louise Marie Thérèse Bathilde of
Orléans to whom he became reconciled after a long separation, died
suddenly whilst attending a patronal festival at Saint-Geneviève. She
fainted whilst at her devotions, and on being transported to the
Sorbonne died before her husband could be summoned. Her favourite
nephew, the Duc d'Orléans--afterwards King Louis Philippe--was the only
member of her family present when she expired.
It was at about that time that Louis Philippe's fifth son was born--a
child who eventually became the last Seigneur of Chantilly. He was held
at the baptismal font by the last Condé, who from this time formed a
great affection for his godson. He used to walk with him in the grounds
of Chantilly and narrate to him all the memorable events which had taken
place in this ancestral abode; and Henri d'Orléans, then but seven years
old, would listen with the greatest attention, and long after remembered
the colloquies held with his princely sponsor and benefactor--the last
of the line of Condé. He thus refers to him: "When recalling my
childhood, I picture to myself M. le Duc de Bourbon, dressed in his
habitual grey coat, white silk stockings, and light shoes, walking about
in the grounds of Chantilly on cold December days. Leaning on his stick
he would sometimes stand still and relate to me what had happened in
years gone by at the old place; how he had known it in its splendour
during his youth; and how all these sad changes had come upon it. He
loved to recall also the grand festivities given by his father to King
Louis XV, to Marie Antoinette, and to the Emperor and Empress Paul of
Russia."
[Illustration: PLATE XVIII.
LOUIS HENRI JOSEPH DE BOURBON, LAST PRINCE DE CONDÉ.
_Musée Condé._
Danloux]
In 1830 Marie Amélie, Queen of Louis Philippe of France, visited
Chantilly with her son, Prince Henri d'Orléans, and was received by the
last of the Condés. A fortnight later the news was brought there that
this princely line had come to an end. It has been alleged that the
unfortunate liaison which the Duke had contracted with a heartless
and low-born woman--one Sophie Dawes, the daughter of a fisherman in
the Isle of Wight, and known as the Baronne de Feuchères--contributed
greatly to embitter the last days of his life. After pocketing all she
could, Madame de Feuchères on the death of the Duke left for England
rather suddenly, and from that time was heard of no more.
Louise, Princesse de Condé, died several years before her brother at the
Temple as Prioress of the Benedictine Nuns. She had borne with much
fortitude great trials; for during the Revolution she had to flee from
place to place for safety, until she found at last a shelter within the
walls of a convent--thus fulfilling the prophetic words of her friend,
Gervaisais, "_C'est un front à porter une couronne ... ou un voile de
religieuse_."
CHAPTER X
THE DUC D'AUMALE LORD OF CHANTILLY
After the death of the last Condé, Chantilly was once more left desolate
and abandoned, since Prince Henri d'Orléans, the heir, was still a
child.
In 1820 his eldest brother, the Duc d'Orléans, inaugurated at Chantilly
the races which now rank as the French Derby, and which have continued
every year up to the present day. In connection with these races the Duc
d'Orléans, with the help of General Peel--a brother of Sir Robert
Peel--successfully undertook to breed English racehorses in France; and
Chantilly thus became a racing centre to which the _élite_ of French
society thronged every year to attend a "Meeting" which speedily became
one of the most famous in the annals of Sport. Residential accommodation
was then very restricted, for only the Petit Château and the Château
d'Enghien were available, the Grand Château not having yet been rebuilt.
The theatre where Molière, Racine, and Corneille produced their plays
had also vanished; a substitute was therefore improvised for these
occasions by the Comédie Française on the site of the present Library.
But Orléans Princes in those days had not so much leisure for mere
recreation as had their predecessors. In that same year the Duc
d'Orléans started for Algiers, taking with him the Duc d'Aumale, then
only eighteen. In spite of his youth on the premature death of his elder
brother he was entrusted with the command at Medea, where he
distinguished himself greatly, and became so beloved that the tiny
little Arab house which was his temporary residence there is still
preserved by a grateful nation. Engaging in a variety of operations in
Algeria, he brought this campaign to a brilliant ending in 1844 by a
victory over Abdul Kader; by which he succeeded in capturing the
concealed camp "La Smalah" where this chieftain and his staff had been
residing. This victory was principally due to the young Duke's great
energy and powers of endurance. In the Musée Condé there is a room
called "La Smalah," where we may still see numerous paintings and
sketches by Bellange and Horace Vernet illustrating this victorious
African campaign.
On the Duke's return from Algiers a marriage was arranged between him
and Caroline Auguste de Bourbon, daughter of the Prince of Salerno and
the Archduchess Marie Clementine, sister to Napoleon I's second wife,
Marie Louise of Austria. The nuptials were celebrated at Naples, and a
few days later the young pair left for France, where they were
impatiently expected by Queen Amélie, who was overjoyed to welcome one
of her own relatives as her son's bride.
It had been agreed that Chantilly should be the home of the newly
married pair; and in 1843 the architect Duban received instructions to
execute the necessary alterations; whilst to Eugène Lami--the same
artist who painted the portrait of the young Duchess which now hangs
over one of the doors of the Salle Caroline--was entrusted the
decoration of the various apartments. The ground-floor apartments of the
Petit Château--the same suite which the Grand Condé had selected for his
son Henri Jules and his children--were the rooms chosen for the personal
occupation of the Duke and Duchess.
In 1845 Louis Philippe paid a visit to his son at Chantilly, and made
himself very popular on that occasion by telling his coachman to drive
slowly across the Pelouse, because he had heard some ladies complain
that if he drove so fast no one could see him.
The title of Condé was conferred upon the Duc d'Aumale's eldest son,
born at Saint-Cloud, in the hope that he would revive so illustrious a
name. He was brought to Chantilly at the age of six months and remained
there until the Duchess joined her husband at Algiers, where he had been
nominated Governor. It was then proposed that extensive alterations at
Chantilly should be carried out during the absence of the Duke and
Duchess, and it was their intention to return thither in the following
summer. Fate, however, decreed otherwise. In February 1848 Louis
Philippe was compelled to abdicate in favour of his grandson, the Comte
de Paris, then a mere child; and to avoid further difficulties the
ex-King left immediately for England, and took up his residence at
Claremont under the style of Comte de Neuilly. This unfortunate event
obliged the Duc d'Aumale to resign his commission in the French army, to
which he had rendered such signal service. He thenceforward resided with
his family in England, chiefly at Twickenham, whither the larger part of
the artistic furniture and works of art from Chantilly were transported.
This was done at the special request of the Duchess, whose desire it was
to reconstitute as far as possible her lost home in the land of their
adoption. An Imperial Decree next commanded that all the properties of
the Royal Family of France should be sold within a year. The sale of
Chantilly--of course a fictitious one--was thereupon carried out by the
English bankers Coutts & Co., who sent Colonel McCall, a representative
of their own, to reside upon the estate. He dwelt in the Château
d'Enghien, and administered the whole of the property on behalf of the
Duke; whilst the Petit Château was let to Lord Cowley, who made it his
summer residence. Later it was successively occupied by the Comte
Dûchatel and the Duc de la Trémoille.
Twenty-three years later, after the disaster at Sedan and the fall of
the second Empire, the Duc d'Aumale was once more permitted to return to
Chantilly. Many changes had occurred during this long interval. The
Duchess, overcome with grief at the death of her eldest son, the Prince
de Condé, had died in exile. That young Prince was the last to bear this
illustrious name. He is said to have been highly gifted, and to have
possessed great qualities. He had been educated chiefly in England, and
had distinguished himself in his studies at Oxford, where he showed a
remarkable talent for languages. It was, however, his noble and
affectionate character that specially endeared him to his parents.
Like his father he was filled with a passionate devotion for his native
country. When the Crown of Greece was offered to the Duke, subject to a
condition that the Heir-Apparent must change his religion and his
nationality, although he had decided not to accept the honour, he
thought it his duty to communicate the proposal to his son. Whereupon
the lad wrote from Switzerland, where he was undergoing his military
training, the following reply: "Having had the high fortune to be born a
Frenchman and a Roman Catholic, I will ever remain French and Roman
Catholic."
Not long after this incident the young Prince started for a voyage round
the world, but before its completion died of typhoid fever at Sydney in
Australia.
The Duc d'Aumale on his return to Chantilly was accompanied only by his
younger son, the Duc de Guise, and it was not possible even then for him
to obtain possession of it. The Château and the Pavillon d'Enghien were
still occupied by Prussian officers, whilst in the town of Chantilly
there was a garrison of German soldiers who were holding the Mayor and
the Vicar as hostages.
It was under such sad circumstances that the heir of the Condés saw once
more the heritage from which he had parted so many years before. On
attempting to enter the Park unobserved by a side gate his distinguished
appearance awoke recognition in one of his old keepers who, bowing low
and with tears in his eyes addressed him by name. Whereupon the Duke
found it impossible to control his emotion.
As soon, however, as the German troops had departed, His Royal Highness
entered upon his property and, in spite of all the sorrows which had
fallen upon him since he had left his beloved home, he yet felt happy at
being once more on French soil, and able to educate his only surviving
son in his native land. The young Duc de Guise was sent to a college in
Paris, but spent his holidays at Chantilly; and father and son, as in
the time of the last two Condés, were often seen riding and hunting
together in the park and woods. From time to time also the Archduchess
Marie Clementine, mother of the late Duchess, visited at the Château.
In 1872 all the surviving members of the French Royal Family assembled
at Chantilly to celebrate the wedding of Princesse Marguerite, daughter
of the Duc de Nemours with Prince Ladislas Czartoysky; and on this
occasion the great battle-pieces representing the military glories of
the great Condé were replaced in the Gallery.
In the early spring of that year, King Edward and Queen Alexandra--then
Prince and Princess of Wales--paid a visit to the Duc d'Aumale; with
whom they had contracted a warm friendship during his residence in
England.
But just when calm and happiness seemed to have at last returned to
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