Marie-Aurore de Saxe: Difference between revisions

Claude-Louis Rinteau, a lemonade merchant, and his wife, Marie-Anne Dupuy are the parents of two daughters: Marie<ref>Marie-Geneviève Rinteau was born in Paris, in the parish of [[St-Gervais-et-St-Protais]], on 6 January 1730 and died in Paris, in the parish of [[La Madeleine, Paris|Sainte-Marie-Madeleine-de-la-Ville-l'Évêque]], on 22 October 1775.</ref> and Geneviève.<ref>Geneviève-Claude Rinteau was born in Paris, in the parish of Saint-Leu-Saint-Gilles, on 13 February 1734 and died in Paris, in the parish of [[Église Saint-Jacques-du-Haut-Pas|Saint-Jacques-du-Haut-Pas]], on 23 September 1791.</ref> Desiring to ensure a brilliant career to his children, but above all to ensure his own success, Claude-Louis Rinteau uses [[Maurice de Saxe]],<ref>[[Maurice de Saxe]], comte de la Raute (1696-1710) later comte de Saxe (1710-1750), was born on 28 October 1696 in [[Goslar]] and died on 30 November 1750 at the [[Château de Chambord]].</ref> Marshal of France, known for his military victories, but also for his agitated love life.<ref>Gaston Maugras: ''Les demoiselles de Verrières'', Paris, [[Calmann-Lévy]],‎ 1890, 276 p. [http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k205743f/f35.image online], chap. II: Origine des demoiselles de Verrières, p. 28.</ref> A great lover of theatre, he ordened that during his campaigns a group of actors followed him to support the morale of his troops. Claude-Louis Rinteau knew that the prettiest actresses are used by the pleasure of Marshal de Saxe and without scruples, he offered him his two daughters during the year 1747.<ref>[[Jean-François Marmontel]] in his memoirs mentions about Marie Rinteau that ''she was protected by the Marshal and was one of his mistresses; it was given to him at the age of seventeen''. Jean-François Marmontel (preface by Maurice Tourneux): ''Mémoires de Marmontel : mémoires d'un père pour servir à l'instruction de ses enfans'', vol. I, t. I, Paris, La Librairie des Bibliophiles,‎ 1891 (1st ed. 1800), 330 p. [http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k2135848/f251.image online], chap. Livre IV: Liaisons de Mademoiselle Marie Verrière, p. 221.</ref> Claude-Louis Rinteau in return obtained his appointment as military storekeeper, who proved to be a big source of profits. But his greed had a cost for Maurice of Saxony, who was accused of embezzlement and misappropriation<ref>[[René Louis de Voyer de Paulmy d'Argenson]]: ''Journal et mémoires du marquis d'Argenson'', vol. V, Paris, ed. Vve Jules Renouard,‎ 1863, 532 p. [http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6561176v/f296.image online]: Novembre 1748, p. 280.</ref> and thanks of his position he could escape from prosecution, but justice must find culprits. Therefore look towards his subordinates, Claude-Louis was put in prison.<ref>Gaston Maugras: ''Les demoiselles de Verrières'', Paris, [[Calmann-Lévy]],‎ 1890, 276 p. [http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k205743f/f38.image online], chap. II: Le maréchal de Saxe et sa troupe de comédie, pp. 31-32.</ref> While the "''bon père de famille''" meditated his fate in a dungeon in [[Brussels]], Marie (aged 17), and Geneviève (aged 13), entered into the world of entertainment at the Theatre of the Army.<ref>In biographies of George Sand can be well established the occupation of her great-grandmother Marie Rinteau, who become in a young debutante in the Opera. Thérèse Marix-Spire: ''Les romantiques et la musique : le cas George Sand'', vol. I, Paris, Nouvelles Éditions Latines,‎ 1954 (reprinted 20 January2008), 714 p. [https://books.google.fr/books?id=7dh_LOYknZEC&pg=PA70&lpg=PA70&dq=Les+romantiques+et+la+musique+Marie+Rinteau&source=bl&ots=gqFefJnuYX&sig=VQNmQ2nDm0aluszMlYVJduTRIDA&hl=fr&sa=X&ei=UFnuU-LNIaqg0QWAtYDgCg#v=onepage&q=Les%20romantiques%20et%20la%20musique%20Marie%20Rinteau&f=false online]: George Sand et la musique, influences lointaines, p. 70.</ref> They adopt a stage name from wich both sisters will be known in history: ''Mesdemoiselles de Verrières''.<ref>This alias was spelled with or without the "s" and the particle will be added in 1751. The demoiselles de Verrières were also changed this surname name several times.</ref> Maurice de Saxe first sets his eyes on the very young Geneviève, but this was a short-lived affair. The oldest sister, Marie, a remarkable beauty and vivid spirit, could seduced the old soldier. She soon became in his mistress and was installed in [[Le Marais]] near the ''Rue du Parc-Royal'' at [[Paris]]. From the affair, a daughter was born on 20 September 1748. She was baptized a month after her birth, on 19 October in the Church of [[St-Gervais-et-St-Protais]]. The child was registered as a daughter of certain Jean-Baptiste La Rivière, in fact a non-existed person,<ref>Survey of the Parlement of Paris dated 15 May 1766. Source: [[Archives nationales (France)|National Archives]], collection of 11 May to 28 May 1766, folios 110 verso and 112 recto.</ref> and was named after her paternal grandmother, [[Maria Aurora von Königsmarck]]. Her godpfather was the adjutant of the Marshal of Saxe, Antoine-Alexandre Colbert, marquis de Sourdis,<ref>Paris Archives: extract from the baptism certificate of 19 octobre 1748: ''Marie-Aurore, fille, présentée le dit jour à ce baptême par Antoine-Colbert, marquis de Sourdis, et par Geneviève Rinteau, parrain et marraine [...].''</ref> and the godmother was her aunt Geneviève. The Marshal de Saxe show any interest in the fate of his illegitimate daughter and bequeathed him nothing, just like the other children that he leaves behind. Marshal Maurice de Saxe, in turn, was as a product of the affair between [[Augustus II the Strong]], [[King of Poland]] and [[Elector of Saxony]], with the Countess von Königsmarck.

 

[[File:Marie-Aurore de Saxe (1748-1821) Correspondance A.jpg|220px|thumbnail|left|Petition send in the name of Marie-Aurore to the Dauphine, born Maria Josepha of Saxony, 1755.]]

One of the nephews of the Marshal de Saxe, the Count of Friesen, known in France under the name of ''Comte de Frise'',<ref>The comte de Frise took over the succession of the Marshal de Saxe and lived since 1750 for the next five years. He also inherits from the Marshal all his farms and horses.</ref> provided some financial help to Marie-Aurore, but his death in 1755 deprived the illegitimate daughter of Maurice de Saxe from all support. A petition was addressed to the Dauphine [[Maria Josepha of Saxony, Dauphine of France|Maria Josepha of Saxony]] the same year in favor of Marie-Aurore, providing her existence and ensured her education. King Louis XV granted a pension of 800 livres to the ''demoiselle Aurore''.<ref>On this subject on the website of the Ministry of Culture and Communication, the aforementioned document: [http://www.georgesand.culture.fr/fr/trans/ent/fa_auroredesaxe_2.htm ''Pétition de Marie-Aurore de Saxe à Madame la Dauphine''] [retrieved 20 May 2015].</ref><ref>Roger Pierrot, Jacques Lethève, Marie-Laure Prévost, Michel Brunet and the [[Bibliothèque nationale de France]] (dir.) (praface by Georges Le Rider): ''George Sand : visages du romantisme'', Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, coll. "Catalogue d'exposition",‎ 20 January 1977, 208 p. (BnF nº [http://catalogue.bnf.fr/servlet/RechercheEquation;jsessionid=75476CA66D1EF3390BA9C0B7FD9D9B05?TexteCollection=HGARSTUVWXYZ1DIECBMJNQLOKP&TexteTypeDoc=DESNFPIBTMCJOV&Equation=IDP%3Dcb34702163s&FormatAffichage=0&host=catalogue FRBNF34702163]), [http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k65340311/f39.image online]), chap. 1: "Prélude XVIIIe siècle", p. 5.</ref>

 

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