Charlotte-Jeanne Béraud de la Haye de Riou, marquise de Montesson

Charlotte-Jeanne Béraud de la Haye de Riou, marquise de Montesson (Paris, 1737 – Paris, 6 February 1806) was a mistress to Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, and ultimately, his wife; however, Louis XV would not allow her to become the "duchesse". She wrote and acted in several plays.

Biography

Charlotte-Jeanne Béraud de la Haye de Riou was born in Paris of an old Breton family.

About 1754 she married Jean-Baptiste, marquis de Montesson, who died in 1769. Her beauty and intelligence attracted the attention of Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, whom she secretly married in 1773 with the authorization of Louis XV of France. For her husband's amusement she set up a little theater and wrote several plays, in the acting of which she herself took part.

She was imprisoned for some time during the Terror, but was released after the fall of Maximilien Robespierre, befriended Joséphine de Beauharnais, and was a prominent figure at the beginning of the empire.

The best edition of her works appeared under the title of "Œuvres anonymes" in 1782-1785. See Charles Collé, "Journal" (1868); the "Memoirs of St Simon, Madame de Genlis, the duchesse d'Abrantes and Mme de Levis"; G Strenger, "La Société de la marquise de Montesson," in the "Nouvelle revue" (1902); J Turquan, "Madame de Montesson douairiere d'Orléans" (Paris, 1904); and G Capon and R Yve-Plessis, "Les Théâtres clandestins du xviii' siècle" (1904).

References

*1911