We're getting close to July 14th, otherwise known as Bastille Day! This is one of my favorite days of the year. As a Francophile, I'm fascinated by one of the most significant dates in French history. It's arguably the beginning of the French Revolution which changed European history forever, It's also my wedding anniversary! My husband knew what he was getting into when he married a historian :)
Today's historical sketch takes place on the eve of the French Revolution in 1786, about three years before the fall of the Bastille. The Diamond Necklace Affair was a scandal that further damaged Marie Antoinette's reputation (even though she was innocent of the entire thing!). It came to symbolize the monarchy's decadence at a time when France's poor was starving. Today we'll focus on the woman at the heart of the Affair, Jeanne de Valois-Saint-Rémy. Here is what history remembers of her:
-Descended from an illegitimate son of Henry II, she was born into poverty until her marriage to the Comte de la Motte
-A convincing con artist, she told the Cardinal de Rohan that she was a close friend of Marie Antoinette
-The Cardinal wanted to get in the Queen's good graces, and lucky for him Jeanne knew just the way. All he had to do was guarantee the purchase of a 2,000 carat diamond necklace!
-Of course Marie Antoinette knew nothing about Jeanne or the necklace, but she was known to the public as liking expensive things (hence the nickname Madame Deficit)
-Once she had the necklace in her possession, Jeanne and her husband separated the diamonds and tried to sell them. Things unraveled when the jewelers demanded payment for the necklace from the Queen while the Cardinal pretended to check his couch cushions for change
-At the end of the trial, the Queen's reputation was destroyed, the Cardinal was acquitted, and Jeanne was condemned to life imprisonment and branding
-Jeanne managed to escape to London and published her memoirs Memoires Justificatifs de La Comtesse de Valois de La Motte. It placed the blame all on Marie Antoinette
-Jeanne died in 1791 after falling out her window to escape debt collectors
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