20 facts about Adrienne de Lafayette
Today is the birthday of my Lord, saver and Queen, Adrienne de Lafayette so here yo have my 20 favourite facts about her.
1. Adrienne had 4 sisters. That drove is father crazy, as he wanted a male heir. In fact, he suffered a lot until Adrienne had his son. Gilbert, on his side, supported her and she wrote that he won’t mind having just daughters.
2. Adrienne was the second daughter. Her older sister was considered prettier than her (Adrienne wasn’t really pretty), but she was said to be wittier.
3. Her mother influenced her personality a lot as she educated her children to think by themselves: she read them the Bible, plays by Racine or Corneille, myths and contemporary philosophers like Voltaire. A governess also contributed to their education.
4. Adrienne was catholic her whole life. This marked her a lot, specially in her relationship with Gilbert. In fact, in the French Revolution, when the state stablished its own priests, she kept going to ‘illegal’ mass with unconstitutional priests.
5.She was the one who administered Gilbert’s fortune (and her own) with the help of Morizot. While he was in America, it was Adrienne who used the money to help the people of Auvergne. Also, she negotiated her debt while and after the Revolution, being able to get a monthly-pay.
6. Gil and her bought a plantation to emancipate slaves (which Adrienne administered too) but it was expropiated along woth the slaves by the state during the French Revolution.
7. She met the men and women more poweful of her time: the Adams’s, the Jefferson’s, The Monroe’s, The King and Queen of France... She even interview herself with the Austrian emperor and with Napoleon in order to help Gilbert.
8. She had 4 kids: Henriette, named after her mother, Anastasie, Georges and Virginie. The last ones were named after Washington and after his home-state, even if the one who proposed Virginie’s name was Thomas Jefferson, who also lived in Virginia.
9. It was Virginie the one who wrote Adrienne’s memories where she explains their life in prision.
10. When she was 20 and Gil has returned for a little time, she used to faint out when she was close to him. It was said that it happened because she was really attracted to him, but I like to think she wanted to spend time alone with her husband.
11. Gilbert had two lovers, having his longest relationship with Adelaide de Simiane. Adrienne thought it was his fault and she cantained her pain, anger and sadness. She even made their children call her ‘aunt’. In the first Revolution days, she kept her informed about Gilbert.
12. She was a realy good friend of Abbie Adams even if she was 12 years older. Abigail said that she hated France, but adored Adrienne. To complete this friendship, we must add Thomas Jefferson.
13. She created, with Gilbert, a reading club that reunited every Monday on their house. In them, important personalities both french and american.
14. After the Revolution, she looked for the corpses of her mother, aunt and sister to bury them properly.
15. Gil referred to her in his letters as "Mon Cher cœur"
16. She died from lead poisoning. She poisoned herself during her imprisionment with Gilbert.
17. The lead poisoning caused her blisters, sores and abcesses along with deliria. In them, she thought she was some of the characters in the Old Testament but she always remembered she was married to Gilbert.
18. She died on Christmas Eve, her son’s birthday. Her last words to Gilbert were “Je suis tout à vous”.
19. Gilbert wrote a letter to a friend talking about her last days and its heart-breaking.
20. Gilbert died 25 years later, holding a picture of her between is hands. They were burried on a joined tomb.
This have been my 20 facts to show my unlimited love to this woman that has changed my life. As a disclamer I should say that I’m not an expert and I hope I haven’t messed up with anything.