In the light of the International women's day I dedicate the post to the meanness of the Musketeers and honor the lively beauty of Milady.
Few classical works so replete with blunders, like the "Three Musketeers" by Dumas. Not to mention the fact that the entire historical conjuncture of the Richelieu era, to put it mildly, is pushed aside, and the facts are mercilessly shuffled, within the framework of the novel itself, the ends simply do not meet. The merry fellow Dumas clearly made fun of the ingenuous reader, lovingly describing the "nobility" of the villainous musketeers.
Take the beautiful-hearted D'Artagnan and his relationship with the vile intriguer Milady. Who is Milady anyway? That's right, France's spy in England. How does the novel actually begin? With the fact that Rochefort gives the newly recruited Milady the order of the Prime Minister of France. (I note: it is in this scene that the vile intriguer involuntarily saves the health or even the life of D'Artagnan, distracting the "stranger from Meng" from him).
Further, throughout the novel, Lady Winter regularly serves the homeland of D'Artagnan, and he and his comrades are constantly trying to spoil her. In particular, keeping in touch with the French Queen (after all, a politically significant figure!) with the Prime Minister of England, relations with which are more than tense. The cardinal is trying to break this connection, and, it should be noted, successfully. And he's a villain! (By the way, although I try not to touch on history outside of Dumas, Buckingham's death prevented the English landing in France. Nothing to say, an excellent reason to execute the murderer!).
And why, in fact, did this enmity between D'Artagnan and Milady begin at all? She had, she had personal reasons even before the poisoning of Constance. And the poisoning was partly revenge for the bad deeds of D'Artagnan. But before touching on the misdeeds of the hero, let's remember how Milady came to such a life, that is, in other words, how her career as an intriguer, seductress and murderer began.
She began, according to Dumas, with monasticism, and one fine day, tired of singing psalms, she fled the monastery with a young priest (motive insidious seduction we will leave the poor virgin 15-year-old girl on the conscience of the executioner of Lille - the narrator of this story). Lovers were caught, and even church jewels taken on the road were found from the priest. After that, the executioner of Lille - the brother of the fugitive - had to brand the thief and the apostate with his own hand. And at the same time, under hot hand, and the failed daughter-in-law. It was, so to speak, a gesture good will- nobody asked him about it. And in general, with respect to his brotherly feelings, branding was, frankly, illegal, because the young nun was not caught red-handed.
After that, our lovers were still able to leave the hateful monastery and settle in the lands of the Comte de la Fère. It is clear that a young girl who had just escaped from the monastery liked everything around her very much. Especially the Count. She liked him so much that she set out to become a countess and became one. Let us note that, in general, there was nothing dishonorable either in desire or in deed. Except perhaps concealing the stigma. On the other hand, how do we know how the countess reasoned? The lack of virginity of the count's wife did not jar - "maybe the stigma will roll ... then ... when we finally become related ..."
As for the first lover, soon after the marriage of the future Milady and Athos, he left and hanged himself. This is very sad, but it confirms the seriousness of the young countess's intentions. Life "on two fronts" was clearly not included in them.
And what? They had just begun to live like a human being, when the count discovers the same (illegal!) brand on his wife’s shoulder (everyone remembers the circumstances: “Hunting in the forest, trumpeting horns ... the horse collapsed in the heat of the moment”). The wife at that moment was unconscious, but the count had no time to wait - he, not understanding who and why sealed his beloved wife, hung her, insensible, on the nearest tree and galloped away. Then he drank heavily.
It is clear that, having hung to the fullest on a bough in reflections on male psychology, the former countess did not think of anything good. After that, she really behaved very badly. But I still believe that the root of evil lies in the deep decency of the musketeer Athos.
So, after her resurrection, the offended lady poisoned her husbands, seduced recklessly, obtained information through the bed, and so on (by the way, she began to be called milady when she married Lord Winter. She really wanted to have titled children). The more expensive for her was the opportunity to communicate with a man just like that - for the soul. And bodies. In short, on a date with de Ward, with whom she was passionate at that moment, none other than D'Artagnan appeared. The dear mischief-maker spent the night with her on behalf of de Wardes. The next day, having come to meet her already on his own behalf, our prankster could not resist and announced: yesterday, they say, it was me too! Surpriseeeiz! But this did not cause delight in the deceived mistress. Yes, she had intrigued against him before. But the desire to strangle the prankster, perhaps, arose only then. And when Milady rushed at the deceiver with her fists, that very stigma was exposed. After that, the hunt began for D'Artagnan as dangerous witness. Which, in fact, is understandable.
And finally - what good did D'Artagnan and his friends do, besides drinking, walking, working at the whim of a dissolute queen, putting spokes in the wheels of clever Richelieu?
Perhaps the only thing worth admiring them for is that they were faithful to each other, and even did not change the "owner" (whoever he was).
And now - I'll go and watch the film))))))))) And for some reason, as in childhood, it will be joyful from the cry "One for all and all for one!".
I noticed that many male readers especially liked the character - Milady. I've heard "Milady! Oh, what a woman!”, “D’Artagnan *** - offended such a woman!”. I was neutral towards this heroine, for example, she did not infuriate me.
Of course, the charming spy Lady Winter had her own real prototype- English Countess Carlisle (aka Lucy Hay), who served secret agent Cardinal Richelieu.
Contemporaries called her a witch endowed with demonic power, suggested her connection with secret magical societies.
Yes, Alexandre Dumas did not invent the story of royal pendants either. The author of this story, La Rochefoucauld, is a Baroque philosopher-writer who was personally acquainted with Queen Anne and the Duke of Buckingham.
The historical milady had her reasons for not liking Buckingham.
The real Milady is Lucy Hay (née Percy), also known as the Countess of Carlisle (1599 - 1660). Daughter of Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland.
Her father, deprived of royal favor, was imprisoned in the Tower. In order to save herself from ruin, Lucy, at the age of 18, married an elderly landowner. Two years later she was widowed and remarried to James Hay, Earl of Carlisle, her cousin.
The Duke of Buckingham drew attention to the lady of the world. Lucy then turned 20 years old, the Countess of Carlisle became Buckingham's favorite. The duke promised the countess influence in society and wealth, but did not keep his words. He turned all his attention to the French Queen Anne, decided to charm her and enlist political support. The duke forgot about the promise given to the favorite.
The ambitious Countess Carlisle decided to take revenge on the Duke. By chance, fate brought her to Cardinal Richelieu, and the lady became a French spy. This is how milady appears in Dumas' novel, she successfully completes the cardinal's espionage missions.
This is how La Rochefoucauld described Lucy Carlyle's decision to serve Richelieu:
“The cardinal, having explained to the countess that their feelings are similar and that they common interests, managed to master the haughty and jealous soul of this woman so skillfully that she became his most dangerous spy under the Duke of Buckingham. Out of a thirst to commend him for his infidelity and a desire to become necessary to the Cardinal, she spared no effort to obtain for him indisputable evidence in support of his suspicions about the Queen.
In the memoirs of the writer La Rochefoucauld, the episode with the pendants is described in great detail. Only the historical d'Artagnan did not participate in this matter, then he was 5 years old.
“The Duke of Buckingham, as I said above, was a dandy and loved splendor: he made great efforts to appear in meetings perfectly dressed, the Countess of Carlyle, who was so important to watch him, soon noticed that for some time now he began to wear previously not known to her diamond pendants. She had no doubt that the queen had given them to him, but to make sure of this, somehow at the ball she took the time to talk alone with the Duke of Buckingham and cut off these pendants from him in order to send them to the Cardinal. The Duke of Buckingham discovered the loss the same evening, and, reasoning that the pendants had been stolen by the Countess of Carlyle, was terrified of the consequences of her jealousy and began to fear that the eye would not be able to ship them to the Cardinal and thereby ruin the queen.
In order to avert this danger, he immediately sent out an order to close all the harbors of England and ordered that no one under any pretense be allowed out of the country until the time indicated by him. In the meantime, at his command, other pendants, exactly the same as those stolen, were hastily made, and he sent them to the queen, reporting everything that had happened. This precaution with the closure of the harbors prevented the Countess of Carlyle from carrying out her plan, and she realized that the Duke of Buckingham had enough time to prevent the execution of her insidious plan. The queen thus escaped the vengeance of this enraged woman, and the Cardinal lost right way convict the queen and confirm the doubts that overwhelmed the king: after all, he knew these pendants well, since he himself presented them to the queen.
In the novel by Dumas, Lady Winter incites a religious fanatic to kill Buckingham, she fulfills the order of the cardinal - "remove the duke." At real milady- Countess Carlisle, there was a personal motive for wanting the death of the duke - revenge. It was said that the countess also helped guide the "assassin's dagger", but all this remained secular gossip.
In Dumas' novel, the duke's killer is also called Felton, just like the real killer of Buckingham. The writer described the gossip about the involvement of the countess in the death of Buckingham in his novel, adding colors.
Duke of Buckingham and family
The widow of Buckingham (19th Baroness de Ros) in mourning with a portrait of her husband
Countess Lucy Carlisle had a magical charm, they said that she knew how to bewitch her fans. Dumas gave this talent to his heroine, Milady Winter. One of the names of the book milady is Lady Clarick, consonant with the name Carlisle. "The irresistible charm of mystical voluptuousness is the most destructive of all passions."
The poet Robert Herrick wrote about the mystical attraction of the Countess of Carlisle
I am black silk cord
I could see on her wrist;
He gently wrapped his hand
As if he had chained a prisoner.
It was a joyless dungeon
But here comes the daylight,
And, pushing a solid shadow,
Before us together night and day.
I imagine! if there
In captivity, freedom is a wondrous temple,
Ask for love and I'm ready
Do not remove those gloomy shackles.
In the Baroque era, adherents of mystical societies wore a black lace on their arm. It was said that magic helped the countess in love and politics. Milady remained immune to intrigue, setting traps for others.
Dumas describes Milady Winter like a witch:
“Nevertheless, many times during that evening she despaired of her fate and of herself; True, she did not call on God, but she believed in the help of the spirit of evil, in this powerful force that rules human life in its smallest manifestations and which, as the story goes Arabian fairy tale, one pomegranate seed is enough to revive a whole lost world.
The count tells that he executed her in her youth. But milady surprisingly survived.
“The count was a sovereign master of his land and had the right to execute and pardon his subjects. He completely tore the dress on the countess, tied her hands behind her back and hung her on a tree.
In my opinion, such an act does not fit with the image of a noble hero. In addition, he is an alcoholic, which is constantly mentioned in the novel.
"And, seizing the last bottle, Athos raised the neck to his lips and drank it in one gulp, as if it were an ordinary glass.
Maybe he committed lynching while drunk, and then overslept and didn’t really remember what he had done ... The count liked to drink, it was a sin.
I remember the dialogue from the humorous times of the 90s
- I want to marry the Comte de La Fere!
- Lost her mind? He's an alcoholic! Here is a cardinal - a cool man!
By the way, the actor Veniamin Smekhov, in whose performance the Count de La Fere looks brilliant, answered questions about this character: “The Count is good for everyone, but why did he kill the girl? Milady... I don't agree with him."
Yes, milady in the novel can be called a "girl", she is only 25 years old. She is a year younger than Constance, who is 26 years old.
Milady poisons Constance. Madame Bonacieux is a typical victim character. In detective stories, such heroines become victims of crimes.
The Comte de La Fere speaks of the demonic power of Milady.
- You are a demon sent to earth! began Athos. - Your power is great, I know, but you also know that people with God's help often defeated the most frightening demons. You've been in my way once already. I thought I wiped you off the face of the earth, madam, but either I was mistaken, or hell has resurrected you ...
At these words, which awakened terrible memories in her, Milady lowered her head and groaned softly.
“Yes, hell has resurrected you,” continued Athos, “hell has made you rich, hell has given you another name, hell has changed your face almost beyond recognition, but it has not washed away any dirt from your soul, nor the stigma from your body!
I will grumble a little about the moral character of the romantic "good" d'Artagnan. Movies usually show only his "great and pure" love for Constance.
At first, d'Artagnan sneaks into Milady's bedroom at night, posing as her lover, de Warde. In the dark, he remains unrecognized. Then, frightened, he writes a letter to Milady on behalf of de Ward - that he wants to part with her. Further, he receives an invitation from milady to come to her, which he is very happy about. Milady asks him to kill de Ward, who insulted her. And then came Awkward moment...
Along the way, d'Artagnan seduces Cathy, Milady's maid. In general, a hero of his time, an interesting type ... but does not cause admiration.
Dumas mentions that Milady was seriously interested in the Gascon, and about pure love he forgot to think about Constance.
“The only thing that was clear in this whole story was that d" Artagnan was madly in love with milady and that she did not love him at all ....
... he wanted to possess this woman again, already under his own name and, since this revenge had a certain sweetness in his eyes, he was unable to refuse it.
Milady possessed demonic power and, according to the Gascon:
“He mentally endowed this woman, who seemed to him a demon, with allies as supernatural as she herself; at the slightest rustle, he imagined that they had come to arrest him ... "
Actress Margarita Terekhova recalled that while playing the role she encountered mystical sensations:
“While working on the role of Milady, the forces of evil began to swirl around me. Otherwise, I cannot explain what happened. Let's say I had to draw a brand in the scene when d'Artagnan accidentally found out Milady's secret. Yura (director of the film Yungvald-Khilkevich) is also an artist. He says: "I'll draw you now." And suddenly he starts calling everyone. “Look, she has a red spot - you just need to circle it.” Can you imagine? I called everyone and simply outlined the lily that appeared on my shoulder.
I am a nervous woman, it seemed strange to me. We played this scene. But the further, the worse. Some inexplicable things began. My hair started to fall off a little. At first I left the bag, I don’t remember where, then I lost the ticket with which I had to fly on tour. I was so scared that I left everything in Odessa. Some incomprehensible forces swirled above me. It seems to me that this is precisely the very natural mixture of emotions, energy and some otherworldly phenomena, on which everything rested.
Milady performed by Terekhova in some scenes is really awesome. Such, for sure, Count Athos could only marry while drunk.
According to the book, Lady Winter was killed by the Musketeers. Honestly, I believed that she would still appear after that “hanging” and suit these “heroes” fun life. Unfortunately, the adventures of Milady in the novels of Dumas ended so sadly.
Historical Milady Survived literary heroine.
On the eve of the revolution in England, the countess was simultaneously a spy for two political opponents of Thomas Wentfort - a supporter of the king and Duke John Pym - his opponent. Attempt royalty arrest Pim was one of the reasons for the beginning of the English revolution.
Thomas Wentforth
John Pym
The Countess of Carlisle deftly settled herself during the English Revolution. She was the maid of honor of Queen Henrietta Maria, widow of the executed Charles I, who was in exile in Paris. She became a "triple" agent, depending on her interests, she passed on espionage information to her queen, the English parliamentarians of the new government and supporters of the restoration of the monarchy in England. Queen Henrietta Maria, according to friends, tried to protect herself from the influence of Carlisle, but could not resist her inexplicable power manipulator.
However, in 1649, at the age of 50, Milady stumbled in her spy games and ended up in the Tower Prison. In custody, Lady Carlisle spent about a year and a half. It was said that Milady was provided with a decent living, game, wine and desserts were served for dinner, and society friends could visit her.
After her release, the Countess Carlisle left her spy profession and retired to her beloved estate, where she lived for another 10 years.
In conclusion, shots from films with different Miladies. Which Lady Winter is your favorite?
Mylene Demongeot(1961)
Margarita Terekhova(1978)
Milla Jovovich(2011)
Ekaterina Vilkova(year 2013)
And the sweet boy d "Artagnan from the new film adaptation (2013), by the way, looks like a book image, such a hot southern guy.
Sergei Zhigunov, the director of the film, joked "In the book, a drinking young man wandered around the city, drank for 32 days with friends on royal money after that duel ...". And he certainly said.
23.09.2014 0 8527
The life story of a famous adventurer Jeanne de Lamotte, the prototype of Milady from Dumas' Three Musketeers, is so rich in incredible events that it seems fictional.
But the intrigue described in the novel with the diamond pendants of Anna of Austria, which caused the queen great trouble, actually took place and played a fatal role in the fate of Marie Antoinette. And not only. This adventure, according to Mirabeau, provoked the beginning revolutionary events in France.
FROM DIRT TO KINGS
In 1756, in one impoverished family of direct descendants of the Valois, whose family in antiquity and nobility was a match for the Bourbons themselves, a girl named Jeanne was born. True, there is another version of the origin of Jeanne de Lamotte, nee Saint-Remy de Valois: allegedly she was illegitimate daughter King and Madame Saint-Remy.
Be that as it may, need and poverty forced the girl to beg on the streets, using the well-known trick of beggars - to mention her noble birth: "Give the orphan Valois." This phrase, which sounded from the lips of a six-year-old girl, touched the Marquise Bouleville, who was passing by one day, and she decided to take part in the fate of the child. Having made inquiries about Jeanne's family, the marquise found out that the blood of French kings really flows in her.
Thanks to the efforts of the noble lady, the situation of Jeanne's family became much better: the father got a job, the mother left prostitution, the son entered the school of officers, and the daughters were sent to the boarding school of the convent for noble maidens. Jeanne was a smart and capable student, only she completely lacked modesty and humility, in addition, she constantly lied.
When she was 22, she fled the convent with one of her suitors, the Comte de Lamotte. By the way, de Lamotte was the same count as Jeanne-Valois. A former gendarmerie officer, completely unprincipled and cruel, a brilliant swindler, independently appropriated county title. Nevertheless, the future adventurer began to style herself the Countess de Lamotte.
THE QUEEN'S "CLOSER" FRIEND
In 1780 the de Lamottes moved to Paris. metropolitan life seemed to them a more fertile field for intrigue and enrichment than the provinces. It was in Paris that Jeanne met the Cardinal of Strasbourg, Louis de Rogan. The second fateful acquaintance of the Countess de Lamotte - with the famous Giuseppe Balsamo, a famous magician, alchemist, freemason, who became famous under the name of Count Cagliostro - took place at the same time.
The cardinal at that time was in disfavor with Marie Antoinette and tried his best to rectify the situation, but all efforts were in vain. Access to the French court and the king was closed, and Rogan so dreamed of the position of the first minister of France. It was on this that Jeanne de Lamotte played.
The cunning intriguer somehow became a regular at Versailles, she was received by many influential nobles. In fact, the countess was doing the same thing as in childhood - begging. For this purpose, she even had a legend in store: as if the possessions of her ancestors were appropriated by dishonest businessmen, so she knocks on the thresholds of offices in search of justice.
For greater persuasiveness, Jeanne once fainted in front of everyone, this gave rise to rumors that the countess almost died of starvation in the reception room of the royal palace. Repeating this technique several times, she achieved that they started talking about her, she was remembered. Thanks to her acquaintance with the cardinal, the bankers opened a loan for her, and the Lamotte couple healed in a big way.
Jeanne entertained the guests who visited her mansion with details from the life of the queen, and very soon they began to consider her close friend Marie Antoinette, and some were even sure that there was an intimate relationship between women. soil for main intrigue her life was prepared.
One day, Jeanne hinted to the cardinal that she could help him restore good relations with the royal couple, and offered to write a letter to Marie Antoinette. The delighted cardinal did not hesitate, immediately wrote a detailed message and even received a favorable response. A correspondence ensued. Only he could not know that it was not she who wrote the letters to the queen, but the accomplice of the countess, Reto de Villette, who knew how to masterfully forge handwriting.
The adventurer's next step was to organize a meeting between the cardinal and Marie Antoinette. For these purposes, she had another assistant - Nicole Lege, who looks like a queen. The meeting took place at dusk, and the fooled cardinal again did not understand that he had been fooled and that the rose, which the queen favorably handed him, had nothing to do with the latter. But from that moment on, Rogan was absolutely sure of the queen's special confidence in Jeanne de Lamotte.
When the countess conveyed to him a small request from the queen for a certain amount that she allegedly wanted to spend to help one impoverished noble family, the cardinal did not hesitate to take a loan of 40 thousand livres and handed the money to the queen's closest friend, the comtesse de Lamotte. Naturally, the queen never saw this money.
FATAL NECKLACE
Appetite comes with eating, and Jeanne de Lamotte eventually realized that there is never a lot of money. She conceived a grand scam, at the center of which was a diamond necklace, consisting of 600 precious stones with a total weight of 2,500 carats and a value of 1.6 million livres. The countess learned about the existence of this jewelry from the court jeweler, who, like all other characters, fell under the spell of a swindler.
At one time, Louis XV ordered the necklace for his then favorite, but he did not have time to present the gift, as he died. The jewelers who made the jewel, who invested all their money in it, were left with nothing. Marie Antoinette really wanted to buy a masterpiece of jewelry art, but the king refused her this. Meanwhile, the debts of the jewelers were becoming unsustainable, and they were already ready to dismantle the necklace and sell the stones separately. And then, fortunately for them, the Comtesse de Lamotte appeared on the horizon.
It was enough for Jeanne to only hint to the cardinal that the queen was eager to receive the decoration, and complain about the stinginess of the king. And at the beginning of 1785, an agreement was signed between the jewelers and de Rogan, which stated that the jewel should be transferred to the buyer immediately, and he would pay the money in installments (400 thousand livres every six months).
This deal somewhat alarmed the cardinal, and he asked Joan to have the queen put her signature on the treaty. Of course, the request was fulfilled, but not by Marie Antoinette, but by the same accomplice of the Countess Reto de Villette. Before handing the necklace to Jeanne, the cardinal decided to ask the advice of magical powers, whose intermediary, as you understand, was Count Cagliostro.
Now it is difficult to say for sure why the great mystifier went on about the countess and confirmed that she was doing a good deed. Perhaps he was in the share, or perhaps Jeanne, who managed to make friends with his wife, exerted influence through her. Whatever it was, a grand scam happened. And in the evening of the same day, the necklace turned into a pile of pebbles: when removing them from the jewelry, the scammers did not stand on ceremony, so many diamonds were damaged.
RETRIBUTION
After such a major theft, the scammers should have lay low, but they loved so much luxurious life that they immediately began to sell stones and spend the proceeds with glamor. The fact that the queen never appeared in a new piece of jewelry alerted the jewelers. In addition, when the time came for the first installment of 400 thousand livres, de Lamotte told the cardinal that the queen now had no money and she asked for a delay, and he informed the jewelers about this.
Here they were already seriously excited and began to seek an audience with the queen, who soon received them. Listening to the story of the necklace that seemed to have been purchased by her in installments, Marie Antoinette either blushed or turned pale. She was sure that this whole scam was the work of the cardinal, who wanted to dishonor her name, and demanded from the king severe and public punishment for the intriguer.
De Rogan was arrested and placed in the Bastille, but he did not take all the blame on himself, but frankly spoke about the participation of the Countess de Lamotte. Soon Zhanna was also arrested, and with her her accomplices. The adventurer's husband managed to escape to England, taking with him unsold diamonds.
The court sentenced Madame de Lamotte to flogging, branding with the letter V (voleuse - "thief") and life imprisonment. De Rogan was recognized as a victim of intrigues, but was expelled from the capital to the provinces. However, everything happened as famous joke: "The forks were found, but the sediment remained" - the name of the queen was tarnished by this scandal, especially since the French never loved her.
Insults were poured into her address, dirty pamphlets were distributed, society despised her, popular hostility spilled out. The necklace scandal caused the fall in the prestige of the Bourbons and the crisis of royal power, which began the French Revolution.
The Comtesse de Lamotte somehow in an incomprehensible way dressed up in men's suit, was able to leave prison dungeons in broad daylight and escape to England. There she began to write memoirs, in which the queen was presented as the main actor in this whole story, and everyone else was its victims. Undoubtedly, the memoirs only added fuel to the revolutionary fire and served as one of the main evidence of the queen's guilt in careless attitude to the interests of the state during her trial.
In the autumn of 1793, Marie Antoinette died under the knife of the guillotine. ABOUT future fate Jeanne is practically unknown. There are several versions of her death, not documented. According to one of them, she threw herself out of the window of an English hotel, mistaking the people who entered the room for agents of the French government. Her husband lived for many more years, but things did not go well for him, and in 1831 he died in poverty in a dirty Parisian hospital, abandoned by everyone.
LIFE AFTER DEATH
It is believed that the Countess de Lamotte did not die in England, she simply staged her death, wanting to escape from the persecution of creditors and her husband. On the eve of the war with Napoleon, she allegedly showed up in St. Petersburg under the assumed name of Countess Gachet and allegedly received Russian citizenship. At that time, they even wrote about her in the Russian Archive magazine: “An old woman of medium height, rather slender, in a gray cloth dressing-gown. Her gray hair was covered with a black feathered beret. A pleasant face with lively eyes. Many whispered about her oddities, hinted that there was something mysterious in her fate. She knew this and was silent, neither denying nor confirming her guesses.
At that time, Jeanne was already 68 years old, but she still shunned former compatriots. Petersburg was full of rumors that Zhanna was hiding from justice and that in the cellars of her house there were countless treasures.
These rumors reached Alexander I, and he appointed an audience with the mysterious countess. It is not known what they were talking about, only after this conversation Zhanna, having left St. Petersburg, moved to the Crimea, where she got a job as a teacher in the house of Princess Anna Golitsyna. They became good companions and in 1824 moved to live in the town of Koreiz in the Crimea.
After some time, Countess Gachet again changed her place of residence and settled in Stary Krym. Jeanne died in 1826. As soon as the sovereign learned of her death, a messenger was sent to the Crimea with an order from the chief of staff of His Majesty, which contained a demand to remove a dark blue box from the deceased's things. After long searches the casket was found, but it was empty. According to the maid, the countess on the night before her death burned her papers and looked at the diamonds.
In addition, she left an order not to wash her body, but to bury her in what she was wearing. However, the will of the deceased was not fulfilled, and under the naked body saw a leather vest latin letter V. French historical society recognized Jeanne de Lamotte in Countess Gachet. The well-known adventurer was buried near Elbuzla, a monument was erected on the grave, decorated with a royal lily and the inscription: "Here lies the French Countess de Lamotte." But over time, the tombstone disappeared, and a highway was laid on the site of the grave.
The Countess has been gone for a long time, but questions related to her remain: what was stored in the dark blue box that interested the emperor so much? Perhaps documents shedding light on this dark history proving the involvement of the first persons of France in the intrigue? Or is it the same diamond necklace that may have remained intact and intact?
Galina BELYSHEVA
I noticed that many male readers especially liked the character - Milady. I've heard "Milady! Oh, what a woman! ”,“ D’Artagnan *** - offended such a woman! ” I was neutral towards this heroine, for example, she did not infuriate me.
Of course, the charming spy Lady Winter had her real prototype - the English Countess Carlisle (aka Lucy Hay), who served as a secret agent for Cardinal Richelieu.
Contemporaries called her a witch endowed with demonic power, suggested her connection with secret magical societies.
Yes, Alexandre Dumas did not invent the story of royal pendants either. The author of this story, La Rochefoucauld, is a Baroque philosopher-writer who was personally acquainted with Queen Anne and the Duke of Buckingham.
The historical milady had her reasons for not liking Buckingham.
"Lady Lucy Percy", Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641)
The real Milady is Lucy Hay (née Percy), also known as the Countess of Carlisle (1599-1660). Daughter of Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland.
Her father, deprived of royal favor, was imprisoned in the Tower. In order to save herself from ruin, Lucy, at the age of 18, married an elderly landowner. Two years later she was widowed and remarried to James Hay, Earl of Carlisle, her cousin.
The Duke of Buckingham drew attention to the lady of the world. Lucy then turned 20 years old, the Countess of Carlisle became Buckingham's favorite. The duke promised the countess influence in society and wealth, but did not keep his words. He turned all his attention to the French Queen Anne, decided to charm her and enlist political support. The duke forgot about the promise given to the favorite.
The ambitious Countess Carlisle decided to take revenge on the Duke. By chance, fate brought her to Cardinal Richelieu, and the lady became a French spy. This is how milady appears in Dumas' novel, she successfully completes the cardinal's espionage missions.
This is how La Rochefoucauld described Lucy Carlyle's decision to serve Richelieu:
“The cardinal, having explained to the countess that their feelings are similar and that they have common interests, managed to so skillfully master the arrogant and jealous soul of this woman that she became his most dangerous spy under the Duke of Buckingham. Out of a thirst to commend him for his infidelity and a desire to become necessary to the Cardinal, she spared no effort to obtain for him indisputable evidence in support of his suspicions about the Queen.
In the memoirs of the writer La Rochefoucauld, the episode with the pendants is described in great detail. Only the historical d'Artagnan did not participate in this matter, then he was 5 years old.
“The Duke of Buckingham, as I said above, was a dandy and loved splendor: he made great efforts to appear in meetings perfectly dressed, the Countess of Carlyle, who was so important to watch him, soon noticed that for some time now he began to wear previously not known to her diamond pendants. She had no doubt that the queen had given them to him, but to make sure of this, somehow at the ball she took the time to talk alone with the Duke of Buckingham and cut off these pendants from him in order to send them to the Cardinal. The Duke of Buckingham discovered the loss the same evening, and, reasoning that the pendants had been stolen by the Countess of Carlyle, was terrified of the consequences of her jealousy and began to fear that the eye would not be able to ship them to the Cardinal and thereby ruin the queen.
"Portrait of a lady in a green dress" (portrait of Lucy Hay), Adrian Hannemann (1603-1671)
In order to avert this danger, he immediately sent out an order to close all the harbors of England and ordered that no one under any pretense be allowed out of the country until the time indicated by him. In the meantime, at his command, other pendants, exactly the same as those stolen, were hastily made, and he sent them to the queen, reporting everything that had happened. This precaution with the closure of the harbors prevented the Countess of Carlyle from carrying out her plan, and she realized that the Duke of Buckingham had enough time to prevent the execution of her insidious plan. The queen thus escaped the vengeance of this furious woman, and the Cardinal lost the surest way to convict the queen and confirm the doubts that prevailed against the king: after all, he knew these pendants well, since he himself presented them to the queen.
In Dumas' novel, Lady Winter incites a religious fanatic to kill Buckingham, she fulfills the order of the cardinal - "remove the duke." The real milady, the Countess of Carlisle, had a personal motive for wanting the Duke dead - revenge. It was said that the countess also helped guide the "assassin's dagger", but all this remained secular gossip.
In Dumas' novel, the duke's killer is also called Felton, just like the real killer of Buckingham. The writer described the gossip about the involvement of the countess in the death of Buckingham in his novel, adding colors.
Buckingham's widow in mourning with a portrait of her husband
Countess Lucy Carlisle had a magical charm, they said that she knew how to bewitch her fans. Dumas gave this talent to his heroine, Milady Winter. One of the names of the book milady is Lady Clarick, consonant with the name Carlisle."The irresistible charm of mystical voluptuousness is the most destructive of all passions."
The poet Robert Herrick wrote about the mystical attraction of the Countess of Carlisle
I am black silk cord
I could see on her wrist;
He gently wrapped his hand
As if he had chained a prisoner.
It was a joyless dungeon
But here comes the daylight,
And, pushing a solid shadow,
Before us together night and day.
I imagine! if there
In captivity, freedom is a wondrous temple,
Ask for love and I'm ready
Do not remove those gloomy shackles.
In the Baroque era, adherents of mystical societies wore a black lace on their arm. It was said that magic helped the countess in love and politics. Milady remained immune to intrigue, setting traps for others.
Dumas describes Milady Winter like a witch:
“Nevertheless, many times during that evening she despaired of her fate and of herself; True, she did not call on God, but she believed in the help of the spirit of evil, in this powerful force that governs human life in its smallest manifestations and which, as the Arabian tale tells, one pomegranate seed is enough to revive the whole lost world.
The count tells that he executed her in her youth. But milady surprisingly survived.
“The count was a sovereign master of his land and had the right to execute and pardon his subjects. He completely tore the dress on the countess, tied her hands behind her back and hung her on a tree.
In my opinion, such an act does not fit with the image of a noble hero. In addition, he is an alcoholic, which is constantly mentioned in the novel.
“And, seizing the last bottle, Athos raised the neck to his lips and drank it in one gulp, as if it were an ordinary glass.
Maybe he committed lynching while drunk, and then overslept and didn’t really remember what he had done ... The count liked to drink, it was a sin.
I remember the dialogue from the humorous times of the 90s
“I want to marry the Comte de La Fere!”
- Lost her mind? He's an alcoholic! Here is a cardinal - a cool man!
By the way, the actor Veniamin Smekhov, in whose performance the Count de La Fere looks brilliant, answered questions about this character: “The Count is good for everyone, but why did he kill the girl? Milady... I don't agree with him."
Yes, milady in the novel can be called a "girl", she is only 25 years old. She is a year younger than Constance, who is 26 years old.
Milady poisons Constance. Madame Bonacieux is a typical victim character. In detective stories, such heroines become victims of crimes.
The Comte de La Fere speaks of the demonic power of Milady.
“You are a demon sent to earth!” Athos began. “Your power is great, I know, but you also know that people, with God's help, have often defeated the most fearsome demons. You've been in my way once already. I thought I wiped you off the face of the earth, madam, but either I was mistaken, or hell has resurrected you ...
At these words, which awakened terrible memories in her, Milady lowered her head and groaned softly.
“Yes, hell has resurrected you,” continued Athos, “hell has made you rich, hell has given you another name, hell has changed your face almost beyond recognition, but it has not washed away any dirt from your soul, nor the stigma from your body!”
I will grumble a little about the moral character of the romantic "good" d'Artagnan. Movies usually show only his "great and pure" love for Constance.
At first, d'Artagnan sneaks into Milady's bedroom at night, posing as her lover, de Wardes. In the dark, he remains unrecognized. Then, frightened, he writes a letter to Milady on behalf of de Wardes - that he wants to part with her. Further, he receives an invitation from milady to come to her, which he is very happy about. Milady asks him to kill de Ward, who insulted her. And then came the awkward moment...
Along the way, d'Artagnan seduces Cathy, Milady's maid. In general, a hero of his time, an interesting character ... but does not cause admiration.
Dumas mentions that Milady was seriously interested in the Gascon, and he forgot to think about pure love for Constance.
“The only thing that was clear in this whole story was that d’Artagnan was madly in love with milady and that she did not love him at all ....
... he wanted to have this woman again, already under his own name, and since this revenge had a certain sweetness in his eyes, he was unable to refuse it.
Milady possessed demonic power and, according to the Gascon:
“He mentally endowed this woman, who seemed to him a demon, with allies as supernatural as she herself; at the slightest rustle, he imagined that they had come to arrest him ... "
Actress Margarita Terekhova recalled that while playing the role she encountered mystical sensations:
“While working on the role of Milady, the forces of evil began to swirl around me. Otherwise, I cannot explain what happened. Let's say I had to draw a brand in the scene when d'Artagnan accidentally found out Milady's secret. Yura (director of the film Yungvald-Khilkevich) is also an artist. He says: "I'll draw you now." And suddenly he starts calling everyone. “Look, she has a red spot - you just need to circle it.” Can you imagine? I called everyone and simply outlined the lily that appeared on my shoulder.
I am a nervous woman, it seemed strange to me. We played this scene. But the further, the worse. Some inexplicable things began. My hair started to fall off a little. At first I left the bag, I don’t remember where, then I lost the ticket with which I had to fly on tour. I was so scared that I left everything in Odessa. Some incomprehensible forces swirled above me. It seems to me that this is precisely the very natural mixture of emotions, energy and some otherworldly phenomena, on which everything rested.
Milady performed by Terekhova in some scenes is really awesome. Such, for sure, Count Athos could only marry while drunk.
According to the book, Lady Winter was killed by the Musketeers. Honestly, I believed that she would still appear after that “hanging” and arrange a fun life for these “heroes”. Unfortunately, the adventures of Milady in the novels of Dumas ended so sadly.
The historical milady survived the literary heroine.
On the eve of the revolution in England, the countess was simultaneously a spy for two political opponents of Thomas Wentfort - a supporter of the king and Duke John Pym - his opponent. An attempt by the royal authorities to arrest Pym was one of the reasons for the beginning of the English Revolution.
John Pym
The Countess of Carlisle deftly settled herself during the English Revolution. She was the maid of honor of Queen Henrietta Maria, widow of the executed Charles I, who was in exile in Paris. She became a "triple" agent, depending on her interests, she passed on espionage information to her queen, the English parliamentarians of the new government and supporters of the restoration of the monarchy in England. Queen Henrietta Maria, according to friends, tried to protect herself from the influence of Carlisle, but could not resist her inexplicable manipulator power.
However, in 1649, at the age of 50, Milady stumbled in her spy games and ended up in the Tower Prison. In custody, Lady Carlisle spent about a year and a half. It was said that Milady was provided with a decent living, game, wine and desserts were served for dinner, and society friends could visit her.
After her release, the Countess Carlisle left her spy profession and retired to her beloved estate, where she lived for another 10 years.
Milady is one of the main characters in Alexandre Dumas' novel The Three Musketeers. In the past, she bore the name of the Comtesse de La Fere, was the wife of Athos, whom he, seeing the brand of a criminal on her shoulder, hung. However, Milady managed to escape, and she became a confidant of Cardinal Richelieu, and therefore an enemy of the Musketeers. On the pages of the novel, the Musketeers successfully destroy her cunning designs. But still, Milady faces imminent death because she killed Constance Bonacieux, beloved of d'Artagnan. Musketeers execute Milady in a remote place called Armantières. This woman, cunning, heartless and smart, does not stop anything, she seeks to fulfill her plans and carry out Richelieu's political intrigues at any cost.
She has absolutely no remorse when, using her angelic appearance, seduces and sends the fanatic Felton to certain death, as she received an order from Richelieu to kill the Duke of Buckingham. For this murder, the cardinal promised Milady to allow the reprisal against d'Artagnan. She mercilessly kills Constance with poison, which upset Richelieu's plans. Milady deftly uses the cardinal for her own purposes, copes with the most dangerous situations and always achieves what he wants with the help of dirty intrigues and atrocities. The image of Milady contrasts sharply with the images of the main characters - the noble musketeers. She has only negative qualities.
Dumas presented Milady as a villainous heroine who provokes danger for the main characters. In the conditions created by it, the musketeers get the opportunity to demonstrate their fearlessness and endurance. Milady engages the Musketeers in endless adventures, and together with Richelieu, she forms the background against which the undoubted virtues of these heroes stand out even brighter.
Effective preparation for the exam (all subjects) - start preparing
Updated: 2012-12-28
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