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| Ortensia
Mancini
Duchesse de Mazarin (1646–99) Other names: Hortense Mancini Biographical Duchesse de Rethel 1661–99† Duchesse de Mayenne 1661–99† Hortense moved to France in 1653 with her mother, brother Philippe, sister Marie, cousin Laura Martinozzi, and an aunt. She was nearly married to both Charles II of England and Charles-Emmanuel II of Savoy, but her uncle, Cardinal Mazarin, arranged for her to marry de La Porte instead. Unfortunately, he turned out to be a religious fanatic and highly jealous, keeping her away from court. After Mazarin's death in 1661, Hortense inherited most of his wealth. When she discovered her husband was squandering her fortune, she filed a legal complaint. She made several attempts to leave him and sought a legal separation in 1666. In 1668, she fled Paris disguised as a man with her maid and went to Italy to join her sister Marie. There, she had an affair with the gentleman Courbeville, which caused a scandal, and rumours circulated that she was pregnant with his child. She returned to Paris in 1670 with Philippe to seek a legal separation and a pension from her husband, but her efforts were unsuccessful. She returned to Italy, and in 1672, when Marie decided to flee her own husband, the two women went to France and sought support from Louis XIV, who refused to meet them. Hortense then lived with her former suitor, Charles-Emmanuel, until his death in 1675. Afterward, she moved to England at Charles II's invitation, where she was housed near St James's Palace and hosted a literary salon attended by prominent figures. She published her memoirs in 1675. Her husband continued to demand her return, using all available legal means, but his efforts were in vain. After her death, he had her body transported back to him, where he kept it in a coffin and took it on his travels until it was finally entombed. In 1793, her bones, along with her husband's, were thrown into the Seine by revolutionaries. Place of birth: Rome Place of baptism: Church of Santa Maria in Via Lata, Rome (1646) Place of death: Chelsea, England Place of burial: Collège des Quatre Nations, Paris Daughter of Michele Mancini and Girolama Mazzarino, she married Armand-Charles de La Porte in 1661, and had issue. |
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