
audiobook
by Mme. Du Hausset, princesse de Marie Thérèse Louise de Savoie-Carignan Lamballe
Produced by David Widger
MEMOIRS OF LOUIS XV. AND XVI.
BOOK 6. - SECTION IV.
SECTION V.
SECTION VI.
SECTION VII.
SECTION VIII.
SECTION IX.
POSTSCRIPT:
SECTION X.
A rare, first‑hand account pulls listeners into the fevered heart of late‑eighteenth‑century France. Through the eyes of a lady’s maid serving the queen’s inner circle and an unnamed English observer, the memoirs reveal the private anxieties, whispered conspiracies, and daily rituals that framed a court on the brink of collapse. Their voices capture the clash between polished ceremony and the rising tide of popular unrest.
The narrative follows the tumult that erupted after the dismissal of Necker, the violent mob actions that led to the storming of the Bastille, and the frantic attempts of the king and his family to navigate a world turned upside‑down. Vivid scenes—such as a shattered bust foretelling doom, the gruesome display of the Bastille’s fallen commander, and the queen’s desperate pleas for a dialogue with the new Assembly—bring the chaos to life with immediacy and humanity.
Listeners will find a compelling blend of political drama and intimate court life, offering a nuanced portrait of a society teetering between decadence and revolution, all told from the perspective of those who lived in its shadows.
Full title
Memoirs of the Courts of Louis XV and XVI. — Volume 6 Being secret memoirs of Madame Du Hausset, lady's maid to Madame de Pompadour, and of the Princess Lamballe
Language
en
Duration
~3 hours (174K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2004-12-03
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
1713–1801
A close observer of life at the French court, this memoirist left a vivid account of Madame de Pompadour and the world around Louis XV. Her writing offers an intimate, ground-level view of power, favor, and daily life behind palace doors.
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1749–1792
A gentle, tragic figure of the French court, she is remembered as one of Marie Antoinette’s closest companions and as a victim of the French Revolution’s most violent days. Her life moved from aristocratic privilege to sudden widowhood, royal intimacy, and a shocking death that made her story unforgettable.
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