duchesse de Dorothée Dino

Born Dorothea von Biron in 1793, she was officially recognized as a Princess of Courland and was educated in Germany. In 1809 she married Edmond de Talleyrand-Périgord, nephew of the French diplomat Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand, and entered one of the most influential families in European politics.

Her marriage became unhappy, but she soon emerged as an important figure in her own right. During and after the Congress of Vienna, she was closely associated with Talleyrand and became known for the grace, intelligence, and social skill that made her a striking presence in diplomatic and aristocratic society.

Known as Duchesse de Dino and later Duchess of Sagan, she spent much of her life at the center of nineteenth-century European power and culture. She died in 1862, leaving behind a reputation as one of the most memorable noblewomen of her age.