author
Duchesse de Louise Elisabeth Tourzel
1749–1832
Best known as the last governess to the children of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, she left behind a firsthand account of life at the French court as the Revolution closed in. Her memoirs bring royal history close-up, with the tension of witness testimony and the intimacy of family life.
2 Audiobooks
Mémoires de Madame la Duchesse de Tourzel, tome second Gouvernante des enfants de France pendant les années 1789 à 1795
by Duchesse de Louise Elisabeth Tourzel
Mémoires de Madame la Duchesse de Tourzel, tome premier Gouvernante des enfants de France pendant les années 1789 à 1795
by Duchesse de Louise Elisabeth Tourzel
About the author
Born in 1749 into the House of Croÿ, she became known as the Marquise, and later Duchess, de Tourzel. She served at the court of Louis XVI and in 1789 was appointed Governess of the Children of France, placing her in direct care of the royal children during the most unstable years of the French Revolution.
That role made her an eyewitness to some of the era's most dramatic events. She accompanied the royal family through the upheaval of the Revolution and is especially remembered for her closeness to Marie Antoinette and the children during the years leading up to the fall of the monarchy.
She later wrote memoirs that remain valuable for readers interested in the human side of the Revolution. Rather than offering history from a distance, her writing preserves the view of someone who lived inside the royal household and watched a world unravel from within.