author
duchesse de Louise Henriette Charlotte Philippine (de Noailles) de Durfort Duras
1745–1832
A close observer of court life and revolution, this French duchess left a vivid personal record of one of the most turbulent periods in French history. Her memoirs and prison journals offer an intimate view of Marie Antoinette’s circle and the dangers faced by the old aristocracy.
1 Audiobook
Prison Journals During the French Revolution
by duchesse de Louise Henriette Charlotte Philippine (de Noailles) de Durfort Duras
About the author
Born in Paris on August 23, 1745, into the powerful Noailles family, the future Duchess of Duras grew up in the highest ranks of French nobility. She married Emmanuel-Céleste de Durfort, duc de Duras, and became known at court as Louise Charlotte de Noailles, duchesse de Duras.
She served in the household of Marie Antoinette for many years, first around the time of the dauphine’s arrival in France and later as a lady-in-waiting to the queen. That position placed her at the center of Versailles during the final decades of the Ancien Régime.
She is remembered today above all for her memoirs and prison journals, which describe the French Revolution from the viewpoint of someone who lived through its fear and upheaval firsthand. Her family suffered heavily during the Terror, and her writings remain valuable for their personal, immediate picture of court society, imprisonment, and survival. She died on February 12, 1832.