author
Marie-Louise-Victoire marquise de La Rochejaquelein
1772–1857
A survivor of revolution and civil war, she wrote one of the most vivid firsthand accounts of the Vendée uprising. Her memoirs blend personal loss, political conviction, and sharp observation of France in turmoil.
1 Audiobook
Mémoires de Mme la marquise de La Rochejaquelein écrits par elle-même
by Marie-Louise-Victoire marquise de La Rochejaquelein
About the author
Born Marie-Louise-Victoire de Donnissan on October 25, 1772, she was a French noblewoman and memoirist best known for the account she left of the wars in the Vendée. She was raised in the world of the old French court, and the French Revolution upended that life completely.
She first married Louis-Marie de Salgues, marquis de Lescure, and after his death later married Louis du Vergier, marquis de La Rochejaquelein. Through these family ties and her own experiences, she became closely linked with the royalist cause during the revolutionary period. Her memoirs are remembered for describing danger, flight, grief, and endurance from the perspective of someone who lived through the conflict rather than merely reporting it afterward.
What makes her writing last is its human scale: alongside battles and political upheaval, she records fear, loyalty, family loss, and the strain of survival. For listeners interested in the French Revolution, counter-revolution, or intimate historical testimony, her work offers a direct and memorable voice.