Catherine Grand
Encyclopedia
Catherine Noele Grand was the mistress
and later the wife of French
diplomat
Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, the first Prime Minister of France
. From their marriage in 1802 until her death she was Catherine Noele Grand de Talleyrand-Périgord, Princesse de Bénévent
. Madame Grand was known for her striking Nordic beauty, as well as her ingenuous public comments.
of Tranquebar, India
, to a French colonial official stationed at nearby Pondicherry. In 1777, her family moved to Chandernagore, where she met George Francis Grand, a British civil servant
of Huguenot
descent stationed at Calcutta
(since renamed "Kolkata"). They were wed in Calcutta in 1778, when Catherine was barely sixteen.
The couple separated soon after, because of her brief but scandalous affair with Sir Philip Francis
, deputy of Warren Hastings
, and Madame Grand removed to London
. By 1783, when Vigee Le Brun painted her portrait there, Catherine Grand had become a courtesan
in Paris
; she returned to Britain just before the French Revolution
in 1789.
In 1794, Mme. Grand returned to France and there attracted the attention of French diplomat Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, with whom she lived as mistress until 1802, when Napoleon Bonaparte
pressed Talleyrand to marry her. After marriage the two gradually drifted apart. Madame Talleyrand began living alone, her husband eventually giving her enough money to live luxuriously in London.
In the last few years of her life, the Princesse de Benevente returned to Paris. She died there on December 10, 1834, and her body was buried in Montparnasse Cemetery
.
Mistress (lover)
A mistress is a long-term female lover and companion who is not married to her partner; the term is used especially when her partner is married. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,...
and later the wife of French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, the first Prime Minister of France
Prime Minister of France
The Prime Minister of France in the Fifth Republic is the head of government and of the Council of Ministers of France. The head of state is the President of the French Republic...
. From their marriage in 1802 until her death she was Catherine Noele Grand de Talleyrand-Périgord, Princesse de Bénévent
Benevento
Benevento is a town and comune of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, 50 km northeast of Naples. It is situated on a hill 130 m above sea-level at the confluence of the Calore Irpino and Sabato...
. Madame Grand was known for her striking Nordic beauty, as well as her ingenuous public comments.
Life
Catherine Noele Worlée was born in the Danish possessionDanish India
Danish India is a term for the former colonies of Denmark, and until 1814 Denmark–Norway, in India. The colonies included the town of Tranquebar in present-day Tamil Nadu state, Serampore in present-day West Bengal, and the Nicobar Islands, currently part of India's union territory of the Andaman...
of Tranquebar, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, to a French colonial official stationed at nearby Pondicherry. In 1777, her family moved to Chandernagore, where she met George Francis Grand, a British civil servant
British Civil Service
Her Majesty's Home Civil Service, also known as the Home Civil Service, is the permanent bureaucracy of Crown employees that supports Her Majesty's Government - the government of the United Kingdom, composed of a Cabinet of ministers chosen by the prime minister, as well as the devolved...
of Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
descent stationed at Calcutta
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
(since renamed "Kolkata"). They were wed in Calcutta in 1778, when Catherine was barely sixteen.
Philip Francis (English politician)
Sir Philip Francis was an Irish-born British politician and pamphleteer, the possible author of the Letters of Junius, and the chief antagonist of Warren Hastings. His accusations against the latter led to the Impeachment of Warren Hastings by Parliament.-Early life:Born in Dublin, he was the only...
, deputy of Warren Hastings
Warren Hastings
Warren Hastings PC was the first Governor-General of India, from 1773 to 1785. He was famously accused of corruption in an impeachment in 1787, but was acquitted in 1795. He was made a Privy Councillor in 1814.-Early life:...
, and Madame Grand removed to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. By 1783, when Vigee Le Brun painted her portrait there, Catherine Grand had become a courtesan
Courtesan
A courtesan was originally a female courtier, which means a person who attends the court of a monarch or other powerful person.In feudal society, the court was the centre of government as well as the residence of the monarch, and social and political life were often completely mixed together...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
; she returned to Britain just before the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
in 1789.
In 1794, Mme. Grand returned to France and there attracted the attention of French diplomat Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, with whom she lived as mistress until 1802, when Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
pressed Talleyrand to marry her. After marriage the two gradually drifted apart. Madame Talleyrand began living alone, her husband eventually giving her enough money to live luxuriously in London.
In the last few years of her life, the Princesse de Benevente returned to Paris. She died there on December 10, 1834, and her body was buried in Montparnasse Cemetery
Montparnasse Cemetery
Montparnasse Cemetery is a cemetery in the Montparnasse quarter of Paris, part of the city's 14th arrondissement.-History:Created from three farms in 1824, the cemetery at Montparnasse was originally known as Le Cimetière du Sud. Cemeteries had been banned from Paris since the closure, owing to...
.