Harriet Howard
Encyclopedia
Harriet Howard, born Elizabeth Ann Haryett (1823–1865) was a mistress and financial backer of Louis Napoleon, later Napoleon III of France
.
. At the age of fifteen she ran off with Jem Mason
, a well-known jockey, to live with him in London
. As his red-headed mistress and an aspiring actress she renamed herself Harriet Howard, and was referred to as Miss Howard. At the age of eighteen her next lover and patron was the married Major Mountjoy Martyn, Life Guards
. Miss Howard bore him a son, Martin Constantin Haryett, who at his baptism was presented as the child of her parents. The grateful Major Martyn bestowed a fortune on her and their son.
At a party given by Lady Blessington
in 1846, Miss Howard met Louis Napoleon, pretender
to the throne of France
, but at that time exile
d in London. He moved in with her. With her wealth, she supported his efforts and conspiracies to return to France. Napoleon brought his two sons (Alexandre Louis Eugène and Louis Ernest Alexandre) from an affair at the prison at Ham
into the household, where they were educated along with Martin.
, where she kept herself in the background as his mistress. She had a powerful enemy in Napoleon's cousin Princess Mathilde
to whom he was once engaged (1836) and who also had supported him financially. Miss Howard continued to support his aspirations to become emperor and largely financed his 1851 Coup d'état
. One year later, after a confirming plebiscite, he became Napoleon III, Emperor of the French. Soon, he was on a search for an empress, and Miss Howard found herself cast aside. Napoleon, after having been rejected by Carola of Vasa
of Sweden and other high-standing members of the nobility, chose Eugenie de Montijo
. Miss Howard was sent away to Le Havre
when Napoleon announced this marriage and her secretary desk was emptied of its compromising letters.
Miss Howard's fortune was built up again as Napoleon repaid his financial obligations. She was given the title comtesse de Beauregard, owner of the Château de Beauregard
near the main route between La Celle-Saint-Cloud
and Versailles
near Paris
. Within six months of the marriage, Napoleon resumed his relationship with her. His wife, who found sex "disgusting", forbade him to see her, and he being in need of an heir, had to submit.
Eventually in 1854 Miss Howard married Captain Clarence Trelawny, an English horse breeder who used her money for his business. The two sons of Napoleon she helped to raise returned to their mother. However Harriet and Clarence's marriage was difficult and did not last - they divorced in 1865, the same year she died.
The relationship to her son Martin was also strained — at his 21st birthday party he asked her publicly: "Now that I'm grown, Mother, won't you tell me who my father was?". Martin was later made comte de Béchevêt by Napoleon III, married into Hungarian nobility
and had three children, Richard Martyn Haryett de Béchevêt, Grisilde Charlotte Haryett de Béchevêt and Marianne Josephine Haryett de Béchevêt. When Martin died in 1907 his son Richard inherited his title.
She is buried alongside her son in the cemetery of Le Chesnay
, located less than 900 metres from the château (now destroyed).
Napoleon III of France
Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte was the President of the French Second Republic and as Napoleon III, the ruler of the Second French Empire. He was the nephew and heir of Napoleon I, christened as Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte...
.
London
She was the daughter of a bootmaker and the granddaughter of the owner of the Castle Hotel in BrightonBrighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
. At the age of fifteen she ran off with Jem Mason
Jem Mason
James "Jem" Mason was a champion English jockey. On February 26, 1839 he won the Grand National in Liverpool on a brown-bay racehorse called Lottery....
, a well-known jockey, to live with him in 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...
. As his red-headed mistress and an aspiring actress she renamed herself Harriet Howard, and was referred to as Miss Howard. At the age of eighteen her next lover and patron was the married Major Mountjoy Martyn, Life Guards
Life Guards (British Army)
The Life Guards is the senior regiment of the British Army and with the Blues and Royals, they make up the Household Cavalry.They originated in the four troops of Horse Guards raised by Charles II around the time of his restoration, plus two troops of Horse Grenadier Guards which were raised some...
. Miss Howard bore him a son, Martin Constantin Haryett, who at his baptism was presented as the child of her parents. The grateful Major Martyn bestowed a fortune on her and their son.
At a party given by Lady Blessington
Marguerite, Countess of Blessington
Marguerite Gardiner, Countess of Blessington was an Irish novelist.Born Margaret Power near Clonmel in County Tipperary, Ireland, she was a daughter of Edmund Power, a small landowner...
in 1846, Miss Howard met Louis Napoleon, pretender
Pretender
A pretender is one who claims entitlement to an unavailable position of honour or rank. Most often it refers to a former monarch, or descendant thereof, whose throne is occupied or claimed by a rival, or has been abolished....
to the throne of France
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...
, but at that time exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
d in London. He moved in with her. With her wealth, she supported his efforts and conspiracies to return to France. Napoleon brought his two sons (Alexandre Louis Eugène and Louis Ernest Alexandre) from an affair at the prison at Ham
Ham, Somme
Ham is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Ham is situated on the D930 and D937 crossroads, some southwest of Saint-Quentin, in the far southeast of the department, near the border with the department of the Aisne....
into the household, where they were educated along with Martin.
Paris
In 1848 Napoleon returned to France and eventually became President. Miss Howard with the three boys moved to the rue de Cirque adjacent to the Palais de l'ÉlyséeÉlysée Palace
The Élysée Palace is the official residence of the President of the French Republic, containing his office, and is where the Council of Ministers meets. It is located near the Champs-Élysées in Paris....
, where she kept herself in the background as his mistress. She had a powerful enemy in Napoleon's cousin Princess Mathilde
Mathilde Bonaparte
Mathilde Laetitia Wilhelmine Bonaparte, Princesse Française , was a French princess and Salon holder. She was a daughter of Napoleon's brother Jérôme Bonaparte and his second wife, Catharina of Württemberg, daughter of King Frederick I of Württemberg.- Biography :Born in Trieste, Mathilde Bonaparte...
to whom he was once engaged (1836) and who also had supported him financially. Miss Howard continued to support his aspirations to become emperor and largely financed his 1851 Coup d'état
French coup of 1851
The French coup d'état on 2 December 1851, staged by Prince Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte , ended in the successful dissolution of the French National Assembly, as well as the subsequent re-establishment of the French Empire the next year...
. One year later, after a confirming plebiscite, he became Napoleon III, Emperor of the French. Soon, he was on a search for an empress, and Miss Howard found herself cast aside. Napoleon, after having been rejected by Carola of Vasa
Carola of Vasa
Carola of Vasa was a titular princess of Sweden, and the queen consort of Saxony...
of Sweden and other high-standing members of the nobility, chose Eugenie de Montijo
Eugénie de Montijo
Doña María Eugenia Ignacia Augustina de Palafox-Portocarrero de Guzmán y Kirkpatrick, 16th Countess of Teba and 15th Marquise of Ardales; 5 May 1826 – 11 July 1920), known as Eugénie de Montijo , was the last Empress consort of the French from 1853 to 1871 as the wife of Napoleon III, Emperor of...
. Miss Howard was sent away to Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
when Napoleon announced this marriage and her secretary desk was emptied of its compromising letters.
Countess de Beauregard
Château de Beauregard, La Celle-Saint-Cloud
Château de Beauregard is a former house in La Celle-Saint-Cloud south-west suburbs of Paris, five kilometers north of Versailles.The name of the domain seems to have its roots in the Middle-Ages...
near the main route between La Celle-Saint-Cloud
La Celle-Saint-Cloud
La Celle-Saint-Cloud is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris from the center.-Transport:...
and Versailles
Versailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
near 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...
. Within six months of the marriage, Napoleon resumed his relationship with her. His wife, who found sex "disgusting", forbade him to see her, and he being in need of an heir, had to submit.
Eventually in 1854 Miss Howard married Captain Clarence Trelawny, an English horse breeder who used her money for his business. The two sons of Napoleon she helped to raise returned to their mother. However Harriet and Clarence's marriage was difficult and did not last - they divorced in 1865, the same year she died.
The relationship to her son Martin was also strained — at his 21st birthday party he asked her publicly: "Now that I'm grown, Mother, won't you tell me who my father was?". Martin was later made comte de Béchevêt by Napoleon III, married into Hungarian nobility
Nobility and royalty of the Kingdom of Hungary
This article deals with titles of the nobility and royalty of the Kingdom of Hungary.-Earlier usage :Before the accession of the Habsburgs, the nobility was structured according to the offices held in the administration of the Kingdom...
and had three children, Richard Martyn Haryett de Béchevêt, Grisilde Charlotte Haryett de Béchevêt and Marianne Josephine Haryett de Béchevêt. When Martin died in 1907 his son Richard inherited his title.
She is buried alongside her son in the cemetery of Le Chesnay
Le Chesnay
Le Chesnay is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris from the center-History:...
, located less than 900 metres from the château (now destroyed).
Sources
- Betty Kelen: The Mistresses. Domestic Scandals of Nineteenth-Century Monarchs. Random House, NY, 1966
- Simone Andre Maurois: Miss Howard and the Emperor. Knopf, 1958.