Rémusat, Claire Élisabeth Gravier de Vergennes, comtesse de

NOBLEMAN, AUTHOR (FRANCE)
BORN 5 Jan 1780, Paris - DIED 16 Dec 1821, Paris
BIRTH NAME Gravier de Vergennes, Claire Élisabeth Jeanne
GRAVE LOCATION Paris: Père Lachaise, Rue du Repos 16 (division 26, chemin Molière et La Fontaine, ligne 04)

Claire Élisabeth Gravier de Vergennes was married to Auguste Laurent, Comte de Rémusat when she was sixteen years old. In 1802 she was engaged as lady in waiting to the future Empress Joséphine. They formed a close attachment to each other. She was a well known beauty and Talleyrand was among those who admired her. On 20 March 1804 she played a game of chess against Napoleon on the evening before the execution of the Duc d'Enghien. They hardly spoke and Napoleon murmered in himself about the execution.

She wrote several novels but she is best known for her memoirs that describe the years 1802 to 1808 and give an insight into Napoleon's court. They were published in 1880 by her grandson Paul de Rémusat (1831-1897). There is doubt about the reliability of the memoirs because she burnt part of her notes when the Bourbons regained power. Her essay "Essai sur l'éducation des femmes" was published in 1824 and was met with approval from the academic world.

Related persons
• worked for Beauharnais, Joséphine de
• was a friend of Houdetot, Sophie de la Live de Bellegarde, comtesse de
• has a connection with Napoleon I Bonaparte

Images

The grave of Claire de Rémusat at Père Lachaise, Paris.
Picture by Androom (02 Nov 2019)

 

Sources
• Gabrielli, Domenico, Dictionnaire Historique du Père-Lachaise, XVIIIe-XIXe siècles, Éditions de l'Amateur, Les, Paris, 2002
Grosse Frauen der Weltgeschichte, Neuer Kaiser Verlag, Klagenfurt, 1987
• Claude Augé (ed.), Larousse Universel en 2 volumes, Librarie Larousse, 1922
Claire Élisabeth de Vergennes - Wikipédia (FR)


Renan, Ernest

Published: 30 Nov 2019
Last update: 20 Sep 2025