BRAVE WOMEN IN HISTORY: LA MAUPIN JULIE D'AUBIGNY

JULIE D'AUBIGNY

JULIE D'AUBIGNY WAS A FRENCH SWORDSWOMAN AND OPERA SINGER WHO LIVED IN THE REIGN OF THE GREAT KING OF FRANCE LOUIS XIV.

SHE WAS BORN IN THE YEAR 1673. HER FATHER GASTON D'AUBIGNY WAS SECRETARY TO COMTE D'ARMAGNAC, MASTER OF THE HORSE FOR KING LOUIS XIV.

KING LOUIS XIV OF FRANCE

GASTON D'AUBIGNY WAS IN CHARGE OF TRAINING THE PAGES OF THE PALACE IN THE ARTS OF DANCING AND FENCING.

AS A DAUGHTER, JULIE D'AUBIGNY WAS TRAINED ALONGSIDE THE COURT PAGES AND GREW UP TO BECOME A BEAUTIFUL AND EXPERT SWORDSWOMAN.

JULIE D'AUBIGNY

AT THE AGE OF 14 YEARS, SHE BECAME MISTRESS OF COMTE D'ARMAGNAC HIMSELF.

COMTE D'ARMAGNAC

AFTER A FEW MONTHS, COMTE D'ARMAGNAC ARRANGED FOR HER TO MARRY SIEUR DE MAUPIN WHO, ON THE DAY AFTER THE WEDDING, WAS SENT AWAY AS TAX COLLECTOR IN THE FRENCH PROVINCES .

LEFT ALONE IN PARIS AND STILL ONLY 14 YEARS OF AGE, JULIE CONDUCTED A LOVE AFFAIR WITH A FRENCH FENCING MASTER NAMED SERANNES.

ONE DAY SWORDMASTER SERANNES ENGAGED IN A DUEL AND KILLED HIS OPPONENT.

SWORD DUELING WAS ILLEGAL IN PARIS SO SERANNES AND JULIE ESCAPED TO MARSEILLES TO AVOID BEING APPREHENDED BY THE POLICE.

IN MARSEILLES, THEY MADE THEIR LIVING GIVING FENCING EXHIBITIONS IN TAVERNS AND FAIRS.

POSSESSING A BEAUTIFUL VOICE, JULIE BECAME A SOPRANO SINGER IN THE MARSEILLES OPERA OF THE FRENCH COMPOSER PIERRE GAULTIER.

JULIE D'AUBIGNY AS OPERA SINGER

SHE SOON BECAME BORED WITH THE MASTER SWORDSMAN SERANNES AND DECIDED TO FALL IN LOVE WITH A YOUNG WOMAN WHO WAS AN ADMIRER ATTENDING THE MARSEILLES OPERA.

THE ASTONISHED AND SCANDALIZED FAMILY SENT HER YOUNG LOVER TO THE VISITANDINES CONVENT IN AVIGNON SO THAT SHE WOULD BECOME A NUN.

JULIE D'AVIGNY THEN JOINED THE CONVENT AS A NOVICE IN ORDER TO CONTINUE HER LESBIAN LOVE AFFAIR.

ONE NIGHT, A NUN DIED AT THE CONVENT. JULIE PLACED THE CORPSE ON HER LOVER'S BED, SET FIRE TO THE CONVENT AND ESCAPED FROM THE BURNING BUILDING WITH HER LESBIAN LOVER.

THEY LIVED TOGETHER FOR 3 MONTHS BEFORE HER LOVER WAS DISCOVERED AND SENT BACK TO HER FAMILY IN DISGRACE.

JULIE ESCAPED TO THE TOWN OF POITIERS BUT WAS TRIED IN ABSENTIA AND SENTENCED BY A TRIBUNAL TO BE BURNED ALIVE.

SHE WAS TRIED AND CONDEMNED TO DEATH BY FIRE AS SIEUR DE MAUPIN.

IT WAS TOO SCANDALOUS TO IDENTIFY HER AS A WOMAN.

IN THE TOWN OF POITIERS, JULIE WAS UNDER THE TUTELAGE OF AN OLD ALCOHOLIC ACTOR NAMED MARECHAL WHO TAUGHT HER ACTING AND SINGING AND ENCOURAGED HER TO RETURN TO PARIS TO PURSUE HER OPERA CAREER DESPITE HER DEATH SENTENCE.

ON HER WAY TO PARIS IN THE TOWN OF VILLEPERDUE, SHE WAS INSULTED BY A NOBLEMAN AND CHALLENGED HIM TO A DUEL.

SHE WON THE DUEL BY PLUNGING HER SWORD THROUGH HIS SHOULDER.

THE FOLLOWING DAY SHE WAS INFORMED THAT THE NOBLEMAN WAS COMTE D'ALBERT, SON OF THE DUKE OF LUYNES.

SHE WENT TO SEE THE WOUNDED NOBLEMAN, REVEALED HERSELF TO BE A WOMAN, NURSED HIM BACK TO HEALTH AND CONDUCTED A PASSIONATE LOVE AFFAIR WITH COMTE D'ALBERT.

JULIE REVEALING HERSELF TO BE A WOMAN

WHEN COMTE D'ALBERT LEFT HER FOR MILITARY SERVICE, JULIE ATTACHED HERSELF TO AN ACTOR NAMED THIEVENARD AND TRAVELED WITH HIM TO PARIS WHERE SHE CONTACTED HER FIRST LOVER COMTE D'ARMAGNAC.

SHE ASKED COMTE D'ARMAGNAC TO PERSUADE KING LOUIS XIV TO FORGIVE HER AND ANNUL HER SENTENCE OF DEATH BY FIRE.

COMTE D'ARNAGNAC SUCCEEDED IN SAVING THE LIFE OF HIS FORMER MISTRESS AND JULIE WAS SAFE IN PARIS.

SHE AND THIEVENARD WERE ADMITTED TO THE PARIS OPERA AND JULIE BECAME A FAMOUS OPERA SINGER IN PARIS.

IN FRANCE, AN OPERA SOPRANO IS REFERRED TO AS MADEMOISELLE NO MATTER WHAT HER MARRIAGE STATUS IS AND JULIE WAS KNOWN AS MADEMOISELLE MAUPIN.

SHE GAVE NUMEROUS OPERA PERFORMANCES. HER BEAUTIFUL OPERATIC VOICE WAS GREATLY ADMIRED BECAUSE SHE WAS CAPABLE OF SINGING IN BOTH SOPRANO AND CONTRALTO VOICES.

SHE HOWEVER CONTINUES TO BE TEMPESTUOUS IN HER BEHAVIOR.

SHE ATTENDED A BALL AT THE COURT OF VERSAILLES DRESSED AS A CAVALIER AND DURING A COURT DANCE PASSIONATELY KISSED A WOMAN IN FRONT OF ALL THE COURTIERS.

HER BEHAVIOR DEEPLY OFFENDED EVERYONE PRESENT AND THREE NOBLEMEN IMMEDIATELY CHALLENGED THE INDECENT CAVALIER TO DUELS, UNAWARE THAT THE CAVALIER WAS ACTUALLY A WOMAN.

IN A SWORDFIGHT OUTSIDE THE PALACE OF VERSAILLES, JULIE D'AUBIGNY FOUGHT THE THREE NOBLEMEN AT THE SAME TIME, EXPERTLY DEFEATED THEM ONE BY ONE UNTIL ALL THREE LAY WOUNDED ON THE GROUND.

JULIE AFTER SWORDFIGHT AGAINST THREE NOBLEMEN

WHEN KING LOUIS XIV WAS INFORMED OF THIS INCIDENT, HE WAS AMUSED BY HER BEHAVIOR.

INSTEAD OF PUNISHING HER FOR DISOBEYING HIS DECREE AGAINST DUELING, HE DECLARED THAT HIS DECREE APPLIED ONLY TO MEN AND NOT TO FEMALE SWORDFIGHTERS.

JULIE ESCAPING TO BRUSSELS

UNCERTAIN OF HER SAFETY AND OF THE KING'S PARDON, JULIE STILL ESCAPED TO BRUSSELLS WHERE SHE ALSO MADE HER LIVING AS OPERA SINGER AND IN HER SPARE TIME, BECAME MISTRESS OF THE ELECTOR OF BAVARIA MAXIMILLIAN II EMANUEL.

MAXIMILLIAN II EMANUEL

HER AFFAIR WITH THE ELECTOR OF BAVARIA DID NOT LAST LONG.

AFTER A FEW MONTHS, MAXIMILLIAN II EMANUEL GREW TIRED OF HER AND REPLACED HER WITH A NOBLEWOMAN.

TO MOLLIFY HIS ABANDONMENT OF JULIE, THE ELECTOR OF BAVARIA SENT THE HUSBAND OF THE COUNTESS TO JULIE D'AUBIGNY WITH THE GIFT OF 40,000 FRANCS WHICH SHE ANGRILY REFUSED TO ACCEPT.

AFTER PERFORMING FOR HALF A YEAR AT THE OPERA DU QUAI AU FOIN IN BRUSSELS, MADEMOISELLE DE MAUPIN RETURNED IN THE YEAR 1698 TO THE OPERA OF PARIS WHERE SHE GAVE NUMEROUS PERFORMANCES UNTIL THE YEAR 1705.

SHE ALSO GAVE SEVERAL ROYAL COMMAND PERFORMANCES AT THE PALACE OF VERSAILLES.

FAMOUS FRENCH OPERA COMPOSERS SUCH AS PASCAL COLLACE, ANDRE CAMPRA AND ANDRE CARDINAL DESTOUCHES WROTE OPERAS SPECIFICALLY TO BE SUNG BY MADEMOISELLE MAUPIN.

ANDRE CARDINAL DESTOUCHES

ANDRE CAMPRA

FRENCH OPERA COMPOSER ANDRE CAMPRA COMPOSED THE ROLE OF CLORINDE IN HIS OPERA TANCREDE SPECIFICALLY FOR HER CONTRALTO VOICE.

SHE PERFORMED IN THE LAST OPERA LA VENETIENNE BY THE COMPOSER MICHEL DE LA BARRE IN THE YEAR 1705.

FRENCH OPERA COMPOSER MICHEL DE LA BARRE

DURING HER YEARS AT THE PARIS OPERA, JULIE D'AUBIGNY REMAINED MORE OR LESS IN GOOD BEHAVIOR.

THERE WERE HOWEVER EXCEPTIONS OF BOTH ROMANTIC AND COMBATIVE NATURE.

ON ONE OCCASION, AN ACTOR NAMED DUMENIL VERBALLY INSULTED BOTH SOPRANO MADEMOISELLE LE ROCHOIS AND MADEMOISELLE MAUPIN.

HE WAS A RUDE MAN WHO HAD RISEN FROM THE LOWLY STATUS OF A COOK TO AN OPERA SINGER.

THAT EVENING, JULIE D'AUBIGNY, DRESSED AS A MAN, CHALLENGED DUMENIL TO A DUEL.

WHEN THE COWARDLY DUMENIL REFUSED TO FIGHT, JULIE BEAT HIM WITH A CANE, THEN TOOK HIS WATCH AND SNUFF BOX.

THE NEXT MORNING, DUMENIL INFORMED OTHER OPERA ACTORS THAT HE WAS ATTACKED BY THREE MEN WHO STOLE HIS WATCH AND SNUFF BOX.

JULIE THEN TOLD EVERYONE PRESENT THAT DUMENIL WAS A COWARDLY LIAR AND THAT SHE WAS THE ONE WHO BEAT HIM UP WITH A CANE.

SHE THEN PRODUCED THE WATCH AND SNUFF AND RETURNED THEM TO DUMENIL.

JULIE D'AUBIGNY REPORTEDLY CONDUCTED ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER OPERA SOPRANOS.

ONE WAS THE VERY FAMOUS SOPRANO MARIE LE ROCHOIS.

THE RUMOR REGARDING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MADEMOISELLE MAUPIN AND MADEMOISELLE LE ROCHOIS IS HOWEVER UNCERTAIN.

THERE ARE HISTORIANS WHO MAINTAIN THAT, UNLIKE MADEMOISELLE MAUPIN OR ANOTHER SOPRANO OF THE PARIS OPERA KNOWN AS FANCHON MOREAU, MARIE LE ROCHOIS WAS A WOMAN OF MORAL RECTITUDE AND WOULD NOT HAVE RESPONDED TO THE INDECENT ADVANCES OF MADEMOISELLE MAUPIN.

SOPRANO FANCHON MOREAU WAS KNOWN FOR HER PROMISCUITY BUT SHE TOO MAY HAVE REJECTED THE ARDOR AND ADVANCES OF JULIE D'AUBIGNY, WHO PROTESTED THE REJECTION BY ATTEMPTING TO COMMIT SUICIDE.