Alexandrine Charlotte "Rosalie" de Rohan-Chabot (1763–1839), the '' duchesse de La Rochefoucauld'' was a French duchess and letter writer, known for the events of her life during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

. She witnessed the infamous Reign of Terror at firsthand, including the assassination of her husband (and uncle) the Duc de La Rochefoucauld in

Gisors Gisors () is a commune of Normandy, France. It is located northwest from the centre of Paris. Gisors, together with the neighbouring communes of Trie-Château and Trie-la-Ville, form an urban area of 13,915 inhabitants (2018). This urban are ...

during the

September Massacres The September Massacres were a series of killings of prisoners in Paris that occurred in 1792, from Sunday, 2 September until Thursday, 6 September, during the French Revolution. Between 1,176 and 1,614 people were killed by '' fédérés'', gu ...

(they had married in 1780 and the marriage was childless) and the execution of her brother. In 1810 she remarried by wedding her relative, Boniface Louis Andre, Marquis de Castellane. She was also the lover of U.S. ambassador William Short, the "adoptive son" of

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...

. Their love affair was recorded in hundreds of letters, which document the lovers' pains of separation and their frustration with social norms. Likewise, their words of devotion are especially poetic and moving. The love letters are an authentic literary contribution, and offer personal insights into a turbulent era of world history.“William Short, Jefferson's Only "Son"” The North American Review, September 1926, p. 471-486

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Attribution

* 18th-century French women writers 18th-century French writers French duchesses French letter writers Women letter writers Alexandrine Charlotte People of the French Revolution 1763 births 1839 deaths 18th-century letter writers 19th-century letter writers {{France-noble-stub