Claudine Alexandrine Guérin de Tencin, Baroness of
Saint-Martin-de-Ré
Saint-Martin-de-Ré (, literally ''Saint-Martin of Ré''; Saintongeais: ''Sént-Martin-de-Ré'') is a commune in the western French department of Charente-Maritime.[salonist
A salon is a gathering of people held by an inspiring host. During the gathering they amuse one another and increase their knowledge through conversation. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "e ...]
and author. She was the mother of
Jean le Rond d'Alembert
Jean-Baptiste le Rond d'Alembert (; ; 16 November 1717 – 29 October 1783) was a French mathematician, mechanician, physicist, philosopher, and music theorist. Until 1759 he was, together with Denis Diderot, a co-editor of the ''Encyclopédie ...
, who later became a prominent
mathematician
A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems.
Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change.
History
On ...
, ''
philosophe
The ''philosophes'' () were the intellectuals of the 18th-century Enlightenment.Kishlansky, Mark, ''et al.'' ''A Brief History of Western Civilization: The Unfinished Legacy, volume II: Since 1555.'' (5th ed. 2007). Few were primarily philosophe ...
'' and contributor to the ''
Encyclopédie
''Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers'' (English: ''Encyclopedia, or a Systematic Dictionary of the Sciences, Arts, and Crafts''), better known as ''Encyclopédie'', was a general encyclopedia publis ...
, ''though she left him on the steps of the church a few days after his birth in November 1717.
Early life
Claudine was born in
Grenoble
lat, Gratianopolis
, commune status = Prefecture and commune
, image = Panorama grenoble.png
, image size =
, caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...
, France where her father,
Antoine Guérin, sieur de Tencin, was president of the
parlement
A ''parlement'' (), under the French Ancien Régime, was a provincial appellate court of the Kingdom of France. In 1789, France had 13 parlements, the oldest and most important of which was the Parlement of Paris. While both the modern Fre ...
. Claudine was brought up at a convent near Grenoble and, at the wish of her parents, took the
veil
A veil is an article of clothing or hanging cloth that is intended to cover some part of the head or face, or an object of some significance. Veiling has a long history in European, Asian, and African societies. The practice has been prominent ...
but broke her vows and succeeded, in 1712, in gaining formal permission from
Pope Clement XI
Pope Clement XI ( la, Clemens XI; it, Clemente XI; 23 July 1649 – 19 March 1721), born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 November 1700 to his death in March 1721.
Clement XI w ...
for her secularisation.
She is reputed to have had a liaison, while still formally a nun, with the Irish exile soldier
Arthur Dillon.
Life as a socialite
She joined her sister Mme. de Ferriol in Paris, where she soon established a salon, frequented by wits and roués. Among her numerous lovers and
benefactors was the Chevalier
Louis-Camus Destouches, by whom she had an illegitimate son,
Jean le Rond d'Alembert
Jean-Baptiste le Rond d'Alembert (; ; 16 November 1717 – 29 October 1783) was a French mathematician, mechanician, physicist, philosopher, and music theorist. Until 1759 he was, together with Denis Diderot, a co-editor of the ''Encyclopédie ...
.
Guillaume Dubois
Guillaume Dubois (6 September 1656 – 10 August 1723) was a French cardinal and statesman.
Life and government
Early years
Dubois, the third of the four great Cardinal-Ministers ( Richelieu, Mazarin, Dubois, and Fleury), was born in Brive-l ...
, the future First Minister was reportedly another of her lovers, even after he became
Archbishop of Cambrai
The Archdiocese of Cambrai ( la, Archdiocesis Cameracensis; French: ''Archidiocèse de Cambrai'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France, comprising the arrondissements of Avesnes-sur-Helpe ...
; but the affair, if it existed, was conducted with discretion.
One of her liaisons did have a tragic ending. In 1726 a former lover
Charles-Joseph de la Fresnaye committed suicide in her house, and Mme. de Tencin spent some time in the
Châtelet and then in the
Bastille
The Bastille (, ) was a fortress in Paris, known formally as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. It was sto ...
in consequence, but was soon liberated as the result of a declaration of her innocence by the
Grand Conseil
The term Grand Conseil () or Great Council refers two different institutions during the Ancien Régime in France. It also is the name of parliaments in several Swiss cantons.
Ancien Régime France Part of the King's Council
Starting in the 13th ...
.
From this time she devoted herself to political intrigue, especially for the preferment of her brother the
abbé Tencin, who became
archbishop of Lyon
The Archdiocese of Lyon (Latin: ''Archidiœcesis Lugdunensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Lyon''), formerly the Archdiocese of Lyon–Vienne–Embrun, is a Latin Church metropolitan archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. The Archbishops ...
and received a cardinal's hat. The nature of her relationship with her brother was a subject of much speculation, but although she never troubled to deny the rumours, there seems to be no evidence that their affection was more than fraternal.
She also was involved with King
Louis XV
Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reache ...
's best friend, the
Maréchal de Richelieu, over whom she allegedly exercised considerable control. The correspondence between Claudine, her brother and Richelieu shows a deep involvement in the behind-the-scenes intrigues at
Louis XV
Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reache ...
's court at
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...
.
['Correspondance du Cardinal de Tencin; Ministre d'État, et de Madame de Tencin sa Soeur, avec le Duc de Richelieu', 1790 https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Correspondance_du_Cardinal_de_Tencin_et.html?id=zG5OAAAAcAAJ&redir_esc=y]
Eventually, she formed a literary salon, which had among its habitués
Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle,
Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu
Charles Louis de Secondat, Baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu (; ; 18 January 168910 February 1755), generally referred to as simply Montesquieu, was a French judge, man of letters, historian, and political philosopher.
He is the princip ...
,
Charles-Irénée Castel de Saint-Pierre
Charles-Irénée Castel, abbé de Saint-Pierre (18 February 1658 – 29 April 1743) was a French author whose ideas were novel for his times. His proposal of an international organisation to maintain peace was perhaps the first in history, wi ...
,
Pierre de Marivaux
Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux (4 February 1688 – 12 February 1763), commonly referred to as Marivaux, was a French playwright and novelist.
He is considered one of the most important French playwrights of the 18th century, writing nume ...
,
Alexis Piron
Alexis Piron (9 July 1689 – 21 January 1773) was a French epigrammatist and dramatist.
Life
He was born at Dijon, where his father, Aimé Piron, was an apothecary. Piron senior wrote verse in the Burgundian language. Alexis began life as c ...
and others.
Hers was the first of the Parisian literary salons which admitted distinguished foreigners. Among her English guests were
Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke
Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke (; 16 September 1678 – 12 December 1751) was an English politician, government official and political philosopher. He was a leader of the Tories, and supported the Church of England politically des ...
and
Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield
Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, (22 September 169424 March 1773) was a British statesman, diplomat, and man of letters, and an acclaimed wit of his time.
Early life
He was born in London to Philip Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Ches ...
.
Novels
She was a novelist of considerable merit. Her novels have been highly praised for their simplicity and charm, the last qualities the circumstances of the writer's life would lead one to expect in her work. The best of them is ''Mémoires du comte de Comminge'' (1735), which was believed to have been written, as were the other two, by her nephews, MM. d'Argental and Pont de Veyle, the real authorship being carefully concealed.
Her works, with those of
Marie-Madeleine de La Fayette, were edited by Etienne and Jay (Paris, 1825); her novels were reprinted, with introductory matter by Lescure, in 1885; and her correspondence in the ''Lettres de Mmes. de Villars, de La Fayette et de Tencin'' (Paris, 1805–1832).
References
Attribution:
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guerin de Tencin, Claudine
1682 births
1749 deaths
Writers from Grenoble
18th-century French nuns
Former Roman Catholic religious sisters and nuns
French salon-holders
French baronesses
French women novelists
18th-century French writers
18th-century French women writers
18th-century letter writers
Courtesans from Paris