Marguerite Georges (1787–1867) was a French stage actress. She was one of the most famous French actresses of her time. She is also known for her affair with

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

, but also claimed to have had an affair with the

Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister of ...

, a claim which is considered probable by some historians. She published under the name Marguerite-Josephine Weimer George.

Biography

Marguerite Georges was born ''Marguerite-Josephine Weimer'' in

Bayeux Bayeux () is a Communes of France, commune in the Calvados (department), Calvados Departments of France, department in Normandy (administrative region), Normandy in northwestern France. Bayeux is the home of the Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts ...

, the daughter of a German employed in the theatre orchestra in

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...

. She debuted on stage in 1802 at the age of fifteen at the Théâtre Français in Paris; she was made sociétaire in 1804. Her affair with Napoleon took place between 1802 and 1804, and was rumoured to be the reason she left France in 1808. She was active in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

in Russia in 1808–1812, debuting at St. Petersburg, in ''

Phèdre ''Phèdre'' (; originally ''Phèdre et Hippolyte'') is a French dramatic tragedy in five acts written in alexandrine verse by Jean Racine, first performed in 1677 at the theatre of the Hôtel de Bourgogne in Paris. Composition and premiere With ...

'', and alternating nights with the Russian actress

Ekaterina Semenova Ekaterina Semenova (Russian: Екатерина Семёновна Семёнова; 18 November 1786–13 March 1849) was an actress in the Russian Empire. Life Semenova became a student in the Saint Petersburg Theatre School in 1790 where she wa ...

. She toured Europe in 1812–1813, during which she performed at the

Royal Dramatic Theatre The Royal Dramatic Theatre ( sv, Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern, colloquially ''Dramaten'') is Sweden's national stage for "spoken drama", founded in 1788. Around one thousand shows are put on annually on the theatre's five running stages. The the ...

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

and

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

. She then returned to France. She was active at the Théatre Français in 1813–1818, at the Odéon Theatre and in 1831–49 at the

Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin The Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin is a venerable theatre and opera house at 18, Boulevard Saint-Martin in the 10th arrondissement of Paris. History It was first built very rapidly in 1781 under the direction of (1726–1810) to house th ...

. Her affair with Wellington is supposed to have taken place in 1814, and would make her one of two women known to have shared the two opponents' beds, the other one being

Giuseppina Grassini Gioseppa Maria Camilla, commonly known as Giuseppina (or also Josephina) Grassini (8 April 1773 – 3 January 1850) was a noted Italian dramatic contralto, and a singing teacher. She was also known for her affairs with Napoleon and the Duke of W ...

. Unlike Grassini, she was indiscreet enough in later life to compare their sexual performances, her opinion being that "Monsieur le Duc était de beaucoup le plus fort" ("The Duke was by far the stronger"). In 1814 she had a child, Maria Alexandrovna Parijskaia, fathered by Tsar

Alexander I of Russia Alexander I (; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1801, the first King of Congress Poland from 1815, and the Grand Duke of Finland from 1809 to his death. He was the eldest son of Emperor Paul I and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg. The son of ...

. She lived at 25 Rue Madame, but moved to a boarding house at Rue de Helder. She retired in 1853, and received a pension from

Joseph Bonaparte it, Giuseppe-Napoleone Buonaparte es, José Napoleón Bonaparte , house = Bonaparte , father = Carlo Buonaparte , mother = Letizia Ramolino , birth_date = 7 January 1768 , birth_place = Corte, Corsica, Republic of ...

, Napoleon's brother. She died in

Passy Passy () is an area of Paris, France, located in the 16th arrondissement, on the Right Bank. It is home to many of the city's wealthiest residents. Passy was a commune on the outskirts of Paris. In 1658, hot springs were discovered around whic ...

References

External links

* * * http://runeberg.org/nfbi/0520.html * http://www.xs4all.nl/~androom/biography/p022534.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Georges, Marguerite 1787 births 1867 deaths 19th-century French actresses French people of German descent French stage actresses Mistresses of Napoleon People from Bayeux Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery Sociétaires of the Comédie-Française Mistresses of Alexander I of Russia