Mélanie de Pourtalès, Countess Edmond de Pourtalès (''

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

'' Louise Sophie Mélanie Renouard de Bussière) (26 March 1836 – 5 May 1914) was a French ''salonnière'' and courtier.

Early life

Baron Alfred Renouard de Bussière (1804-1887)

She was born on 26 March 1836 at the Château de Robertsau in

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...

, to the former Sophie Mélanie de Coehoorn (1802–1880), and

Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

Alfred Renouard de Bussière (1804–1887), who was from a wealthy

industrial family. He was director of the Royal Mint of Strasbourg from 1834 to 1860, before being appointed head of the Royal Mint of Paris. Her paternal grandparents were Athanase Paul Renouard, Vicomte de Bussière and the former Friederike Wilhelmine von Franck. Her uncle was Léon Renouard de Bussierre. Her maternal grandparents were Louis Jacques, Baron de Coehoorn and the former Marie Margarethe Sophie von Beyer.

Courtier

She was introduced to the French imperial court by the Austrian ambassador,

Richard von Metternich Richard Klemens Josef Lothar Hermann, 2nd Prince of Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein (German: ''Richard Klemens, Fürst von Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein''; 7 January 1829 – 1 March 1895), usually known as Richard von Metternich, was an Au ...

, and appointed as

lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

to the empress,

Eugénie de Montijo ''Doña'' María Eugenia Ignacia Agustina de Palafox y Kirkpatrick, 19th Countess of Teba, 16th Marchioness of Ardales (5 May 1826 – 11 July 1920), known as Eugénie de Montijo (), was Empress of the French from her marriage to Emperor Napo ...

, the wife of

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...

.Robert Grossmann: Comtesse de Pourtalès. (Une cour française dans l'Alsace impériale 1836 – 1870 – 1914). Préface de Philippe Séguin. La Nuée Bleue, Strasbourg 1995, . Pourtalès'

salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

was regarded as one of the most famed during the

Second French Empire The Second French Empire (; officially the French Empire, ), was the 18-year Empire, Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 14 January 1852 to 27 October 1870, between the French Second Republic, Second and the French Third Republic ...

, when she was one of the leading figures in Parisian high society and imperial court life. In her letters, she writes about the pending marriage of

Antonin-Just-Léon-Marie de Noailles Antoine Just Léon Marie de Noailles (19 April 1841 in Paris – 2 February 1909) 9th prince de Poix, from (1846) 6th duc espagnol de Mouchy, 5th duc français de Mouchy et duc de Poix, from 1854, was a French nobleman. Son of Charles-Philippe-Hen ...

Duc de Mouchy Duke of Mouchy ( es, Duque de Mouchy) was a hereditary title in the peerage of Spain, accompanied by the dignity of Grandee and granted in 1747 by Ferdinand VI to Philippe de Noailles, a French military officer. After failure of the 1st Duke's ...

to the Princess Anne Murat, daughter of

Prince Lucien Murat Lucien Charles Joseph Napoléon, Prince Français, Prince of Naples, 2nd Prince de Pontecorvo, 3rd Prince Murat (16 May 1803 – 10 April 1878) was a French politician, and the sovereign Prince of Pontecorvo between 1812 and May 1815. Early life ...

and granddaughter of the

King of Naples The following is a list of rulers of the Kingdom of Naples, from its first separation from the Kingdom of Sicily to its merger with the same into the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Kingdom of Naples (1282–1501) House of Anjou In 1382, the ...

Joachim Murat Joachim Murat ( , also , ; it, Gioacchino Murati; 25 March 1767 – 13 October 1815) was a French military commander and statesman who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars. Under the French Empire he received the ...

and Queen

Caroline Caroline may refer to: People * Caroline (given name), a feminine given name * J. C. Caroline (born 1933), American college and National Football League player * Jordan Caroline (born 1996), American (men's) basketball player Places Antarctica * ...

(younger sister of the Emperor

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 ...

). According to French writer

Alfred Mézières Alfred Jean François Mézières (19 November 1826, in Réhon – 10 October 1915, in Réhon) was a French journalist, politician and historian of literature. Biography Alfred Mézières was educated at Metz College and the École Normale Supér ...

, "three people saw clearly what was coming before

1870 Events January–March * January 1 ** The first edition of ''The Northern Echo'' newspaper is published in Priestgate, Darlington, England. ** Plans for the Brooklyn Bridge are completed. * January 3 – Construction of the Broo ...

, Lieutenant-Colonel Stoffel, General Ducrot, and Madame de Pourtalès."

Personal life

On 30 June 1857, she married banker

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

Edmond de Pourtalès (1828–1895), a son of Count

James-Alexandre de Pourtalès James-Alexandre de Pourtalès, Comte de Pourtalès-Gorgier (28 November 1776 – 24 March 1855) was a Swiss-French banker, diplomat and art collector. Early life The Count de Pourtalès was born in Neuchâtel, then in the Principality of Neuchât ...

of the Château de Gorgier, a prominent banker and art collector who had served as

chamberlain Chamberlain may refer to: Profession *Chamberlain (office), the officer in charge of managing the household of a sovereign or other noble figure People *Chamberlain (surname) **Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927), German-British philosop ...

the

King of Prussia The monarchs of Prussia were members of the House of Hohenzollern who were the hereditary rulers of the former German state of Prussia from its founding in 1525 as the Duchy of Prussia. The Duchy had evolved out of the Teutonic Order, a Roman C ...

Frederick William III Frederick William III (german: Friedrich Wilhelm III.; 3 August 1770 – 7 June 1840) was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, wh ...

. Count Edmond's elder sister, Élisa de Pourtalès was the wife of French diplomat Charles-Alexandre, Marquis de Ganay. Together, they were the parents of: * Jacques de Pourtalès (1858–1919), who married Jacqueline Conquerré de Montbrison (1871–1925), later the Countess Wladimir Rehbinder after their divorce. * Paul de Pourtalès (1859–1933), a Saint-Cyrien, politician and head of the

Longchamp Racecourse The Longchamp Racecourse (french: Hippodrome de Longchamp) is a 57 hectare horse-racing facility located on the Route des Tribunes at the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, France. It is used for flat racing and is noted for its variety of interlaced tr ...

. * ''Hubert'' Louis Edmond de Pourtalès (1863–1949), who married Marguerite de Schickler (1870–1956), a daughter of Arthur, Baron von Schickler. Hubert owned Château Martinvast in

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

, the "most famous racing establishment and stud farm in France." * Élisabeth de Pourtalès (1867–1952), who married Christian Egenolf François, Baron de Berckheim (1853–1935), a grandson of the Marquis de Jaucourt, in 1886. * Mélanie ''Agnès'' de Pourtalès (1870–1930), who in 1890 married the equally wealthy Henri, Marquis de Löys-Chandieu, who had been engaged to

Victoria Sackville-West Victoria Josefa Dolores Catalina Sackville-West (Baroness Sackville), (23 September 1862 – 30 January 1936) was a British noblewoman, mother of the writer, poet, and gardener Vita Sackville-West. Early life Victoria was one of seven ...

before her marriage to

Baron Sackville Baron Sackville, of Knole in the County of Kent, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1876 for the Honourable Mortimer Sackville-West, with remainder, failing heirs male of his body, to his younger brothers the Hon. ...

. The Count de Pourtalès died in 1895. The Countess died on 5 May 1914. After her death, her daughter Agnès inherited the Château de la Robertsau.

Residences

From her father, she inherited the family's château, the Château de la Robertsau (which today is known as the

Château de Pourtalès Château de Pourtalès (or Château de Robertsau) is a château situated in the Robertsau district of Strasbourg, France. It's dated to the 18th century and named after the Pourtalès family. History The Château de Pourtalès was built around 17 ...

) in the

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivity, territorial collectivities"), between the regions of France, admin ...

Bas-Rhin Bas-Rhin (; Alsatian: ''Unterelsàss'', ' or '; traditional german: links=no, Niederrhein; en, Lower Rhine) is a department in Alsace which is a part of the Grand Est super-region of France. The name means 'Lower Rhine', referring to its low ...

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

. At their château, they hosted

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...

Napoléon III Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...

Empress Eugénie An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother (empr ...

, the Princes of Belgium and Russia,

Ludwig I of Bavaria en, Louis Charles Augustus , image = Joseph Karl Stieler - King Ludwig I in his Coronation Robes - WGA21796.jpg , caption = Portrait by Joseph Stieler, 1825 , succession=King of Bavaria , reign = , coronation ...

, the

Grand Duke of Baden The Grand Duchy of Baden (german: Großherzogtum Baden) was a state in the southwest German Empire on the east bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918. It came into existence in the 12th century as the Margraviate of Baden and subse ...

and the Princess Metternich. Her husband inherited the Pourtalès mansion, a

hôtel particulier An ''hôtel particulier'' () is a grand townhouse, comparable to the Townhouse (Great Britain), British townhouse or mansion. Whereas an ordinary ''maison'' (house) was built as part of a row, sharing party walls with the houses on either side an ...

(essentially a grand townhouse) on Rue Tronchet in the

8th arrondissement of Paris The 8th arrondissement of Paris (''VIIIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, the arrondissement is colloquially referred to as ''le huitième'' ("the eighth"). The arrondissement, ...

that was built for his father between 1838 and 1839 by

Félix Duban Jacques Félix Duban () (14 October 1798, Paris – 8 October 1870, Bordeaux) was a French architect, the contemporary of Jacques Ignace Hittorff and Henri Labrouste. Life and career Duban won the Prix de Rome in 1823, the most prestigious aw ...

Descendants

Through her youngest daughter Agnès, she was a grandmother of Edmée de Loys-Chandieu (1892–1945), who married

Alexander, Count of Hoyos Ludwig Alexander Georg Graf von Hoyos, Freiherr zu Stichsenstein (13 May 1876 – 20 October 1937) was an Austro-Hungarian diplomat who played a major role during the July Crisis while serving as chef de cabinet of the Foreign Minister at the out ...

, son of Georg Anton, Count of Hoyos and the former Alice Whitehead (daughter of British engineer

Robert Whitehead Robert Whitehead (3 January 1823 – 14 November 1905) was an English engineer who was most famous for developing the first effective self-propelled naval torpedo. Early life He was born in Bolton, England, the son of James Whitehead, ...

). Alexander's aunt, Marguerite, was married to

Herbert von Bismarck Nikolaus Heinrich Ferdinand Herbert, Prince of Bismarck (born Nikolaus Heinrich Ferdinand Herbert Graf von Bismarck-Schönhausen; 28 December 1849 – 18 September 1904) was a German politician, who served as Foreign Secretary from 1886 to 1890. H ...

, the eldest son of Chancellor

Otto von Bismarck Otto, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (, ; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898), born Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck, was a conservative German statesman and diplomat. From his origins in the upper class of J ...

. Edmée's daughter, Melanie Hoyos, also married a member of the Bismarck family, Count Gottfried von Bismarck-Schönhausen, and their descendants include Stephanie zu Guttenberg. ;Gallery File:Renoir - Condessa de Pourtalès.jpg, ''Portrait of Comtesse de Pourtalès'' by

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir (; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that "R ...

, 1877 File:Portrait of Hubert de Pourtalès.jpg, Portrait of her son, Count Hubert de Pourtalès, by Marguerite Schickler de Pourtalès, 1892 File:Portrait présumé de Marguerite de Schickler, comtesse Hubert de Pourtalès.jpg, Portrait of her daughter-in-law, Marguerite, Comtesse Hubert de Pourtalès, by

Lucien Lévy-Dhurmer Lucien Lévy-Dhurmer (30 September 1865 – 24 September 1953) was a French artist and a leading exponent of fin-de-siècle Symbolism and Art Nouveau. His works include paintings, drawings, ceramics, furniture and interior design. Early life ...

File:Agnès de Pourtalès, marquise de Loys-Chandieu.jpg, Her daughter, Agnès de Pourtalès, Marquise de Loys-Chandieu, by

Ernest Hébert Antoine Auguste Ernest Hébert (3 November 1817 – 5 December 1908) was a French academic painter. Biography Hébert was born in Grenoble, son of a notary in Grenoble, and moved in 1835 to Paris to study law. He simultaneously took art ...

References

;Notes ;Sources

External links

Mélanie de Bussière, Countess de Pourtalès (1836-1914), Wife of Count Edmond de Pourtalès
at the

National Portrait Gallery, London The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London housing a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. It was arguably the first national public gallery dedicated to portraits in the world when it ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pourtales, Melanie de 1836 births 1914 deaths Pourtalès family French ladies-in-waiting French salon-holders Nobility of the Second French Empire People from Strasbourg