Sofia Sergeyevna Trubetskaya or Sophie Troubetskoy, Duchess of Morny, later Sophie, Duchess of Sesto (25 March 1836, Moscow – 8 August 1898, Madrid) was a Russian princess.
Life
She was the daughter of Ekaterina Petrovna Mussina-Pushkina (1 February 1816 - c. 1897), whose beauty she inherited. Her father was either Ekaterina's husband the cavalry lieutenant Prince Sergey Vasilyevich Trubetskoy (1814 - 12 May (30 April
Old Style
Old Style (O.S.) and New Style (N.S.) indicate dating systems before and after a calendar change, respectively. Usually, this is the change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar as enacted in various European countries between 158 ...
), 1859), making her their only child, or her lover
Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I , group=pron ( – ) was List of Russian rulers, Emperor of Russia, Congress Poland, King of Congress Poland and Grand Duke of Finland. He was the third son of Paul I of Russia, Paul I and younger brother of his predecessor, Alexander I ...
. Her paternity was questioned right from her birth - shortly afterwards Sergey left for the
Caucasus
The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...
whilst Ekaterina went abroad, eventually settling in Paris with her daughter.
She met the Frenchman
Charles de Morny, half-brother 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 ...
, then special envoy to Russia, at the coronation of
Alexander II - they married in
St 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 ...
on 7 January 1857 (Old Style - 26 December 1856) and moved back to France together. They had four children:
*Charlotte (1858-1883), married José Osorio y Heredia, Count of Corzana, had a son;
*Auguste, Duke of Morny (1859-1920), married Carlotta Guzman y Ybarra, had three daughters;
*Serge (1861-1922), became an officer in the French army, died unmarried;
*
Mathilde (1863-1944), married
Jacques Godart, 6th Marquis de Belbeuf Jacques Godart, 6th Marquis de Belbeuf (27 May 1850 – 22 January 1906) was the 6th and last Marquis de Belbeuf and married French aristocrat Mathilde de Morny.
Biography
Raoul Pierre Joseph Jacques Godart de Belbeuf was born on 27 May 1850, the ...
, had no children
They lived cosmopolitan lives in St Petersburg and Paris, with a love for exotic birds, monkeys and Japanese dogs. Her husband died suddenly on 26 February 1865 and she left their residence to live austerely in mourning. This lasted until she was looking through some documents and accidentally found a note for an assignation between Charles and his mistress - she then left mourning and slowly resumed her social life, in the course of which she met the Spanish nobleman
José Osorio y Silva
José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ).
In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...
at his villa in
Deauville
Deauville () is a commune in the Calvados department, Normandy, northwestern France. Major attractions include its harbour, race course, marinas, conference centre, villas, Grand Casino, and sumptuous hotels. The first Deauville Asian Film Fes ...
, a major venue for the French aristocracy. He was living there with the exiled Spanish royal family and married Sofia in
Vitoria
Vitoria or Vitória may refer to :
People
* Francisco de Vitoria (c. 1483–1546), a Spanish Renaissance theologian
* Alberto Vitoria (1956–2010), Spanish footballer
* Rui Vitória (born 1970), Portuguese retired footballer
* Steven Vitória (b ...
on 21 March 1869. She organised social events, festivals and cultural gatherings to gain support and raise money for her husband's plan to
restore the Spanish monarchy.
She was accepted into the Spanish aristocracy, becoming a dame of the
Order of Queen Maria Luisa
The Royal Order of Noble Ladies of Queen Maria Luisa is an Order created by King Charles IV of Spain by royal decree on April 21, 1792, at the request of his wife, Queen Maria Luisa, to reward noble women who distinguished themselves for their ...
and introducing the tradition of the
Christmas tree
A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen conifer, such as a spruce, pine or fir, or an artificial tree of similar appearance, associated with the celebration of Christmas. The custom was further developed in early modern ...
into Spain. She died in Madrid in 1898 from a respiratory illness and was buried in the
cemetery of Pere-Lachaise, a few metres from the grave of her first husband.
External links
*http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/abc/1949/12/28/019.html
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trubetskaya, Sofia Sergeyevna
1836 births
1898 deaths
Nobility from the Russian Empire
Sofia Sereyevna
Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery
Illegitimate children of Russian monarchs