Marie ''Valentine'' Joséphine de Sainte-Aldegonde, Duchess of Dino (29 May 182023 September 1891) was the wife of Alexandre Edmond de Talleyrand-Périgord,
3rd Duke of Dino, and
mistress
Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to:
Romance and relationships
* Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a ...
of
Anatoly Nikolaievich Demidov, 1st Prince of San Donato.
Early life
She was the daughter of
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: ...
Charles Camille de Sainte-Aldegonde and Adélaïde Joséphine de Bourlon de Chavange.
Her father was a brigadier general and officer of the Grand Officer of the
Legion d'Honneur
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...
.
Personal life
On 8 October 1839 she married Alexandre Edmond de
Talleyrand-Périgord,
Duke of Dino, son of
Edmond de Talleyrand-Périgord, Duke of Talleyrand and
Princess Dorothea of Courland, at the
Château de Beauregard at
Cellettes (
Loir-et-Cher), her mother's property.
With Talleyrand-Périgord, Valentine had six children, of whom four survived:
* ''Clémentine'' Marie Wilhelmine de Talleyrand-Périgord (1841–1881), who married Count Alexandre
Orlowski.
*
Charles ''Maurice'' Camille de Talleyrand-Périgord (1843–1917), 4th duke of Dino, 2nd marquis de Talleyrand.
* Elisabeth Alexandrine Florence de Talleyrand-Périgord (1844–1880), who married Count Hans von
Oppersdorff.
* ''Archambault'' Anatole Paul de Talleyrand-Périgord (1845–1918), 3rd marquis de Talleyrand.
Valentine died on 23 September 1891.
Relationship with Demidov
Valentine had a passionate admirer,
Anatoly Nikolaievich Demidov, 1st Prince of San Donato, a Russian industrialist, diplomat and arts patron of the
Demidov
The House of Demidov (russian: Деми́довы) also Demidoff, was a prominent Russian noble family during the 18th and 19th centuries. Originating in the city of Tula in the 17th century, the Demidovs found success through metal products, ...
family. Anatoly attended her wedding and even helped assist the event. He offered her a diamond ornament whose magnificence caused the bridegroom worry. The next year, in 1840,
Demidov
The House of Demidov (russian: Деми́довы) also Demidoff, was a prominent Russian noble family during the 18th and 19th centuries. Originating in the city of Tula in the 17th century, the Demidovs found success through metal products, ...
briefly broke off their liaison due to financial problems, but later that same year married
Princess Mathilde Bonaparte and resumed his affair with Valentine on his first stay in Paris after his wedding. In 1845, he arranged for Valentine to settle with him in
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...
and stayed by her side, even though her husband took umbrage. At a
costume ball
A costume party (American English) or fancy dress party (other varieties of English) is a type of party, common in contemporary Western culture, in which many of the guests are dressed in costume, usually depicting a fictional or stock chara ...
, Valentine was insulted by her rival, Mathilde, and in response Demidov slapped his wife twice in public, which signalled their final separation soon thereafter.
References
1820 births
1891 deaths
19th-century French people
French duchesses
{{France-noble-stub
People of the Second French Empire