Sophie Trébuchet
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Sophie Françoise Trébuchet (19 June 1772 in
Nantes Nantes (, , ; Gallo: or ; ) is a city in Loire-Atlantique on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, with a population of 314,138 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabita ...
– 27 June 1821
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
) was a French painter and the mother of
Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...
.


Early life

Sophie Françoise Trébuchet was born on June 19, 1772, in Nantes, rue des Carmélites, the fourth of eight children. Her father, Jean-François Trébuchet, was captain of a ship, and her mother, Louise Le Normand (1748–1780), from Saint-Fiacre-sur-Maine, was the daughter of the
seneschal The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...
Château-Thébaud Château-Thébaud (; br, Kastell-Tepaod) is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France. Population See also *Communes of the Loire-Atlantique department The following is a list of the 207 communes of the Loire-Atlanti ...
. Biography of Jean-François Trébuchet
/ref> Some time after her birth, Trébuchet was baptized in the church of Saint-Laurent. She became an orphan at the age of eight, when her mother died on August 14, 1780, three weeks after giving birth to her eighth child, who did not survive. Her father, in financial trouble, was forced to accept a mission in the
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from shipowners in
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. He auctioned off some of the couple's property in order to pay for the equipment of the ship "The Count of Grasse", and then embarked. He took care before his departure to place his seven surviving children in boarding school, while the two eldest went respectively to his nephew Louis Trébuchet and his sister-in-law Louise Mathurine Le Normand du Buisson. After the death of their father, the children were divided between the remaining family, while Trébuchet left her guardian, Menant-Dugué, to meet her paternal aunt, Françoise-Louise Trébuchet.


The revolution

On July 18, 1789, Trébuchet attended the revolutionary riots in Nantes. She came to sympathize with the
royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governme ...
cause after witnessing the execution of two young girls and their mother, Madame de La Biliais, whom she knew during her childhood. This episode remained in her memory for the rest of her life. During
the Terror The Reign of Terror (french: link=no, la Terreur) was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the First Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public executions took place in response to revolutionary fervour, ...
, sparked in Nantes by
Jean-Baptiste Carrier Jean-Baptiste Carrier (, 16 March 1756 – 16 December 1794) was a French Revolutionary and politician most notable for his actions in the War in the Vendée during the Reign of Terror. While under orders to suppress a Royalist counter-revolutio ...
, Trébuchet returned to Châteaubriant. But on February 11, 1796, she witnessed a battle in Grand-Auverné between Republicans and Chouans. The same year, she met
Joseph Léopold Sigisbert Hugo Joseph Léopold Sigisbert Hugo (1773–1828) was a List of French generals of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, French general in the Napoleonic Wars. He was the husband of Sophie Trébuchet and the father of four sons. He is best known fo ...
in Châteaubriant, a Republican soldier with whom she fell in love. On November 15, 1797, they were married in
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
.


Married life

The couple then moved to the Maison-Commune in Paris. Their first child,
Abel Hugo Abel Joseph Hugo (15 November 1798, Paris - 7 February 1855, Paris) was a French military officer, essayist, and historian. His younger brother was the novelist Victor Hugo. Biography He was the eldest son of General Joseph Léopold Sigisbert Hug ...
, was born on November 15, 1798. While staying with the Hugo family, Trébuchet became pregnant a second time, and desired to return to
Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...
, but her husband refused. Eugène Hugo was born on September 16, 1800, in Nancy, rue des Maréchaux. Léopold Hugo was appointed adjutant-general at Lunéville, where Trébuchet met
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 ...
. Later, the family went to Besançon. On February 26, 1802, Trébuchet's third child,
Victor The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...
was born in Saint-Quentin. Léopold was then sent to
Marseilles Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
, where the rest of his family joined him. Once there, he sought a promotion and sent Trébuchet to Victor Fanneau de Lahorie in Paris. She stayed in Paris, where she moved to the Hotel de Nantes, rue Neuve-des-Petits-Champs, where Victor Fanneau de Lahorie was living. Lahorie had been Sophie Trébuchet's lover for some time, and there is some speculation that he may have been Victor Hugo's father.


Later life

In the beginning of 1803, Léopold went to
Bastia Bastia (, , , ; co, Bastìa ) is a commune in the department of Haute-Corse, Corsica, France. It is located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It also has the second-highest population of any commune on the is ...
, while Victor Fanneau de Lahorie moved to rue des Saussaies and bought the Château de Saint-Just. Trébuchet traveled to
Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...
to rejoin her husband and children, but learned that Léopold had a mistress named Catherine Thomas. Trébuchet returned to Paris with her three sons. Sophie moved to rue de Clichy and decided to hide Lahorie, who was suspected of going against the government. These cases were clarified, but Lahorie was forced to sell his properties (including Saint-Just) and to go into exile in America, which he refused. In 1806, Trébuchet and the children visited Leopold in
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
, where he was living with his mistress. He opposed the idea of his family joining him due to his fears that his wife would discover his affair. Trébuchet and her children came to see Hugo anyway, but they left the next day for Paris. They arrived on February 7, 1809 and settled in an old
convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...
, rue des Feuillantines. The chapel there was used as a hiding place for Victor Fanneau de Lahorie. The children, at first, did not know of his presence, but soon discovered it. As a precaution, Trébuchet had him renamed M. de La Courland, and he became a new father for the three sons. On December 29, 1810 Victor Fanneau de Lahorie was betrayed and arrested at the Feuillantines, under the eyes of the Trébuchet-Hugo family. In March 1811, the family went to Spain to visit Léopold, who had become Count of
Sigüenza Sigüenza () is a city in the Serranía de Guadalajara comarca, Province of Guadalajara, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. History The site of the ancient ''Segontia'' ('dominating over the valley') of the Celtiberian Arevaci, now called ('old town ...
. He was not aware they were coming, and therefore, after a dangerous journey through a hostile country at war, the family was welcomed in Madrid by Léopold's brother. Irritated by the actions of his wife, Léopold, living in
Guadalajara Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...
with his mistress, sought
divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...
and the custody of his children, whom he placed at the College of Nobles in Madrid. Trébuchet refused her husband's instructions and asked for help 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 ...
, who was king of Spain; the spouses were quickly reconciled. But after some time, Léopold learnt from an unknown source the connection between Victor Fanneau de Lahorie and Trébuchet. She hoped to return to Paris as soon as possible for news of her lover. One day she received an amount of 4,750
francs The franc is any of various units of currency. One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes. The name is said to derive from the Latin inscription ''francorum rex'' (King of the Franks) used on early French coins and until the 18th centu ...
from Paris (she suspected Lahorie of having sent it) and decided to leave at once; she took advantage of the escort of Marshal Bellune to cross Spain without trouble. In Paris, she regularly visited her lover, incarcerated in
Vincennes Vincennes (, ) is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. It is next to but does not include the Château de Vincennes and Bois de Vincennes, which are attached ...
. She paid attention to the plot of General Malet, who announced the death of
Napoleon Bonaparte 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 ...
in
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. Victor Fanneau de Lahorie, once released, was to become Minister of Police. But the plot was unveiled and the conspirators, of whom he was part, were imprisoned in the prison of the Abbey; they were all shot in the plain of Grenelle on October 29, 1812. Sophie followed the funeral convoy to the Vaugirard cemetery. On December 31, 1813, the family moved to rue des Vieilles Thuileries (now rue du Cherche-Midi). Léopold arrived at Thionville where he presented Catherine Thomas as "General Hugo". Trébuchet decided to locate her husband, after he stopped paying their rent. She entrusted Eugene and Victor to the Foucher family and left with Abel. Léopold again asked for divorce, on grounds of adultery, and placed his sons in boarding school. When Sophie returned to Paris, she discovered her apartment under seal and therefore asked the Fouchers for hospitality. Later, Léopold arrived in Paris with Catherine Thomas, whom he presented in the Salons; he returned to Thionville during the
Hundred Days The Hundred Days (french: les Cent-Jours ), also known as the War of the Seventh Coalition, marked the period between Napoleon's return from eleven months of exile on the island of Elba to Paris on20 March 1815 and the second restoration ...
. Sophie regularly visited her sons at their college.


Death

After finding her apartment, Trébuchet, impoverished, was forced to move to rue des Petits-Augustins, now rue Bonaparte. She recovered the custody of her children in 1818, when the civil court of the Seine pronounced the separation of the bodies and property of the Hugo couple. Abel was 20 years old, Eugène 18, and Victor 16. The eldest became a half-pay lieutenant and the younger two joined the Faculty of Law, while their father thought they were going to the Polytechnique. Discovering that Victor had extraordinary talents in poetry, Trébuchet sought to develop her own artistic talents. Victor dedicated his first poems to his mother. The family was very close to Foucher, meeting regularly for a number of years since Mrs. Foucher had first received Trébuchet's sons for evenings at the Foucher home in
Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...
. One day, Trébuchet discovered that Victor and Adèle Foucher were in love. Not thinking much of the girl, she opposed their relationship. In the spring of 1820, Sophie Trébuchet tended the garden, but suffered from the cold. She fell ill and died in bed in the afternoon of June 27, 1821. She was buried on June 28 at the Vaugirard Cemetery. Much later, Victor had her remains transferred to Père-Lachaise, where Trébuchet lies as "Countess Hugo". Sophie Trebuchet's grave site
/ref>


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trebuchet, Sophie 1772 births 1821 deaths French women artists Hugo family Artists from Nantes