Élisabeth Charlotte Sophie de Mac Mahon, Marquise de Mac Mahon, Duchesse de Magenta (née de La Croix de Castries (13 February 1834 – 20 February 1900) was the wife of the

President of France The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency is the supreme magistracy of the country, the po ...

Patrice de MacMahon Marie Edme Patrice Maurice de MacMahon, marquis de MacMahon, duc de Magenta (; 13 June 1808 – 17 October 1893), was a French general and politician who served as President of France from 1873 to 1879. He was elevated to the dignity of Marshal ...

Biography

De la Croix de Castries was born in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1834, the daughter of Comte Armand de la Croix de Castries (1807–1862), of the House of Castries, a noble family from

Languedoc The Province of Languedoc (, , ; ) is a former province of France. Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately . History ...

, by his wife Maria Augusta d′Harcourt, of the

House of Harcourt The House of Harcourt is a Norman family, and named after its seigneurie of Harcourt in Normandy. Its mottos were "Gesta verbis praeveniant" (Olonde branch), "Gesta verbis praevenient" (Beuvron branch), and "Le bon temps viendra ... de Franc ...

. She married, on 14 March 1854, Patrice de Mac-Mahon, who was to become Marechal de France and Duke of Magenta in 1859. Her spouse became

in 1873. Élisabeth de Mac Mahon established and participated in representation, decorated the Presidential Palace, hosted balls where she mixed the old and new aristocracy, dressed in the latest fashion and became the president in the French Red Cross, where she started a charity project in making baby clothes for the poor. Élisabeth de Mac Mahon is known to have exerted influence upon the affairs of state during the presidency of Mac-Mahon. Her opinion about various political ministers and officials were respected, and she supported the claims of the count of Chambord on the throne of France. She played a part in the

16 May 1877 crisis Sixteen or 16 may refer to: *16 (number) *one of the years 16 BC, AD 16, 1916, 2016 Films * '' Pathinaaru'' or ''Sixteen'', a 2010 Tamil film * ''Sixteen'' (1943 film), a 1943 Argentine film directed by Carlos Hugo Christensen * ''Sixteen ...

, which ultimately led to her husband′s resignation in January 1879. In 1898, she had a paralytic attack, from which she only partially recovered, and she died in Paris on 20 February 1900. The Magentas left four children: *

Marie Armand Patrice de Mac Mahon Marie Armand Patrice de Mac Mahon, known as Patrice de Mac Mahon (10 June 1855 in Outreau – 23 May 1927 in Paris), 2nd Duke of Magenta and 6th Marquis d'Éguilly in 1893, was a French soldier and aristocrat. Life The eldest son of� ...

(1855–1927), who succeeded as Duke of Magenta, and who married Princess Marguerite d'Orléans (1869-1940), daughter of Prince Robert, Duke of Chartres *Marie-Eugène de MacMahon, comte de MacMahon (1857–1907) *Marie-Emmanuel de MacMahon, comte de MacMahon (1859–1930) *Marie de MacMahon (1863–1964), who married Comte d′Halwin de Piennes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahon, Élisabeth de Mac 1834 births 1900 deaths Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery French duchesses French marchionesses House of Castries Nobility from Paris Nobility of the Second French Empire Spouses of presidents of France Élisabeth