Léonie Léon (6 November 1838,

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 ...

– 14 November 1906

) was a French

courtesan A courtesan is a prostitute with a courtly, wealthy, or upper-class clientele. Historically, the term referred to a courtier, a person who attended the court of a monarch or other powerful person. History In European feudal society, the co ...

, best known for being the

mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a female lover of a married man ** Royal mistress * Maîtresse-en-titre, official mistress of a ...

of statesman

Léon Gambetta Léon Gambetta (; 2 April 1838 – 31 December 1882) was a French lawyer and republican politician who proclaimed the French Third Republic in 1870 and played a prominent role in its early government. Early life and education Born in Cahors, ...

Biography

Born Marie-Léonie Léon in Paris on 6 November 1838, she was the daughter of a French artillery officer. She was educated at the Louvencourt Sisters convent school in

Dunkirk Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...

. Following the death of her father in the Charenton asylum in 1860, Léon took Louis-Alphonse Hyrvoix, who was in charge of Emperor

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

's security, as a lover. She gave birth to Alphonse Léon, Hyrvoix's son, in

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

on 5 February 1865. Léon and Hyrvoix were lovers for eight years.

Léon Gambetta

Léon met Gambetta in 1868 and was his mistress from 1872 until his death a decade later. She lived in a house on Avenue Perrichont in Auteuil and was his confidante and adviser in his political plans. They corresponded on an almost daily basis and Gambetta repeatedly urged her to marry him. She finally consented in 1882. The couple had arranged to marry in December 1882. Shortly before the wedding day Gambetta accidentally shot himself in the hand while cleaning his gun. The wound refused to heal and he died of complications caused by the wound on 31 December. As the couple had agreed to keep their relationship away from the public eye, Léon did not attend his funeral. She did mourn him privately and continued to mourn until her death in 1906. It was only after her death that the full details of their relationship became known to the public. Around 1920 rumours circulated that Léon had been a German spy. Léon and Gambetta exchanged 6,000 letters between 1872 and Gambetta's death in 1882. Around 1,100 of these are still in existence.

Notes

References

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Leon, Leonie 1838 births 1906 deaths Courtesans from Paris