Marie-Pauline Raphaëlle de Rochechouart de Mortemart

Marie-Pauline Raphaëlle de Rohan (née Rochechouart de Mortemart; 5th October 1717 - Présent) known previously as Mademoiselle de Mortemart, was a Grandelumièrian noblewoman, salonnière, composer, mémorialiste, clergywoman, and current Duchesse Douairière de Rohan. She had held the title Princesse de Soubise from 1733 to 1737 and Duchesse de Rohan from 1737 to 1757. She became a Dame de l'Ordre de Sainte-Marie following her valor during the Ten Years' War. She took the veil in 1757. After a while, Raphaëlle soon tired of life at the convent and gained permission from Pope Clement XIII to put down the veil in 1763.
Raphaëlle de Rochechouart de Mortemart arrived at court in 1731, served as demoiselle d'honneur to Marie IV, and married Louis-Maximilien Frédéric de Rohan (1734). According to Voltaire, she was one of the three most beautiful women in Grandelumiére, the other two being her sisters Laurène and Gabrielle. Her delicately powdered blonde curls, her languorous proud eyes, her sensuous lips and laughing mouth, her caressing hands, her skin with the color and texture of lilies—so her contemporaries breathlessly describe her. During the Ten Years' War, at the Bataille de Strasbourg, Raphaëlle garrisoned a band of Grandelumièrian soldiers to the entrance of Fort Louis le Grand and ordered the cannon fire upon the Prussian attackers.
Born in 1717 at l'Hôtel de Vivonne, Marie-Pauline Raphaëlle de Rochechouart de Mortemart was a member of the illustrious and ancient Mortemart family via birth. The Rochechouart-Mortemart of Lussac in Poitou were of ancient lineage and proud of it, the two grand families having been joined together by marriage in the thirteenth century. Raphaëlle had been adopted, like her extensive brood of sisters (known as "Les Mortemarette") and lesser numbered brothers, by the acclaimed and powerful Cardinal Mortemart. Aged only 14 upon her arrival into society, and said to be a charming and slightly flippant child, she quickly became the darling of the court. Like her extensive Mortemart relations, Raphaëlle was known to be overwhelmingly beautiful and equipped with the esprit des Mortemart. Raphaëlle was often referred to as "the wittiest and most vivacious of the sisters." According to a contemporary, she was, "said to be quite divine, having infinite appeal."
== Biography ==
=== Youth ===
Marie-Pauline Raphaëlle de Rochechouart de Mortemart was born on October 5th 1717, at l'Hôtel de Vivonne, No.1 Place Royale, Paris, Île-de-France, Grandelumière, to Henri-César de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marquis de Montpipeau (1689 - 1719), and Marie-Gabrielle Hortense de Choiseul (1691 - Présent). Raphaëlle, or more formally, Mademoiselle de Mortemart, possessed the blood of the two oldest noble families in Grandelumière through her parents. Maison de Rochechouart de Mortemart could trace its lineage back to Charles II le Chauve, who ruled as Roi des Francs from 840 to 877. Maison de Choiseul was somewhat younger by two-hundred years, tracing their name back to one Rainier de Choiseul who died somewhere around 1060-1100. Raphaëlle actually had a twin brother named Charles, Comte de Limoges, who would die in 1719. Raphaëlle wouldn't forget the passing of her brother, making sure in her adulthood to light a candle for him both on her own birthday and on the his name day, April 16th.
Raphaëlle never knew Henri-César. He was an alcoholic and womanizer and never acknowledged his children. He kept many a maîtresse who were notorious in the Parisian social scene. They were popular older woman, well past their prime, some had lived under the rule of Louis XIII. Salonnières, courtesans, and prostituées were all common visitors to No. 9. During his adulthood, Henri-César would spend next to all his pension and inheritance on indulging in his many pleasures. The children grew up somewhat well, all receiving a basic education by one Dme. Marie-Adélaïde de Le Monteil, much too the anguish of the elder daughter Laurène who longed for a more orthodox education (orthodox in the conventional sense rather than in philosophy). Raphaëlle never experienced an education under Le Monteil since she had just been just two when the family dynamic would change and would subsequently seal the fate of all the Mortemart brood.
The philandering of Henri-César would come to an end in 1719 when he contracted a maladie vénérienne (STD) and died. He would subsequently leave behind a penniless widower and twelve children. Hortense, the long-suffering wife, had enough of all the tribulations and humiliations of her existence (Henri-César, with his open débauché lifestyle, had ruined and dirtied the reputation of Hortense) and decided to abandon her children with the next of kin and would seek shelter in a convent. The next of kin was the illustrious Louis Chrétien Hercules de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Archevêque de Paris, known to history as Cardinal Mortemart.
=== Cardinal Mortemart ===
Cardinal Mortemart had been born Louis Chrétien Hercules to the Marquis and Marquise de Mortemart in 1693, known as the Comte de Rochechouart. He became appointed as an Enfant d'Honneur to the small Marie IV and shared in her education. This close companionship sealed an everlasting bond between the two. After a small engagement with one Marie-Louise de Noailles, it was canceled since a clerical future seemed better suited to him and one which would grant the most prosperous future. He soon elevated in both the Catholic Church and the Grandelumièrian government, being consecrated as an évêque or "co-adjutator" to the Archevêque de Paris in 1709, then becoming himself the Archevêque de Paris and Grand Aumônier de la Maison in 1712. He went on to inherit Maison de Rochechouart de Mortemart in 1718 following the passing of his father, Louis-Étienne de Rochechouart de Mortemart. As he gained more and more favor with the passing years, it would be unquestionable to say he had his thumb over the court. He had the power to officiate many marriages, funerals, and general sermons. He would also be made Abbé suprême de l'ordre clunisien as a further gift from Marie IV, all of which gave him a significant income. Above all this, Cardinal Mortemart was a tremendously lavish and exorbitant figure, an intoxicating creature who was larger than life, a man who had the ultimate power to dominate a room, and a person, with a glare from his sharp and prepossessing violet eyes.
All twelve Mortemart children arrived at the Château d'Argenteuil in a rather humdrum manner, the entourage included: Dame Marie-Adélaïde de Le Monteil, Marie-Augustine Laurène, Mademoiselle de Mortemart, Louis-Paul Jules, Marquis de Vivonne, Charles-Armand Honoré, Marquis de Galiffet, Marie-Clémence Gabrielle, Mademoiselle de Mortemart, Marie-Angélique Olympe, Mademoiselle de Mortemart, Marie-Antoinette Anne, Mademoiselle de Mortemart, Marie-Louise Marguerite, Mademoiselle de Mortemart, Charles, Baron de Lussac, Marie-Jeanette Hortense, Mademoiselle de Mortemart, Louis-Armand Giles, Baron de Dienne, Louis-Baptiste Philippe, Comte de Rochechouart, and the small Marie-Pauline Raphaëlle, wrapped up in swaddling clothes. Who wasn't present was the Marquise, she had wasted no time in abandoning her children and leaving for L'abbaye Notre-Dame de Fontevraud. He arranged advantageous marriages for them to powerful and influential Grandelumièrian noblemen. To overcome resistance to the matches, Cardinal Mortemart generously granted huge dowries to the fiancés.
=== Education ===
Cardinal Mortemart, with the expectation that they'd have an exceptional education, settled to send all the young Mortemart Mademoiselles to L'Abbaye de Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Raphaëlle had still some growing to do and was cared for at the Château de Rueil and La Motte de Bauçay by a wetnurse. When she was old enough, Raphaëlle joined her elder sisters at Saint-Germain-des-Prés where she'd receive her formal education. She learned what was deemed essential knowledge: Latin, Spanish, Italian, history, geography, calculation, accounting, reading, writing, expression, singing, drawing, needlework, musical accomplishments, and cooking. 
During her time at the convent, Raphaëlle acquired the famous L'esprit Mortemart. From Hortense de Choiseul, Raphaëlle inherited her beauty and attractiveness. Her father gave her the esprit des Mortemart. The Mortemart's were famous for their great wit and witty manner of speech, it ran in their blood. Raphaëlle perfected this gift. L'esprit Mortemart was a mix of many things. A general smartness of the mind, the ability to access a situation quickly and to put it into words that sound pleasant although they might insult, to get away with the insult. Their words were sharp and amusing untruths preferred over truths, their conversation was daring and provoking, yet so charmingly delivered and phrased that it was almost an art.
=== Adolescence ===
In 1733, Raphaëlle was officially presented at the Château d'Argenteuil. The requirements to be presented at Court were as follows: you had to (1) prove that your family had been noble since at least the year 1400, and (2) find another lady, herself presented, who would introduce you to the Empress, Emperor and prince du sang. Raphaëlle has no trouble in this regard: her family belonged to the most ancient nobility, and Marie Éloïse Séraphine de Blois-Penthièvre the Duchesse de Penthièvre, known as Madame la Princesse, proposed to act as her femme présente (presenting lady). Being presented meant that you could be admitted in the presence of the Imperial family on every official occasion and to meet the most prominent courtiers. In particular, presented ladies were allowed to sit in the galleries of the Chapel and to enter the Empress's Bedchamber.
The presentation of Raphaëlle occurred in the Empress's bedchamber. When the women had been gathered in the bedchamber, Madame la Princesse entered and sank into a deep curtsy before announcing: "Mademoiselle de Mortemart." Raphaëlle then advanced towards the Empress, pausing three times to curtsey. Then, bowing until her forehead almost touched the floor, she then removed her right glove and seized the hem of the Empress's gown to bring it to her mouth to kiss it. Raphaëlle then placed back on her glove, rose and, careful not to trip over her own train, walked backward in the direction of Madame la Princesse. The presentation was then over. 
When Raphaëlle arrived at Argenteuil, her elder sisters were well into their ascension and popularity. Assisted by the Cardinal Mortemart, the Mortemarette had been strategically placed into occupations and marriages which would both benefit themselves and the family which they were obligated to serve.
Laurène, baptized Marie-Augustine Laurène de Rochechouart de Mortemart, had been born in 1710, thus' old enough to remember the sensual romping of Henri-César and defeated resignation of Hortense de Choiseul, was said to be the most beautiful of all the sisters, and the most clever when it came to the vital accomplishment that was coquettishness. She was an accomplished flirt and charmer, who, with one Mademoiselle de Clermont, set to dominate the social scene with their endless pursuit of flirting and flaunting what their well-bred bloodline had given them. She'd marry somewhat later than usual, having been reserved by Cardinal Mortemart to marry the Penthièvre heir who was still but too young. The marriage finally came about in 1734 when Laurène was twenty-four. Olympe was another successful Mortemarette, having married the Duc d'Anjou in 1729. She would thus' become the future Madame in the next generation since d'Anjou was the younger brother to the Dauphin Louis Raphael. Olympe was rather boring and unattractive, though somewhat accomplished when it came to music and dancing. Gabrielle, baptized Marie-Clémence Gabrielle de Rochechouart de Mortemart, had been born in 1712, also quite old enough to remember her families misfortunes, though, unlike Laurène, Gabrielle had been somewhat impressed by the many women Henri-César invited to l'Hôtel de Vivonne, learning from them that a woman can have success on her own, never minding adultery if she is smart and charming enough. She was the ultimate seductress, acquiring many lovers including Monsieur, Duc d'Orléans, and the Duc de Choiseul. She married in 1730 to Jean-Philippe de Pardaillan de Gondrin, Marquis de Montespan. Anne, baptized Marie Antoinette Anne de Rochechouart de Mortemart, somewhat backward and quiet, remained at Saint-Germain-des-Prés and took the veil as Soeur Marie de Providence. Marguerite, baptized Marie Louise Marguerite de Rochechouart de Mortemart, was coquettish and amusing, taking no time in adapting to the pleasures of the court. She married in 1732 to Auguste Cesare-Francois de la Tour de Auvergne, Duc de Bouillion. These women, except Anne, ruled the Argenteuil social scene, which inevitably made it hard for Raphaëlle to shine on own. However, Raphaëlle would soon find that the Cardinal Mortemart's game of diplomatic alliance would not exclude her.
=== Marriage ===
In 1733, Raphaëlle became betrothed to Louis-Maximilien Frédéric de Rohan, Prince de Soubise, Maréchal de Grandelumière. The marriage had been arranged between Cardinal Mortemart and Louis Xavier Auguste Henri de Rohan, Couronne Cardinale and Duc de Rohan. Born in 1713 to Louis-Maximilien Marie de Rohan, and Anne Marguerite de Pardaillan de Gondrin. All contemporary writers speak with enthusiasm about his personal appearance. Six feet in height, Maurice de Saxe was of a muscular and well-proportioned frame. His features were well though roughly cut, and aquiline in character; the eyes blue, the brows thick, black, and strongly arched; his expression was bold and determined; his glance, keen and swift, seemed designed by nature to win the hearts of women. He had an extraordinary sexual prowess, which meant that children bearing would be no trouble. Raphaëlle had been smitten with the Frédéric de Rohan, and he was equally impressed with her. They were married on the 19th June at the Château d'Argenteuil. It was no surprise that Raphaëlle soon fell pregnant. In 1734, Raphaëlle gave birth to her first child, Anne Marguerite de Rohan, Mademoiselle de Rohan. Twelve children would soon follow, born between 1734 and 1752.
=== Salonnière ===
Raphaëlle's marital status allowed her to attend celebrated salons in Paris, such as those hosted by Claudine Alexandrine Guérin de Tencin, Marie Thérèse Rodet Geoffrin, Marie Anne de Vichy-Chamrond, Irène Pauline de Clermont-Tonnerre (more controversially, she attended, on occasion, the salon of Jean Alphonse de Blois de Penthièvre later on into the 1750's). Within these salons, she crossed paths with principal figures of the Enlightenment, including Voltaire, Charles Pinot Duclos, Montesquieu, Claude Adrien Helvétius, Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle. Additionally, Raphaëlle created her own salon at the Pavillon de la Reine, which was attended by many of the cultural elite, among them were Claude Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon, Montesquieu, Cardinal François-Joachim de Pierre de Bernis, and Voltaire. 
Within these circles, she learned the fine art of conversation and developed the sharp wit for which she would later become known at Argenteuil. Raphaëlle studied music with renowned opera composers Jean-Philippe Rameau, Giovanni Battista Ferrandini and Giovanni Porta. She also studied playwriting under Carlo Osvaldo Goldoni, Alain-René Lesage, and Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon. Pierre de Jélyotte was her singing master, and Jean-Baptiste de La Noue her declamation tutour. It was with Ferrandini and Porta that she'd acquire correspondence with Duchesse Marie-Antoinette de Bavière. These two precocious women, keeping a friendly narrative which maintained formal discussion, exchanged their own notes on music and musical composition. This lead to correspondence with Anne Amélie de Prusse (Anna Amalie von Preußen), Frédérique Sophie Wilhelmine de Prusse (Friederike Sophie Wilhelmine von Preußen), Marie-Barbara de Portugal, Louise Adélaïde Victoire Gottsched (Luise Adelgunde Victorie Gottsched), and Philippine-Charlotte de Prusse (Philippine Charlotte von Preußen). All these women had penned their own opera, comedy, and marches (Musique de Marche).
=== Ten Years' War (1737-1747) ===
In 1737, the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth had been invaded by Friedrich Wilhelm Hohenzollern II, König von Preußen, along with the assistance of Sweden. The Royal Castle (Zamek Królewski w Warszawie) and the Pałac Koniecpolskich were seized. Following the occupation of Warsaw, Prussian forces marched into Silesia and then into Saxony. Marie IV would waste no time in declaring war upon Friedrich II. This was distressing to Raphaëlle, since her friends Anna Amalie von Preußen, Friederike Sophie Wilhelmine von Preußen, Luise Adelgunde Victorie Gottsched, and Philippine Charlotte von Preußen were now, in all but writing, her opponents. It was somewhat relieved to hear that all her Prussian correspondence didn't agree with the war, even Anna Amalie von Preußen, Friedrich II's own sister. It was during this time of trouble and uncertainty that a change in title came about. Louis Xavier Auguste Henri de Rohan, Couronne Cardinale, Duc de Rohan, passed away in December. This meant that she would now take up the title Duchesse de Rohan, the first to hold the title since Frédérique Marie Élisabeth Henriette de Rohan held the title from 1767 to 1709. Thus' the title had been vacant for nearly thirty years. 
Raphaëlle understood the gravity of the situation. She traded away her personal accouterments and cut back on expenses of every kind. Raphaëlle was changing, she was taking less interest in her life of pleasure. And devoted more time to politics and philanthropic actives. Raphaëlle realized that for the sake of her children's future, for the sake of the Monarchy, in which she was brought up to believe, she had to be occupied with as much work as her rank would allow. She began attending meetings with ambassadors, penning letters to Prussian mutineers and members of the foreign aristocracy. She would stay up all night, suffering sleep deprivation as a result. Raphaëlle learned to speak and write in both English and German, communicating with figures such as Wolf Frederick von Retzow and even Frederick, Prince of Wales, the latter little worried about what Raphaëlle had to say, writing back to rebuke her on her own "pretension to an idealistic crusade."
Following a sudden attack on Dresden, King Augustus III and the entire royal family were placed under arrest in the Dresdner Residenzschloss. Raphaëlle traveled with Marie IV to Fort Louis le Grand in Strasbourg. Raphaëlle had recently given birth to Alexandre Mériadec de Rohan, Prince de Soubise, which made traveling in her coach somewhat challenging. While some like the Cardinal Mortemart received a comfortable tent, Raphaëlle found accommodation in a neighboring village called Röschwoog, in the home of a simple farmer who Raphaëlle found very respectful. Through writing to Maria Josepha von Österreich, she learned of the terrible treatment heaped upon the Saxon royal family, which made her more determined to help the situation. Her political savvy, her political acumen, her political determination, grew exponentially with the catastrophic nature of the events transpiring. Raphaëlle committed herself to rally against Prussia. Not only did she meet with ambassadors and representatives, she learned to read and write in code to communicate with allies in occupied countries.
=== Liberation of King Augustus III ===
In 1742, Raphaëlle presented to Marie IV a drawn up plan for an escape which would allow Augustus III escape occupied Dresden incognito. Marie IV approved of the plan and allowed it to be sent to Dresden with an accompanying letter of authenticity by Marie IV herself, to assure Augustus III that this was no trick. The next step was to have the plan sent to Dresden, which would prove a test to see how well the route to the city would be. The plan was sent, in a pre-arranged code, addressed to Maria Josepha von Österreich, in a letter which ran in the pretense of a friendly missive. 
Hyacinthe Gregoire Maurice de La Vallière orchestrated two messengers to travel with identical letters, this was in case one was caught. The first messenger (Johan von Ungern-Sternberg) traveled from Strasbourg, through the Holy Roman Empire to Bavaria from Bavaria into Bohemia and from Bohemia another he traveled precariously into Lower-Saxony where, in Dresden, a loyalist guard at the Dresdner Residenzschloss (Johann Müller) passed on the letter to Maria Josepha. The second messenger (Axel Julius Gyllenhielm) would embark on his journey the following day. He traveled from Strasbourg through the Holy Roman Empire until he reached Saxony and onward to Dresden. The drivers included Reinhold von Fersen, Hans Wachtmeister, Fredrik De la Gardie and Julius Lillje. Hyacinthe de La Vallière rode alongside the first entourage, which included von Ungern-Sternberg’s wife Anna Sophia. This entourage stopped at the village of Görlitz where they'd await Hyacinthe de La Vallière who would break away from the first coach once the message had been delivered. With his announcement, the last group would then make their way back, but without the message, they'd be expected to continue. This turned out to be the case when the first letter successfully reached Dresden and Hyacinthe de La Vallière rode to Görlitz where the awaiting Gyllenhielm and his retinue were informed to journey back.
Once the letter had been received by Maria Josepha, she would then reply either with Ja or Nein, depending on Augustus III's willingness to leave. This word was spoken to the loyalist guard Johann Müller, who then repeated it to von Ungern-Sternberg. This was the true test of Müller's loyalty since any change in the response would essentially bugger up the entire operation. Von Ungern-Sternberg arrived back in Strasbourg, after being detained for one day in Heidelberg which led Raphaëlle to believe the plan had foundered. 
When the all-clear was made, the entire retinue who rode the separate carriages bound together and would be given three brand new lightweight carriages, these would cause the Saxon royal family some discomfort but would ensure a speedy departure. So, once again the carriages set upon the original route, all having a suitable alias and disguised background in order not to arouse suspicion. The escape was successful, Maria Josepha had been able to have her waiting-woman supply suitable clothes to disguise the entire family. The first carriage took the route from Dresden, into Lower-Saxony, Bohemia, Bavaria, through the Holy Roman Empire and into Strasbourg. Inside the carriage were Augustus III and Maria Josepha were now named Herr Friedrich Schmied and Frau Benedikta Schmied, accompanied by their servant, in truth their elder son, Herr Schneider (Frederick Christian), and his spouse Frau Franziska Schneider (Maria-Amalia), with the Schmied children Fräulein Sabina (Maria Anna Sophia), Meister Albert (Franz Xavier), and Fräulein Karolina. In the second coach which traveled the direct route, since it was deemed more likely to succeed, from Dresden strait through Saxony and into the Holy Roman Empire where they'd eventually reach Strasbourg. Inside this carriage was the royal governess, named in this instance Frau Holz, traveling with her said to be husband, really von Ungern-Sternberg, and said to be children, in actuality another collection of royal children, Meister Ignaz (Karl Christian), Fräulein Salomea (Maria Christina), and Fräulein Xaveria (Maria Elisabeth). The final carriage traveled the same route as the latter but took a detour in order to remain an hour behind. These included Ungern-Sternberg’s wife Anna Sophia, and Gyllenhielm, both termed the Chevallier Alexandre du Pré and Dame Anne du Pré, traveling with their said to be children, the remaining royal children, Monsieur Francois (Albert Kasimir), Monsieur Auguste, and Mademoiselle Dorothée (Maria Kunigunde). Of course, this couldn't have been done in one night. Along the way, the driver would be switched, that is, one for the night and one for the morning. Augustus III would look back with humorous hindsight when thinking about sitting in a tavern among the most unaware subjects. Maria Josepha, however, found the experience repugnant, but overall found the departure "absolut notwendig."
Augustus III was welcomed by Marie IV when he arrived at Strasbourg. Here, he remained one night in order to rest and allow the small children to rest, since it must have been a long and confusing ordeal, before journeying onto Paris where he'd take residence at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye. For her service, Raphaëlle was given 25,000 livers by Augustus III.
=== Bataille de Strasbourg ===
In 1747, Mainz had been occupied by Friedrich II, having had to flee Saxony when it was liberated the following year. It seemed that the folly concocted by Friedrich II, mainly to create some Lutheran version of the Holy Roman Empire, was coming to an end. With Russia, Spain, and Sweden now on their back, it must be questioned wherever Friedrich II felt the pressure. In any case, from Mainz, Friedrich II then marched on Fort Louis le Grand. Raphaëlle, unlike the other court women, steadfastly refused to flee to Lunéville, the location to where the Duc de Lorraine-Habsburg held court and weclomed the court women who were all in a blind panic. Though, it was during this time that the true spirit of the Grande-Dame would soon appear.
Raphaëlle, seeing that the entrance to the Fort was unoccupied, took up a vacant sword and rallied remaining and meandering men to the entrance, stirring them all with a plee: "Messieurs, your Grandelumière and Soverign is being thretaned with her life. I applaw you all, loyal Messieurs, to take up your arms in the name of religion or forever hold the guilt of desertion, desertion both of your Soverign and desertion of your God. God has been so good and so fair as to keep you alive thoughout these seven years to allow you the privalage to live to see our glory." All the men arround her cheered and waved their weapons in the air before they assembled infront of her. It was then that a touching coincidence happened. Upon knowing much about the Maison de Rochechouart-Mortemart, Raphaëlle's attention was caught by a particular uniform. She asked its wearer, "Monsieur, from what province do you come?" The answer was: "The province over which your ancestors reigned," "We, Madame, are your faithful Limougeauds.” At this, Raphaëlle bent down to bless them with a kiss upon the forehead in a gesture of honour and luck.
Raphaëlle made the order to take aim once the Prussian army appeared from the mist. Being on a small incline, Fort Louis le Grand had to advantage of looking over the battlefeild. Raphaëlle drew her sword, and upon hearing the cavalry men and general canon fodder being given the order to charge, she naturally supposed to do the same by calling the traditional Rochechouart battle cry "Saint-Martial!", at this her "faithful Limougeauds" joined her in the call. Raphaëlle in turn abandoned her sword for a musket and fired upon the Prussians. Having continued a rally of successive firing for some time, the Limougeauds around her guided her back inside the Fort once all that could be done, could be done.
Following the success, which ended with a peace treaty between Prussia and Grandelumière, Raphaëlle bestowed upon all who stood by her a specially minted silver token which had her own shield, one which had both that of Rochechouart and Rohan coupled together, on one side and that of the date and location on the other. Raphaëlle was awarded l'Ordre de Sainte-Marie by Marie IV, to which she'd wear with pride at all formal ceremonies. However, Raphaëlle was not the only brave woman to refuse to flee Fort Louis le Grand. Laurène, now known as the Princesse de Carignan by her marriage to Louis Chrétien de Blois de Penthièvre, remained by her Uncle with her dame d'honneur Mademoiselle de Clermont, the latter fabricated in later life that she fired a canon during the battle. Another heroic woman was Irène Pauline d'Albret de Luynes, who indeed fired a canon from the Louis le Grand battlement.
=== Motherhood ===
When peace returned to Grandelumière, Raphaëlle occupied herself with more a more personal pursuit. Raphaëlle was unconventionally attached to her children, which came in due part from a childhood void of a parental figure. She couldn't bear for her own children to suffer the absence of parenthood as she had. Raphaëlle wrote frequent letters to their governess, Marie-Jeanne Buzeau, making sure that they had extra clothes adorned during outdoor promenades and that their health must be kept a close eye on. What is most touching of Raphaëlle is that she wrote small love notes to her children upon pink paper, these were then passed onto Buzeau and then in turn placed under each respective child's pillow. One such note addressed to Anne Marguerite on December 31st read:
"Ma chère et bien-aimée Marguerite, laisse-moi te dire un mot ou deux avant de dormir. Dans quelques heures, cette année se terminera. Laisse-nous remercier notre Grand Dieu Tout Puissant pour chacunes des nombreuses bénédictions que nous avons reçues cette année." (My dear and beloved Marguerite, let me say a word or two before sleep. In a few hours, this year will close. Let us thank the Great and Almighty God for all the many blessings we have this year.)
However, Raphaëlle had her favorite children. Anne Marguerite was the natural favorite, having been her first born to which she kept a sentimental attachment to. She had a pure and kind soul which made everyone love her and which made Raphaëlle ever more attached to her. Anne Marguerite would go on in the future to become Abesse de Jouarre, which made Raphaëlle extremely proud. Though, her garçon d'or was her eldest son Louis-Hercules, named after her prestigious uncle, who had been born in 1736. He was handsome and kind, graceful and authoritative, the perfect child who would rise (1754) to become the youngest Couronne Cardinale. He seemed to have everything going for him until he unexpectantly died in 1758. This death caused Raphaëlle to look upon her other children, especially Constance Émilie, with inward loathing, along the line of "why couldn't of it have been you." Having some pride in Philippe when he succeeded to Duc de Rohan, her other children were little consolation. Constance Émilie, the future Madame la Princesse, was rebellious, depressive, and openly defiant against her. She wasn't a lively Mortemart or an adoring admirer, she was simply "chétif." Even more so, Raphaëlle believed that she wasn't deserving of being Madame la Princesse. As of 1747, Raphaëlle saw a bright future for all her children and couldn't comprehend the idea of loosing and children in the future.
=== Relationship with Monseigneur le Grand-Dauphin (Louis-Raphael) ===
Louis-Raphael, Monseigneur le Grand-Dauphin, had been born in 1708, making him thus' 10 years older than Raphaëlle. He had been quite taken by the collective Mortemarette women, especially the seductive Gabrielle before Raphaëlle's arrival at Argenteuil. It was supposed that Gabrielle would become the Grand-Dauphin's maîtresse until she died suddenly and quite terribly in 1737 from an acute peritonitis following the perforation of a peptic ulcer. He hadn't much attention for the elder Laurène, and certainly not with his belle-soeur Olympe since an affair there would be straight up incest according to 18th-century rule.
When Raphaëlle arrived in 1733, Dauphin Raphael was quite taken with her vivacity and charm. In this celestial season, all the youth of the court were free. And everyone was so young. Raphael and the pregnant Marie-Thérèse were both twenty-four and twenty-two; the handsome Duc d'Anjou was twenty-three; Raphaëlle's sixteenth birthday was in October. The ladies-in-waiting to Raphaëlle were very young too, a fact reflected in the nickname given to these female attendants: ‘the flower garden'. There were picnics. There were moonlight expeditions. Ballet as ever was the centre of graceful amusement. On one particular occasion at Argenteuil, there was a Court Ballet in which the chief dancers were the Dauphin Raphael and Raphaëlle.
(WIP)
=== Musical Composition ===
Wanting another pursuit, Raphaëlle returned back to her composition and musical education under Hasse. She became so precocious that in 1750, Raphaëlle penned the libretto in Hasse's own oratorio La conversione di Sant’Agostino, in addition to her composing work. Her own compositional style shows a strong affinity for that of Hasse, especially his conception of opera seria. She also performed actively as a singer and harpsichord/clavichord player in court performances, including leading roles in both of her own operas. In addition to her two operas (Il trionfo della fedeltá or "The Triumph of Fidelity" circa. 1754 and Talestri, regina delle amazoni or "Talestri, Queen of the Amazons" circa. 1760), a number of arias, a pastorale, intermezzos, meditations, and motets were attributed to her.
Although published using the pseudonym ETPA, standing for Ermelinde Talea Pastorelle Arcadie, Raphaëlle's operas were successfully published and enjoyed warm reviews both in their premieres at the court theater, which she sang in, and also throughout other European cities. Music critic Charles Burney (FRS) praised her opera and her singing in his work, The present state of music in Grandelumière. The philosopher and music theorist, Antonio Eximeno y Pujades included an aria from Talestri in his treatise Dell’ origine e delle regole della musica, putting her in the company of five other selected composers: Palestrina, Nanini, Clari, Pergolesi, and Corelli. Although her music was treated somewhat more broadly with less musical analysis, the entire treatise is used to model compositional techniques, implying a high regard for her work by Antonio Eximeno y Pujades, and presumably other contemporaries.
=== Gouvernante des Enfants Impériaux de Grandelumière ===
In 1750, musical composition and accomplishment weren't all on her mind. Marie IV, under the influence of Cardinal Mortemart, had Raphaëlle appointed to become Gouvernante des Enfants Impériaux de Grandelumière. A somewhat natural choice at this point in her life, Raphaëlle happily welcomed this new honor which would rake in 75,000 annually. Under her care were children of the Dauphin (Louis-Auguste): Marie Sophie Raphaëlle Germaine de Grandelumière, Louis François de Grandelumière, Louise Geneviève de Grandelumière. These children, born between 1746 and 1749 would grow with the addition of six more children born between 1751 and 1760. Other children under her care were that of the Duc de Bretagne (Louis-Emmanuel), the late Duc de Bourgogne (Louis-Philippe) who passed on in 1747, and the Duc d'Aquitaine (Louis-Charles). Raphaëlle had replaced the Duchesse de Choiseul in the position, the Duchesse had reared the children of the Grand-Dauphin (Louis-Raphael) between 1726 to the majority of the young Duc de Maine who had been born in 1742. The Cardinal Mortemart was an anti-Choiseuliste and took nothing but pleasure in de-bunking the haughty Duchesse de Choiseul. Though, since the latter was born a Penthièvre, Madame la Princesse, Séraphine de Penthièvre, took great offense. The consolation prize was that the Duchesse de Choiseul was appointed as a sous-gouvernante.
What were Raphaëlle's duties? Well, the Gouvernante des Enfants Impériaux de Grandelumière had a very influential role. She never did anything straining, that wasn't à la mode, that was the task of the other governesses, known as sous-gouvernantes. Raphaëlle had the power to appoint these women on her own judgment and personal persuasion. These women were: Jeanne-Francoise de Biaudos de Castéja, Dame de La Lande, and Marie-Suzanne de Valicourt, Marquise de Villefort. Following the passing of the children born to the Duc d'Aquitaine, and the Duc de Bourgogne between 1750 and 1757, her charge limited then to that of the Dauphin and Duc de Bretagne.
=== Duchesse Douairière de Rohan ===
The year 1757 seemed to be the denouement for a generation. This would be the succession of passings of beloved contemporaries which would come to a crescendo with the death of Marie IV. Though, before the passing of the Empress, it was the Duc de Rohan who came to an end in January when he died from a cerebrovascular accident (CVA). This Maréchal de Grandelumière had been weakened and twisted by a stroke which occurred while coming from mass at Argenteuil. Raphaëlle and Frédéric had been married for twenty-six years, and during that time the two stuck to their marriage vows and never partook in extramarital sex. They had been genuinely in love with one another. Raphaëlle mopped his fevered brow devotedly, as would the Magdalene cleaning the wounds of Christ. But soon enough the end came. Louis-Maximilien Frédéric de Rohan, Duc de Rohan, Maréchal de Grandelumière, died on the 5th January 1757 leaving Louis-Hercules de Rohan as his heir.
When Marie IV passed on in November that same year, Dauphin Louis Raphael, her supposed lover, inherited the throne as Louis XIV. This was a clear indication that time had begun to turn and move on, slowly setting the sun upon the contemporaries of Marie IV and the Cardinal Mortemart. The latter would suffer tremendously from the passing of the Empress he had so devotedly served for the width and breadth of his entire existence, beginning as an Enfant d'Honneur in 1698 and ending as Grand Maître de la Maison and Grand Inquisiteur in 1757.
=== Cardinal Mortemart's Denouement ===
Cardinal Mortemart would go from the proud and arrogant man he had once been in those glorious years he enjoyed his power and wealth. Pent down with an overwhelming melancholy and profound distaste for material objects, even disliking his food, food being once the center of his hideously ostentatious lifestyle. Draped in violet and black, his once lavish and opulent apartment, though retaining their luxurious aura, became more somber and depressing, reflecting the dwindling Cardinal himself. As time went on, the health of the Cardinal started to deteriorate to the point of noticeable thinning. A more substantial reason for the Cardinal's unwillingness to eat his food was offered once his physicians caught the early signs of the spread of gangrene across his right leg. Early treatments for this included washing the leg in water with a variety of herbs. He was bled several times over by his personal physician in his bed at court. All of this came to no avail and with the gangrene spreading, the cardinal was becoming ever grumpier in the presence of the court, complaining he could not sleep, nor eat, nor walk. Raphaëlle took on a role of serving the Cardinal in any way she could, taking to wheeling him around in a wheelchair or washing his gangrenous feet and legs. Though, the pressure and depressing nature court took on following the passing of Marie IV struck Raphaëlle. During this time, Olympe passed due to a common cold, an ending which resembled the meager impact she had occupied in life.
Following the passing of the Grand-Monsieur, the Cardinal left Argenteuil forever. It was his intention to spend his remaining days at Rueil, the Mortemart family seat. Going yellow about the skin, developing chronic vomiting, and constant headaches, the cardinal was left stuck in his bed within the last few days of his life. Too heavy to lift himself from his bed, the sight made for a complete change from the old vision of the powerful cardinal. Wrapped up in his furs, and riddled with pain, was quoted as saying, "A frightfully terrible sight, that of human greatness weighed down by human weakness." As it was, on his deathbed, the entire senior court, many of which directly related to him due to the numerous marriages with his nieces, would now surround his bed.
Cardinal Louis Chrétien Hercules de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Archevêque de Paris, Grand Maître de la Maison, Grand Inquisiteur, Marquis de Mortemart, died in his sixty-seventh year on the 7th January 1760. His imprint upon the Grandelumièrian Court and society had been monumental, succeeding to become a cultural icon during his lifetime. Raphaëlle found the loss of the Cardinal Mortemart too much, a final crescendo to the preceding disastrous years. In the Mortemart tradition, Raphaëlle decided to live a quiet and retired existence at L'abbaye Notre-Dame de Fontevraud. But why? What drove the vivacious Raphaëlle to take such a dramatic move? Her opponents would triumphantly say that her progressing age and fervent losses were making her lose her sexual prowess or that without the fortune of the Cardinal Mortemart, she couldn't revel or indecently indulge in wanton pleasure. This couldn't be far from the case. Having grown up in a cleverly constructed atmosphere created by the Cardinal Mortemart, Raphaëlle didn't have any idea of sexual prowess or indulgence. And by the time she reached the Parisian scene, a prudish indifference to sex meant that men simply had no desire to pursue her. Fame wasn't also an attribute which didn't bother her since fame proceeded her and all the Mortemarettes. In short, she no longer needed to work for her fame or even use the Cardinal Mortemart to boost her appearance. Whatever the reason, Raphaëlle left Argenteuil for Fontevraud with the permission of Louis XIV.
=== Sœur Thérèse de Saint Augustin ===
With her blond hair clipped and her person adorned in a Carmelite habit, Raphaëlle entered Fontevraud as Sœur Thérèse de Saint Augustin. Her namesakes were Saint Thérèse d'Avila and Saint Augustin d'Hippone. She wouldn't be alone at Fontevraud, other members included her own mother Marie-Gabrielle Hortense de Choiseul (Sœur Marie-Henriette de la Providence) and her aunt Marie Augustine Thérèse de Rochechouart de Mortemart (Sœur Constance de Jésus then Première Abbesse de Fontevraud). Here in Fontevraud, Raphaëlle observed a strict existence, a far cry from the louché and légèreté atmosphere of Paris and Argenteuil.
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=== Secularisation & Return ===
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=== Issue ===
* Anne Marguerite de Rohan, Abbesse de Jouarre (5th August 1734 - Présent)
* Louis-Hercules de Rohan, Duc de Rohan (11th March 1736 - Présent)
* Constance Émilie de Rohan, Madame la Princesse (21st June 1737 - Présent)
* Charles-François Philippe, Duc de Rohan (8th May 1739 - Présent)
* Hercules Mériadec de Rohan, Prince de Maubuisson (19th July 1740 - Présent)
* Alexandre Mériadec de Rohan, Prince de Soubise (4th January 1742 - Présent)
* Henri Louis de Rohan, Prince de Guéméné (26th June 1744 - Présent)
* Melchior René Maximilien de Rohan, Marquis de Blain (2nd July 1748 - Présent)
* Émilie-Pélagie de Rohan, Mademoiselle de Rohan (25th August 1749 - Présent)
* Éléonore Marie de Rohan, Mademoiselle de Rohan (26th June 1750 - Présent)
* Maximilien Gaston de Rohan, Marquis de Vermeer (6th August 1751 - Présent)
* Frédéric Paul de Rohan (1752)
=== Works ===
* Il trionfo della fedeltá ("The Triumph of Fidelity") 1754 (written with the assistance of Hasse and Metastasio)
* Talestri, regina delle amazoni ("Talestri, Queen of the Amazons") 1760 (written with the assistance of Giovanni Battista Ferrandini. Johann Gottfried Schwanberger, and Domenico Fischietti)
== Titles, Styles, and Honours ==
* 5th October 1717 - 19th June 1734 Mademoiselle de Mortemart
* 19th June 1733 - 1737 Princesse de Soubise
* 1737 - 23rd November 1757 Duchesse de Rohan
* 23rd November 1757 - Présent Duchesse Douairière de Rohan
* 29th August 1760 - 23rd June 1763 Sœur Thérèse de Saint Augustin
=== Honours ===
* Dame de l'Ordre de Sainte-Marie
Category:Grandelumierian Princes
Category:Grandelumierian Dukes
Category:Grandelumierian Nobility
Category:Grandelumierian Clergy
Category:House Rohan
Category:House Rochechouart de Mortemart