Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire

Thomas Gainsborough : Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire , 1783

Georgiana Dorothy Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (born June 7, 1757 in Althorp , Northamptonshire , † March 30, 1806 in London ) was a British noblewoman who was one of the most influential women of her time.

Live and act

Lady Georgiana Dorothy Spencer was the eldest daughter of John Spencer, 1st Earl of Spencer and Georgiana Poyntz, making her the great-great-granddaughter of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough , the victor in the Battle of Höchstädt in the War of the Spanish Succession .

She married William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire , on June 6, 1774 . The connection resulted in three children:

• Lady Georgiana Dorothy Cavendish, called "little G" (1783-1858)
• Lady Harriet Elizabeth Cavendish, called "Hary-O" (1785–1862)
• William George Spencer Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington , called "Hart" and later 6th Duke of Devonshire (1790-1858).

In 1782 the couple met Elizabeth Hervey , married Lady Foster, in Bath . She lived separated from her husband Sir John Thomas Foster from 1781 and soon became a close friend of the Duchess. From this time until Georgiana's death they lived in a ménage-à-trois . Elizabeth Hervey-Foster gave birth to William Cavendish, August and Caroline, and married the widower in 1809.

An affair Georgianas with the aristocrats and politicians Charles Gray, 2nd Earl Gray came the illegitimate daughter Eliza Courtney (born February 20, 1792 - May 2, 1859).

Georgiana Cavendish was not only one of the most admired beauties of her time, she was also considered a trendsetter . She was very interested in political life and campaigned for the Whigs . In their London townhouse, Devonshire House, the most important political figures, including Charles James Fox , Richard Brinsley Sheridan and Charles Gray, met for talks . She was very familiar with the then Prince of Wales , later King George IV .

In addition to social and political engagement, she wrote poems and dramas. She also took an interest in mineralogy in her later years and began collecting crystals at Chatsworth House , the headquarters of the Duchy of Devonshire. As was customary in the aristocracy of the time, the Duchess routinely gambled for money. Her game quickly turned into a ruinous addiction, made worse by her emotional instability. After accumulating more than £ 300,000 in debt, the Duchess summoned her parents for additional loans. For the rest of her life, the Duchess amassed an immense debt that she tried to hide from her husband. She apparently died of jaundice at Devonshire House in 1806, leaving behind several thousand letters.

Works

• Emma, ​​or, The unfortunate attachment. A sentimental novel. 1773.
• An Heroic Epistle to the Noble Author of the Duchess of Devonshire's Cow. A poem. [By William Combe.]. London, J. Bew, 1777.
• The sylph. A novel. Dublin, P. Higly, 1779.
• African song. London 1797 (arranged for piano by Giacomo Gotifredo Ferrari).
• The favorite song in the Stranger. , sung by Mrs. Bland at the Theater Royal Drury Lane. The melody by the Duchess of Devonshire adapted by Mr. Shaw [.] The words by B. Sheridan Esqr. London, Longman and Broderip [approx. 1798?]
• Memorandums of the face of the country in Switzerland. London, Cooper and Graham, 1799.
• The passage of the mountain of Saint Gothard. A poem. London, Prosper and Co., 1802.
• On the Death of the Duchess of Devonshire. [A poem.]. London, W. Bulmer & Co., [1806.]

reception

2008 with " The Duchess " Georgianas life filmed, based on "The Duchess of Devonshire - The life of a passionate woman," one of best sellers become Biography Amanda Foreman . The duchess was played by Keira Knightley , her husband by Ralph Fiennes .

literature

• Caroline Chapman: Elizabeth & Georgiana: The Duke of Devonshire and His Two Duchesses. John Wiley & Sons, 2002, ISBN 978-0-471-27495-7 .
• Amanda Foreman : Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. Modern Lib, 2001 ISBN 978-0-375-75383-1 ( Whitbread Prize for Best Biography 1999) <German: The Duchess of Devonshire. The life of a passionate woman. Piper, 2003, ISBN 978-3-492-23687-4 .
• Brian Masters: Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. Allison & Busby, 1997.
• Vere Ponsonby, 9th Earl of Bessborough: Georgiana. Extracts from the correspondence of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. John Murray, London 1955.
• Iris Leveson Gower: The face without a frown: Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. Muller, London 1944.
• Vere Foster: The two Duchesses. Blackie, London 1898.

Web links

Commons : Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

• Literature by and about Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire in the catalog of the German National Library