Jacqueline d'Escoman

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jacqueline d'Escoman (born in Orphin around 1585 as Jacqueline le Voyer ; died after 1618) was a French socialite who claims to have discovered conspiracies against the French King Henry IV , but was unable to prevent his murder. Convicted on her charges, she is believed to be the author of a treatise on the plot that she wrote while in captivity.

Life

Jacqueline le Voyer was born into a family belonging to the lower French nobility. She married Isaac de La Varenne, Lord of Escoman, a royal guard who is said to have forced her into prostitution. She tried to enter the service of the divorced Queen Margot , who, however, would not tolerate prostitutes in her service.

Through the mediation of her half-sister Charlotte Catherine d'Entragues, Jacqueline d'Escoman entered the service of Catherine Henriette de Balzac d'Entragues , Margravine of Verneuil and mistress of the king, instead . Escoman quickly became a confidante in their court and learned about intrigues at the royal court. This also included (according to her own reports) that at a meeting between the Margravine of Verneuil and the Duke of Épernon shortly before Christmas 1606 , she said she was planning to assassinate the king with Spanish assistance and then marry during the Born in 1601 illegitimate son of Verneuil should be placed on the throne. A similar plot by Verneuil had already been uncovered in 1604; the mistress, however, had been pardoned. Escoman revealed the plans to Marie de Gournay , which she passed on to the Duke of Sully . However, Sully did not dare to bring the rumors to the king - Escoman said in 1616.

After switching to the service of Maria de 'Medici's confidante, Mademoiselle du Tillet, Escoman was again aware of plans to assassinate the king. In 1609 she claims to have tried in vain to warn the royal couple. Since she, presumably already separated from her husband, ran out of funds to pay the nurse of her small child, she abandoned it at the Pont Neuf , but was caught red-handed and sentenced to death for the act. After advocacy and an appeal process, her sentence was mitigated and she was locked in a monastery. Escoman was only released in January 1611 when her husband was no longer able to cover the costs of the imprisonment.

In May 1610, Henry IV was murdered by François Ravaillac . After her release from the monastery, Escoman rushed to Queen Margot and brought accusations against various conspirators who were also masterminds of her own imprisonment. Among them were again Verneuil and Épernon, who should have conspired against Henry IV together with Du Tillet and Ravaillac before Escoman's arrest. Queen Margot initially rejected Escoman and informed Queen Maria de 'Medici of the allegations. This is how Épernon learned of the allegations against him, who in turn confronted Escoman and accused her of defamation .

In the following trial, led by court president Pierre Jeannin , Attorney General La Guesle endorsed the cremation of the slanderer; while Attorney General Sernin demanded the arrest of Épernon. During the trial Escoman was convicted of at least one serious lie: She claims to have noticed several visits by the assassin Ravaillac to her mistress, Du Tillet, between 1607 and 1609. The report on the older conspiracy plans by Verneuil and Épernon in 1606 seemed to convince Jeannin, but the evidence was considered too thin. Jeannin was replaced as president due to political pressure, and Escoman was sentenced to life imprisonment for defamation and libel in July 1611 in the face of a stalemate between the remaining judges .

Now trapped in the Conciergerie , Jacqueline d'Escoman is said to have written her Truthful Manifesto on the death of Henry the Great , which appeared in 1616. The publication served to weaken the influence of Queen Maria, who was informed about the assassination plans, but is said to have protected those responsible afterwards. However, direct incitement by the queen was denied. Before the Queen's confidante, Concino Concini , was murdered in 1617, Richelieu is said to have visited Escoman personally to hear her report.

It is not known when Escoman died. It was last mentioned in March 1618 in connection with the discontinuation of further investigations into the death of Henry IV after a fire in the Palace of Justice in Paris.

aftermath

The Escoman's reports were assessed differently in the historiography, also because the authorship of their manifesto is not properly secured. Gédéon Tallemant (17th century) did not take her seriously against her scandalous background and regarded her as a “little servant who made herself important”. Jules Michelet (19th century) also relied on their reports and painted the picture of a Spanish conspiratorial party on the side of Maria de 'Medici. Jean-Christian Petitfils (21st century) assessed Escoman on the basis of the court documents from 1611 as a fabulous supplicant.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Jean-François Chiappe (eds.) And Jean-Silve de Ventavon (author): The famous women of the world , p. 96. Translated from the French (Le monde au féminin - Encyclopédie des femmes célèbres) under Ludwig Knoll . After 1973.
  2. ^ A b Jean-Christian Petitfils: L'assassinat d'Henri IV. Mystères d'un crime . Perrin , Paris 2009. ISBN 978-2-262-03914-1 . Pp. 181f., 189, 207.
  3. ↑ Jacqueline d'Escoman: Le Véritable manifest sur la mort d'Henri le Grand, par la demoiselle d'Escoman . Digitized
  4. ↑ Tallemant des Réaux: Les historiettes . Volume 1, Paris, new edition Téchener 1865, p. 127
  5. ↑ Jules Michelet: Histoire de France . Volume 11: Henri IV et Richelieu . Paris, Chamerot 1857. pp. 242ff
personal data
SURNAME Escoman, Jacqueline d '
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Jacqueline le Voyer (maiden name)
SHORT DESCRIPTION French society lady
DATE OF BIRTH around 1585
PLACE OF BIRTH Orphin
DATE OF DEATH after 1618