Memoirs

The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe: The Chicago Series

by Marie Mancini, Hortense Mancini, Sarah Nelson (Translator)

The memoirs of Hortense (1646–1699) and of Marie (1639–1715) Mancini, nieces of the powerful Cardinal Mazarin and members of the court of Louis XIV, represent the earliest examples in France of memoirs published by women under their own names during their lifetimes. Both unhappily married—Marie had also fled the aftermath of her failed affair with the king—the sisters chose to leave their husbands for life on the road, a life quite rare for women of their day.

Through their writings, the Mancinis sought to rehabilitate their reputations and reclaim the right to define their public images themselves, rather than leave the stories of their lives to the intrigues of the court—and to their disgruntled ex-husbands. First translated in 1676 and 1678 and credited largely to male redactors, the two memoirs reemerge here in an accessible English translation that chronicles the beginnings of women’s rights to personal independence within the confines of an otherwise circumscribed early modern aristocratic society.

Genres: History, Memoir, 17th Century, Nonfiction

254 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1677

About the author

Anna Maria Mancini was the third of the five Mancini sisters; nieces to Cardinal Mazarin who were brought to France to marry advantageously. Along with two of their female Martinozzi cousins, the Mancini sisters were known at the court of King Louis XIV of France as the Mazarinettes.

She was the first love of Louis XIV of France. In 1661, Marie was sent away to marry an Italian prince, Lorenzo Onofrio Colonna. They had three children, all sons. After the birth of her third child, relations between Marie and her husband deteriorated.

In 1677, in order to support herself, she wrote her memoirs.

Reviews

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The memoirs of Hortense and Marie Mancini are a fascinating account of the lives of women in the seventeenth-century. Both women made waves throughout Europe, and use the power of the pen to defend themselves from the rumors and scandals that kept them on the move. Both found themselves in unhappy marriages, and their quest for the recognition of their freedom to live autonomously as women is deeply moving. It highlights the successes our modern struggles have already achieved and the importance of continuing to prove that women are infinitely capable of making their own decisions about how, where and with whom they should live.

[Anabelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5 étoiles

Les coulisses de la vie des femmes mariées sur l'Ancien Régime
Un mouvement romanesque d'émancipation
Une écriture qui répond à la rumeur publique (d'une manière qui rappelle les Mémoires de la vie d'Henriette-Sylvie de Molière)

[monsieur · Rating 5 out of 5]

A unique and enjoyable glimpse into the past with a lot of personality, though Hortense's memoir was more delightful than Marie's.

[Hana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remarkable study about remarkable women.