The Betrayal of the Duchess: The Scandal That Unmade the Bourbon Monarchy and Made France Modern

by Maurice Samuels

Fighting to reclaim the French crown for the Bourbons, the duchesse de Berry faces betrayal at the hands of one of her closest advisors in this dramatic history of power and revolution. The year was 1832, a cholera pandemic raged, and the French royal family was in exile, driven out by yet another revolution. From a drafty Scottish castle, the duchesse de Berry -- the mother of the eleven-year-old heir to the throne -- hatched a plot to restore the Bourbon dynasty. For months, she commanded a guerilla army and evaded capture by disguising herself as a man. But soon she was betrayed by her trusted advisor, Simon Deutz, the son of France's Chief Rabbi. The betrayal became a cause célèbre for Bourbon loyalists and ignited a firestorm of hate against France's Jews. By blaming an entire people for the actions of a single man, the duchess's supporters set the terms for the century of antisemitism that followed. Brimming with intrigue and lush detail, The Betrayal of the Duchess is the riveting story of a high-spirited woman, the charming but volatile young man who double-crossed her, and the birth of one of the modern world's most deadly forms of hatred.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, France, Biography, Politics, Biography Memoir

369 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 14, 2020

Reviews

[Lois · Rating 1 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed the biographical sections on the Duchess, the politics at the Bourbon & Orleanian Courts, etc.
I was quite invested in that aspect of this book and found these parts to be well-written and engaging.
Ironically enough, considering this author is a professor at Yale and a founding director of the Yale Program for the Study of Antisemitism, this made me uncomfortable as the basic premise of the author's theory regarding Deutz felt antisemitic.
I am not Jewish nor am I any kinda expert on antisemitism.
I do know oppression and how it is perpetuated often unintentionally in historical texts. I know how language is often used to place responsibility for oppression ceaselessly at the door of the oppressed.
I am passingly familiar with some of the history regarding how Jewish folks were oppressed in Europe. I studied directly what happened on the Iberian Peninsula before the 'Moorish' conquest and after the Catholic Conquest in 1492.
Post 1492 Castile (Spain) Jewish folks were forced to convert or leave under duress and without most of their possessions & wealth. However later, The Spanish Inquisition, which was largely Castilian as Spain as we know it did not exist at that time, primarily targeted converted Jewish & Muslim folks, Conversos & Moriscos. Because converting didn't lessen antisemitism.
Yet this author's theory is that in France at least that antisemitism was reduced when Jewish folks converted to Catholicism, prior to Napoleon taking power in France, anyway. The French Revolution not only ended second class status for Jewish folks but apparently ended antisemitism in France wholesale. So that Napoleon and those supporting his viewpoints on the concerns of 'Jewish moneylending' & Jewish folks failure to assimilate into French culture were acting out of legitimate concerns?
Even though concerns about 'Jewish moneylending' is a dog-whistle antisemitism. Much like concerns about Black folks and crime or drugs.
The existence of The Spanish Inquisition would glaringly refute the position that assimilating ends antisemitism. So what is the author suggesting here?
The eradication of centuries of antisemitic oppression In what 15 or so years????
I truly wish that oppression could be eradicated that easily or completely.
Napoleon was wildly antisemitic. It wasn't that Jewish folks weren't 'assimilating' quickly enough. That's a very common tactic of oppressive regimes, the claim that groups which are oppressed and ostracized aren't making an effort to assimilate. No, it was that Napoleon was only okay with Jewish folks being members of French society if their Judaism was limited to their ancestry and not their religion, language, customs, dress, etc.
Napoleon's coup of France flips The Revolution on it's head. He sets back the advance of Civil/Human Rights in France centuries.
Women gain truly equalizing rights for that time period in Europe during the Revolution, Napoleon removes many of those rights. One example, the right for women to sue for divorce, a right they don't regain for almost 200 yrs. He removes or kneecaps many of the freedoms given by the Revolutionary governments.
This behavior predictably impacts Black folks when Napoleon attempts to re-enslave Haiti and successfully re-enslaves other French Caribbean Islands.
He utterly betrays all of the ideals of The French Revolution and is a tyrant by every measure of the word.
His treatment of Jewish folks in France is disgustingly antisemitic and should be labeled so. It's also on-brand with his general deepening & widening of what we'd now call white supremacist, sexist and fascist agenda/policies. 🤷🏾‍♀️
Its absurd to pretend that Napoleon was motivated by anything other than antisemitism.
I don't agree that a person with Jewish ancestry who converted to Catholicism and betrayed a dethroned Princess increased antisemitism.
Oh, I don't doubt there was a rise in antisemitism but that's because those folks were already antisemitic and just looking for a reason to say so openly.
There was a rise in racism post OJ Simpson's acquittal. That's not because a Black person got away with a crime, something white folks do everyday and no one cares; rather folks who were already racist used the acquittal as an excuse to do so openly.
Folks who weren't racist to begin with weren't enticed into racism.
French folks who weren't antisemitic didn't suddenly become so because of Deutz. Rather antisemitic folks as a flex of their antisemitic power, blamed the French Jewish Community as a whole for the behavior of a single person with Jewish ancestry.
These folks in modern times during the pandemic can often be found unmasked loudly claiming that wearing masks violates their rights.🙄
That's pretty much how systems of oppression operate. They are dishonest and shift blame for their bad behaviors on their victims.
It's the equivalent of suggesting that folks who dress suggestively are asking to get assaulted. Or folks who are assaulted while intoxicated shouldn't have been intoxicated, as if that excuses assault.
This author might want to study critical race theory because this position on Deutz reads as an unintentional support of antisemitism in particular and white supremacy in general.
Sigh.

[Laura Narbutaite Marbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

My type of beach read - a historical biography, with a strong female heroine and most of the action set in France. Who needs chick flicks when you have the histories of European monarchies. This contains everything one can ask for - from parrots suspected of delivering secret messages, to Vatican conveniently backdating marriage certificates. On a serious note, big part of the book is dedicated to discussing the story’s implications on antisemitism in France and wider Europe.

[Tinybiblio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Basic Books and #netgalley for the advanced copy for my honest review. This book comes out today, April 14, 2020!

Synopsis: from @goodreads: The year was 1832 and the French royal family was in exile, driven out by yet another revolution. From a drafty Scottish castle, the duchesse de Berry -- the mother of the eleven-year-old heir to the throne -- hatched a plot to restore the Bourbon dynasty. For months, she commanded a guerilla army and evaded capture by disguising herself as a man. But soon she was betrayed by her trusted advisor, Simon Deutz, the son of France's Chief Rabbi. By blaming an entire people for the actions of a single man, the duchess's supporters set the terms for the century of antisemitism that followed.

My Review:⭐️⭐⭐.5/ 5 stars

I am such a sucker for these historical books about old age royalty. I had not read about this particular Duchess and her plight but it was so interesting too. The book is extremely detailed and filled with tiny details about every single thing. It might be boring to some, but I ate it all up. I can easily see this story translate to becoming a scandalous HBO show or something. If you are into these kinds of novels, you will love it!! However if you need a quick read, then this is not for you.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nonfiction about the 1830s in France. After the Bourbons had been kicked off the throne for the second time, the duchesse de Berry, widowed mother of the theoretically legitimate king (who was only 11), attempted to lead a civil war in rural France to retake the crown. This obviously did not go so well, and after her defeat she went into hiding, only to be betrayed to the police by one of her followers named Simon Deutz. Deutz had been raised Jewish, and despite his recent conversion to Catholicism was best-known for being the son of France's Chief Rabbi. Unsurprisingly, his actions led to an upswell of antisemitism, and Samuels argues this moment was one of the key shifts from antisemitism's medieval form (blood libel, backwards religiously) to its modern form (global capitalists, pushing the New World Order).

Even if you don't exactly agree with the duchess's pro-monarchy politics, she's a fascinating figure: despite being frequently described as "not pretty" by other members of the nobility, with bad teeth and a wandering left eye, she became a fashion icon who set the most glamorous trends of Parisian style; only 4'7, she was an inspiring military leader and modeled herself after Joan of Arc; idealized as the perfect, devoted mother by her followers, she had an affair and bore a child out of wedlock, who shortly thereafter died, probably due at least partly to parental neglect.

Deutz seems like a bit of a terrible person, even ignoring all of the racist accusations of his detractors: unable to keep any job for long, constantly running up debts and taking advantage of anyone foolish enough to loan him money, given to violent outbursts and heavy drinking and self-aggrandizing. As the aftermath of the clash between him and the duchess played out in newspapers, books, caricatures, and politics, it's easy to see how she came to represent old-school values of honor, trust, courage, and loyalty, while he stood for the modern world of hard cash, putting yourself first, individualism, and immigration (having been born not only Jewish, but in a German village before moving to France as a toddler). Of course, it's the tragedy of the last two hundred years that these symbols accrued not only to Deutz himself, but to all Jewish people.

It's a very relevant piece of history, and one that I'd never heard of before. There's all sorts of interesting repercussions to other areas, from Les Miserables to Alexandre Dumas to the Dreyfus Affair, the more recent and more well-known outburst of French antisemitism. I was particularly interested in the history of French Judaism in the early 1800s, the way the community gained rights and lost them in the swinging pendulum of Revolution, Napoleon, and Restoration. The writing style is smooth and engaging, and Samuels does a very good job of drawing parallels from this singular event to its still-ongoing repercussions.
I read this as an ARC via NetGalley.

[Desirae · Rating 4 out of 5]

This history is an excellent reminder that no matter how inconsequential an action may seem, reverberations from it may echo for decades, if not centuries. In the normal course of events Marie Caroline, Duchesse de Berry, and Simon Deutz might have lived out their lives without contact, but through a series of tumultuous events affecting them and the entire nation of France in the early 1830s, they became inseparably connected by a scandal. Maurice Samuels' account of that scandal is an entertaining and thought provoking account.

Marie Caroline was born a Princess of the Two Sicilies, a kingdom in southern Italy ruled by a branch of the wide flung and highly inbred family network that included the Hapsburgs and the French, Spanish, and Italian Bourbons. She was married off at a young age to another member of that network, the Duc de Berry, younger son of the man who was to become King Charles X of France. She spent a few years more or less happily married, but then her husband was assassinated, which meant that her young son became the eventual heir to the French throne. In 1830 King Charles X was overthrown and replaced with a cousin who became King Louis-Philippe. Marie Caroline became the leader of the legitimist opposition to Louis-Philippe, fighting for the right of her young son to take the throne. She led a short rebellion, was forced to hide for several months in an attic, and was then betrayed by Simon Deutz, son of the chief rabbi of France. Deutz had spent his life in one finagle after another, looking for wealth, fame, and prestige. By betraying the Duchesse, whom he had previously sworn to support, Deutz became a symbol of villainy, and because he was Jewish by blood (he had converted to Catholicism during another one of his schemes) he caused the entire Jewish population of France to come under suspicion and growing enmity, reviving centuries of French anti-Semitism. Deutz's action and its consequence was to help lead to the Dreyfus Affair and the sorry spectacle of French collaboration in the Nazi Final Solution during World War II.

This is a remarkably interesting book about two not very interesting people. Neither Marie Caroline nor Simon Deutz were well educated, intelligent, or particularly honest. I wanted to keep reading about them just to find out what mess they would get into next and how they would eventually manage to wiggle out of it, only to land in an even bigger mess in consequence. But the most important aspect of The Betrayal of the Duchess is to learn more about anti-Semitism, an evil that is still today a blight upon humanity.

[Michelle]

DNF. Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I really tried to enjoy it but I just did not like how it was written. It also just didn't pique my interest.

[Shiloah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent! A whole part of the French, Jews, and the Bourbon monarchy that I knew absolutely nothing about. Also of interest, the duchess’s betrayal is indirectly linked to Hitler’s Mein Kampf.

[Mshelton50 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Princess Maria Carolina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies was married to her distant cousin, the duc de Berry, in 1816, two years after the restoration of the Bourbons to the French throne. It was shortly after the duc was murdered at the opera in 1820 that madame la duchesse de Berry gave birth to the much-awaited male heir, the duc de Bordeaux. In 1830, however, Parisians rose up against her reactionary father-in-law, Charles X, and forced his abdication. Charles' older son, the duc de Angouleme, also promplty renounced his rights in favor of Caroline's son, who thus became King Henri V to the Legitimists. The head of the cadet branch of the royal family, the duc d'Orleans, Louis-Philippe (who also happened to be married to Caroline's aunt), however, would only agree to serve as regent for the boy king if he was sent to Paris to be brought up; when Charles and Caroline refused, Louis-Philippe agreed to become "King of the French" in his own right.

Maurice Samuels' new book, The Betrayal of the Duchess: The Scandal that Unmade the Bourbon Monarchy and Made France Modern, is concerned with the duchesse de Berry's abortive 1832 uprising in favor of her son, and more particularly with the man who would eventually betray her to Louis-Philippe's police, Simon Deutz, the son of the Chief Rabbi of France. Professor Samuels argues that Deutz's betrayal not only finished off the Bourbon monarchy, but also gave rise to modern anti-Semitism in France. The book also offers a brief glimpse of the political scramble to establish a government that followed the disastrous fall of the Second Empire in 1870, when Henri V makes another appearance.

The book is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of France in the 19th century, and/or the history of modern anti-Semitism. Along the way, a number of famous names will appear, including Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, and Adolphe Thiers, among others. The book is well written, and moves along at a brisk pace. Highly recommended.

[troyerlaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I didn't know much about 19th century French history or culture. This book is both a suspenseful story about the Duchesse de Berry trying to reclaim the French throne for her young son, but also a fascinating case study about the origins of modern European antisemitism. The author is a French lit professor at Yale, but the book isn't dense or theoretical. The underlying story is so interesting, you don't realize how much history and scholarship you're getting on the down low. I strongly recommend.

[Barbara]

The Duchess De Berry affair captivated the whole world yet we in the modern world have never heard of her. Isn't it amazing how such moments affairs just fade from the collective consciousness? The first few pages sum up everything for me. First, and this has nothing to do with anything, the Duchess was 4 foot 7 inches tall. Secondly, she spent 16 hours in a priest hole next to a fireplace to evade capture by her enemies and almost got away except for a soldier lighting a fire and still did not come out until she almost perished. So small and so formidable. Thirdly, her betrayal by a jew ushered in anti-Semitism into France that the author posed was the link between Judas and Dreyfus. And fourth, I will never really understand the Dreyfus Affair as long as live. I get the drift of it but why it took such a life of its own when it was proven the documents were forged I don't know.
The story begins with the duchess' birth in Naples, at the Caserta a 2 million square foot palace with 1200 rooms in the shadow of Mt. Vesuvius. WOW.

[Wynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed for JBF
The betrayal of the Duchess: The scandal that unmade the Bourbon Monarchy and made France modern. By Maurice Samuels.
In the late 1820’s in France, Simon Deutz converted to Catholicism to advance his career. He becomes the trusted confidant of the Duchess de Berry who was the mother to third in line to the throne.
After a failed coup to restore the Bourbon line, the Duchess went into hiding. It was Simon Deutz who would lead the police to her hideout. Thus beginning a huge backlash against the Jews.
Well written and thoroughly researched. It’s a bit tedious but very enlightening. It goes very deep on the history of anti-semitisim in France and how this particular event has been used over the past 100+ years to condemn an entire religion vs looking at it as the actions of one man.
If Mr. Samuels presents well, it could be a fascinating discussion on the rise of antisemitism in Europe.

[Perlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think I was even aware that there was a French Restoration after Napoleon, but now I do! I picked this up because the story involves a son of one of France's chief rabbis. I think Samuels did a great job portraying the true nature of Deutz, showed empathy for his long-suffering father, and also depicted the allures of assimilation and conversion that the era held. I found both the protagonist (the Duchess) and the side-show (Deutz) less than sympathetic characters, and know that it's challenging for authors to write the stories of people they don't admire or connect with. I think Samuels carried that off well. Toward the end, I lost a bit of interest as the story shifted to the aftermath of the actual events. The reflections on how this impacted on the Dreyfus Affair were interesting.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

The topic and goal of this book, to explain historical antisemitism in France and the lasting impact it has had both in France and Europe as a whole, was why I picked up this book. I learned something new!
I was just distracted a lot by the redundancy of many of this books pages. It could have been shorter if it hadn’t kept repeating itself. And I wish it had split the difference, spending half its word count on the story of the dutchess and Deutz and spending the other half really examining in depth the impact the events had on World War II antisemitism. The final examination of antisemitism post-betrayal is crammed into the last few pages and leaves me with more questions than were answered. That’s said, more books like this need to exist and need to be read by more people! Maybe then more people will #StandUpToJewishHate #StandUpToAllHate

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a pleasure to have a gripping, but still scholarly, history that covers the main themes of the Napoleonic era through July Monarchy in France (legitimism vs liberalism, aristocratic"honor" vs inchoate capitalism, assimilation and the emergence of modern anti-semitism, separate spheres and its contradictions, the legacy of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars etc.) all in a story featuring miraculous babies, assassination, rebellion, betrayal, and secret love affairs! Samuels did a great job of capturing so much of what draws me to this comparatively neglected period of French history - that weird co-existence of the old regime and the new, which makes formulating coherent narratives of linear development difficult but also more interesting.

[Geoffrey Bateman · Rating 4 out of 5]

After spending a week or so in Paris this summer, I was looking for an engaging narrative history of something French, and this book proved a perfect find. It tells the story of the Duchesse du Berry's attempt to secure the French throne for her son, Henri, who might have been Henri V, in resistance to Louis-Philippe I and the results of the July Revolution. A key part of this story involves her betrayal by Simon Deutz and the way his actions and story fit within the larger evolution of antisemitism in France in the 19th century. Well written, with thoughtful analysis (without being too academic), an interesting and enjoyable read.

[Ghita Schwarz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is both a riveting yarn and an informative history, beautifully written and with lots of commentary relevant to today's world. The Duchess is a fascinating character with great intelligence and magnetism, and the book does an incredible job of bringing her and her contemporaries to life. The man who betrayed her, Isaac Deutz, was in many ways just a talented opportunist, but he became a lightning rod for a new kind of anti-semitism that would change the course of French and ultimately world history. A truly great read.

[David Geller · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an avid reader of historical non-fiction, I was cautiously optimistic that this seemingly obscure event in history would capture my interest. Suffice it to say that I was pleasantly surprised by how thoroughly engaging this story is from start to finish! I am completely amazed that I had never heard or read anything about this real historical incident. Similar to Erik Larson, the author does an incredible job of leveraging in-depth research to tell the story in a format that reads like your favorite novel. Highly recommended!

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The first thing that intrigued me about this book was the title, as I'm intrigued by scandals involving royalty and nobility throughout history. And the connection to the 1830 Revolution was also cool. I enjoyed reading about the complex and cutthroat politics of the time, including the titular betrayal. The writing is a little dense, but it's very informative.

[Janie Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like to have a variety on my blog. And for history readers #'The Betrayal of the Duchess' by author # Maurice Samuels is a good read. It's the interesting story of a high-spirited woman, in the year 1830. The royal family is in exile, a revolution,and a plot to restore the dynasty. All the makings of a winning read!!
Thank you,
#Netgalley, # Maurice Samuels, and # Perseus Books for the advanced copy

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pros :: Such a timely book on antisemitism and the horrible discrimination of people because of their race, religion or “otherness.” Learned so much about this period in France — didn’t even know the event happened, and quite interested to learn about the Duchess du Berry, her biography and the betrayal. Very well written and the inclusion of prints was very helpful.

Cons :: Nothing

Cover art :: 5 out of 5. So wonderful to have the subject face forward.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm actually not familiar with this part of French history, and it was an interesting read. I sometimes had a hard time keeping track of all the people who dipped in and out of the narrative for a sentence or two at a time, but there are also a lot of engaging stories about specific incidents that brought some life to it. Overall, it was a nice overview of an interesting incident in French history.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating historical drama from a transformative period

Great mix of suspense , historical drama, and serious (but digestible) scholarly analysis. The story ties together several key transformative developments of the 19th century

[John Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful and Enlightening,

While for the most part forgotten, this compelling story makes for a fascinating journey to the end of the road for the Bourbon dynasty in France. Immensely readable, for both the casual browser and the ardent history buff!

[Joanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh, it was OK. It felt like the author couldn’t decide whether the book was about the duchess de Berry, her accuser (Simon Deutz), or anti-semitism (towards Deutz and in general). The lack of focus made it a lackluster read.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detailed and well researched examination of a, to me, unknown period of French history. In addition to the fascinating story of the Duchess whose child was briefly the heir to the throne of France, the author explores the rise of anti-semitism in France.

[Bekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! I loved the authors mention of how the Duchesses Betrayal influenced scenes in Alexander Dumas Three Musketeers and the climax of Victor’ Hugo’s Le Mes—shows how much of an impact this part in France history made to those who lived through it.

[Kat M · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the most interesting reads, it's from something that I have never heard of before and enjoyed learning about. It was well written and the characters were great.

[Ethan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prof. Samuels hits it out of the park again. I know what you're thinking: "Another review of this book with a baseball metaphor!" Well, get over it.

[Shoshana Socher · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED but couldn't keep all the names straight

[Westley · Rating 3 out of 5]

TMI for me.