The Scandalous Life Of Hortense Mancini: The Runaway Duchess D
Hortense Manchini had scores of scandalous affairs, but when she caught one of her lovers with her own daughter, she was set on revenge, and it was unspeakably brutal. Hortense was born into the house of Manchini in 1646. Her parents, Baron Lorenzo Manchini and Jirro Lama Matzerini, had five daughters and three sons.
For a time, the family seemed to have everything, but their fortune did not last. When Lorenzo died, Jir Lama had to make a huge gamble. Girama gathered her children and moved the family from Rome to Paris. It was not a change of scenery she wanted, but an opportunity. Her brother, Cardinal Mazerin, was the chief minister of King Louis I 14th.
Mazerin had his hands full with royal duties, but his sister’s arrival made things even more complicated. But Mazarin had a master plan, and his nieces were the pawns. Mazarin was powerful, but not untouchable. He was tied to too many scandals, had too many enemies, and his foreign background did not help him in court.
To secure his place in France, he came up with a plan. He would marry his family into the country’s most influential houses. Since he was a member of the clergy and could not have children of his own, he brought his extended family into the lion’s den, the French royal court. The girls even earned a nickname, the Maserinetses, and they quickly became the new ITG girls.
The court gossips adored them, and society loved to follow their every move. Rivalry and cattiness were nothing new among young women in high society. But the Mazerinets did not have it easy. They were outsiders, and the French knew it just by looking at them. Blending in was impossible. The French ideal of beauty at the time was pale skin and a soft rounded figure.
The Maserinets, with their darker complexions and slender frames, looked completely different. Some found their looks exotic and striking while others didn’t. The girls were mocked relentlessly and compared to everything from owls to chimneys. Being related to Cardinal Mazerin was both a blessing and a curse.
The Maserinets enjoyed privilege when he was in favor, but they suffered whenever his reputation faltered. His critics often used his nieces as weapons against him. Things became even worse when the frond a series of civil wars erupted in 1648. The opposition targeted both Louis I 14th and his right-hand man Maserin.
It was a dangerous time for anyone connected to the powerful cardinal. During this time, Mazarin was forced to flee Paris and go into exile twice. In 1654, the royal forces finally crushed the revolts and restored the cardinal to power. Once back in control, Mazerin knew what he had to do.
One by one, he married his nieces off to men from powerful French and Italian families. Many were scandalized that a minor Italian noble could secure so many coveted matches. Hortense was one of the last unmarried Mazerinets, and there was a reason why. Hortense was the most beautiful of Mazarin’s nieces, and she was also his favorite, and he made no secret of it.
Hortense was spoiled by her uncle’s affection and wanted for nothing. The cardinal wanted good matches for all his nieces, but he was looking for the very best for her tents. Sadly, his devotion led to the worst possible outcome for her. In 1659, Charles II of England, King Louis I 14th’s cousin, proposed to 13-year-old Hortense.
He was 29 and living in exile. Charles knew that Hortense and her uncle’s wealth could help him reclaim his throne. He promised to make her queen of England if he ever returned to power. It was a tempting offer, but a risky one. Mazerin believed his beloved niece could do better and turned Charles down.
This was a huge mistake. Just months later, Charles regained his crown and became king of England. Mazerin scrambled to undo the damage. This time, he was the one chasing Charles. To sweeten the deal, Mazerin offered a huge dowy, but it was too little too late. The newly crowned king and his bruised ego had plenty of other options.
Of course, so did Hortense. Her next suitor was Charles Emanuel II, Duke of Seavoi, another cousin of Louis I 14th. He was 15 years older than Hortense. He was not a king, but his rank and influence made him an attractive choice. Negotiations began but quickly fell apart when he demanded a special castle as part of her dowy.
Mazarin refused and yet another suitor slipped away. Time was running out. The Duke of Lraine also made an offer, but those talks collapsed over money as well. Hortense had no shortage of admirers, but still no fiance. Then tragedy struck. Mazerin fell ill. His condition worsened, and it became clear he did not have long to live.
Even on his deathbed, he remained determined to secure Hortense’s future. He decided to leave her and by extension her future husband most of his fortune. It was a grand gesture, and it would change Hortens’s life forever, though not in the way Mazarin had intended. In 1661, a dying mazerin finally arranged Hortens’s marriage.
Her groom was Armand Charles Depport Demame Ray, a man who had wanted to marry her for years. Mazarin had rejected him before, convinced Hortense could do better. But now, desperate and ill, he changed his mind. Arman’s own father had warned him about his son, but Mazerin ignored the red flags. Mazarin had no idea that he had just condemned his favorite niece to a life of misery and abuse.
Armand was as unhinged as he was wealthy. He also ruled his household with an iron fist. He imposed terrible rules on everyone around him and dismissed anyone he thought was too friendly with his new bride. But what he did to Hortense was much worse. Armand treated Hortense like property. He isolated her from the world, forced her to spend hours each day in prayer, sold her belongings, and even stormed into her bedroom at night to search for imaginary lovers.
Armand was so fixated on the idea of Hortense cheating with men that he overlooked one loophole. That loophole was Sidini de la Corscel. Hortense and Sidoni were the same age. They were both trapped in miserable marriages and they soon began an affair. However, their secret affair didn’t stay secret for long. When their husbands found out, they punished the women by sending them to a convent.
They thought it would be the perfect punishment, but it backfired in a big way. For her tents and Sidony, the convent was a relief. It gave them freedom from their husbands and time together. They did not spend their time in quiet contemplation. Instead, they spiked holy water with ink, flooded the nuns beds, and even attempted to escape through the chimney.
Eventually, the nuns had enough. They sent Hortense back to her husband against her will. Hortense tried to escape multiple times, but each attempt left her worse off. Her friends and family begged her to get away, fearing that Arman’s abuse would only escalate. Hortense even tried to separate from him legally, but the law wasn’t on her side.
Her marriage contract drafted by her deceased uncle was too complicated, and King Louie refused to intervene. After 7 years and four children, Hortense finally broke. On June 13th, 1668, disguised as a man, she fled in the middle of the night. Freedom, however, came at a great price. Hortense went from luxury to poverty overnight.
She managed to smuggle out a few jewels, but Armand had already sold most of her valuables. Friends were shocked by how far she had fallen. One of Europe’s richest women now struggled to survive. Hortens found temporary refuge in Rome with her sister, Marie. But her peace didn’t last. Marie, too, was trapped in an unhappy marriage and would soon flee her husband as well.
Meanwhile, Armand was still hunting her down. Fortunately, King Louie had a change of heart. He declared himself her protector and granted her a pension. But his protection came with a catch. He encouraged her to reconcile with Armand. Hortense knew she couldn’t rely on Louisie alone. Then one of her old admirers stepped back into the picture.
Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Seavoi, re-entered Hortens’s life. Years earlier, he had been her suitor. Now he became her protector. After 4 years on the run, Hortense finally settled into one of his chateau. At 26, she felt she could breathe again. It was time to confront something that had been haunting her, her reputation.
Much had been said about her tense, but little of it came from her directly, so she decided to set the record straight. She also exposed her husband’s cruelty to the world. Her memoir marked the first time a French woman, not of royal blood, published her story using her own name.
Despite all the terrible events she had been through, Hortense ended her book on an optimistic note. I have finally found the peace I had been seeking fruitlessly for so long. Sadly, her peace did not last. At first, life under Charles Emanuel’s protection seemed good, but when the Duke was away, resentment lingered in his absence, especially from his wife, Jean Baptiste.
Tensions grew and soon Hortense and her household began clashing with the local elite. Things reached a boiling point when her servants brawled with the town’s people during a carnival. When the Duke demanded the town’s people apologized to her tents, it only made matters worse. Then the Duke died suddenly.
Rumors began spreading that he may have been poisoned. Jean Baptiste wasted no time in evicting Hortense. To make matters worse, Armand froze all her income, including her pension. Once again, Hortense found herself desperate and alone. Seeing her vulnerability, Ralph Montigue, the English ambassador to France, saw an opportunity.
He wanted to become a more important player in the English court and he believed he could do so by reuniting King Charles II with the woman he once loved. He convinced Hortense to make her way back into Charles’s life and his heart. In 1675, Hortense travels to London under the pretense of visiting her niece Mary of Modina, who had just married the king’s brother.
In reality, she was on a secret mission. At the time, Charles had another mistress, Louise De Carowway, who was known for her grace and discretion. Hortense was the complete opposite. Unfortunately for Louise, the king could not resist Hortense’s charm and unpredictability. He left Louise and broke her heart. But she would have her revenge eventually.
Hortense was unlike any royal mistress before her. She refused to call the king majesty. But Charles found her defiance thrilling. He indulged her love for wearing men’s clothes, fencing, drinking, and riding. In fact, Charles rewarded her with a generous pension and tolerated her free spirit.
But her tents continued pushing boundaries. Soon she took other lovers and earned a scandalous reputation. Charles didn’t seem to care until Hortense began an affair with Anne, Countess of Sussex. His anger had nothing to do with Anne’s age or gender. He was angry because Anne happened to be his daughter.
Anne, Countess of Sussex, was not only the king’s illegitimate daughter, but also the wife of an earl. The romance quickly scandalized all of London. One night, Hortense and Anne held a playful fencing match in St. James’s Park, wearing only their night gowns, and with half the city watching.
When Anne refused to return to her husband, he dragged her away to the countryside. Separated from her tents, Anne fell into despair. She spent her days lying in bed, clutching a miniature portrait of her lover. Cortez coped in her own way by taking another lover, Louis de Grimmaldi, the prince of Monaco.
At first, Charles ignored this new romance until Hortense began flaunting the affair openly. The king retaliated by cutting off her pension. For a moment, it seemed Hortense would have to return to France and go back to her cruel husband. But after a few days, Charles relented. Unfortunately, the damage was done. He and Hortense remained friends, but she would never again be his favorite.
To make matters worse, Charles restored Louis Carowway to her former position, leaving Hortense humiliated and uncertain about her future. In 1685, Charles II died unexpectedly. Hortense was fortunate that his successors James and Mary continued to care for her. But three years later, their reign collapsed and they fled to France.
When William III and Mary II took the throne, Cortens’s world shifted yet again. The new rulers were not as generous. Hortense was allowed to remain in England, but her pension was reduced and her influence all but vanished. She was vulnerable and without financial support once again. Then Armand came back into her life.
In 1689, Armand took Cortense to court, demanding that she returned to France as his lawful wife. The judge sided with him and ordered her to go back. For Hortense, it was her worst nightmare. She refused to yield and argued through her lawyers that her English debts made travel impossible. Armont countered by claiming that none of those debts were valid because she had incurred them without his consent.
Legally, he was still her husband, at least on paper. The case ended in a stalemate, but Hortense achieved the most important victory. She never had to return to her husband. She built a new life in England. Hortense established one of the most famous salons in 17th century Europe. Writers, thinkers, and nobles gathered under her roof to gamble, debate, and exchange ideas.
What happened in her salon often set the tone for fashion and culture across the continent. It was one of the few places where women could experience the same intellectual and social freedoms as men. But scandal was never far away. She took on Arnold Yust Vankeell, a man 20 years younger as a lover, but they weren’t exclusive, at least on Arnold’s end.
He was also the rumored lover of King William III. Hortense seemed fine with the terms of their relationship until Arnold allegedly began an affair with Marie Charlotte, Mares Dishelu, Hortense’s daughter. Marie Charlotte’s husband and father sent her to a convent hoping to control her. She jumped the walls. Like mother, like daughter.
Unsurprisingly, Hortens did not want to share Arnold with her daughter, but fate had other plans. Arnold chose Marie Charlotte, leaving Hortense heartbroken. This betrayal, combined with years of loss and scandal, led to a tragedy. In 1699, Hortense died at the age of 53. Many believe Hortense ended her life.
Her husband, Armand outlived her and continued his cruel behavior. After she died, one of Hortens’s creditors claimed her body as collateral. Armand seized the opportunity and bought her remains. When he died in 1713, he was buried next to Hortense. Hortens’s life had been extraordinary and chaotic.
Had she lived quietly, she might have been remembered as a maserette who married well and vanished into obscurity. Instead, she left behind a legacy of defiance, intrigue, and scandal. Thanks for watching History Expose. If you love uncovering the best stories in history, hit like and subscribe to keep exploring with us.
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