Mademoiselle de Montpensier: female politician and military leader during the Fronde

Abstract

Importance. The history of women, the interest in which in national and foreign historiography does not wane, is a pressing problem for historians studying the Fronde in France (1648–1653). During the Civil War, active aristocratic women had the opportunity to express themselves as politicians and even as military leaders on an equal basis with men, and sometimes even overshadow them. An example of this is Mademoiselle de Montpensier who left a detailed account of her enterprises in her Memoirs. They are the main source of this research work and are supplemented by information from the “Memoirs” of another participant in the Fronde, Cardinal de Retz. The purpose of the work is to evaluate her actions in political and military events during the Fronde, to find out the reasons why the Duchess was able to become a political and military leader at a time when women did not have the right to be ministers or generals.Research Methods. To study the materials within the «Memoirs», methods of social history, the study of sources of personal origin, and historical and comparative methods are used.Results and Discussion. The analysis of the sources used shows that Princess de Montpensier was by no means a typical frondeur – her goals, means, and motivations were different from those used by many other “rebels”. Many aristocratic women became “oppositionists” for economic reasons – they joined parties in order to achieve personal goals, which were often selfish. The princess, young, active, physically strong and healthy, received a rich inheritance and solved political and military problems during the Fronde. The combination of personal qualities, wealth and high position in society gave her the opportunity to become the most famous and active frontwoman.Conclusion. To summarize, it should be noted that the memoirist purposefully sought to participate in the political life of France in the mid-17th century. and achieved success. She became a more significant politician than her father, Gaston d’Orleans, and took a significant part in the activities of the party of the Prince de Condé and in the campaigns of his army.