Charlotte Saumaise de Chazan

Charlotte Saumaise de Chazan (1619–1684), also spelled Saumaize de Chazan and also known as Madame de Brégy, was a poet, one of the Précieuses and lady in waiting to Queen Anne of Austria.

Charlotte Saumaise de Chazan
Born1619
Paris
Died1684
Paris
NationalityFrench
Known forPoetry and politics

Biography

Charlotte Saumaise de Chazan was born in Paris in 1619, the daughter of a secretary to Gaston, Duke of Orléans, Bégnine de Saumaise and one of the queen's maids, Marguerite Anne Hébert. Her uncle was also the scientist Claude Saumaise and it was he who looked after her education until Marie de Medici took over.[1][2][3][4][5]

She was married at the age of 14 to Lieutenant General Nicolas de Flécelles, Count de Brégy. de Chazan had a number of pregnancies which gave her four children, Anne-Marie, Élisabeth, Jean-Baptiste and Léonor. Her husband was away for most of their marriage. de Chazan was granted a separation of property(1651) and of body (1673). Her legal cases around this divorce created huge discussions among the Salon circles about the obligation of women to marry and bear children. The stories published at the time about women who left their families behind fueled several books. de Chazan left everything to Elisabeth.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

De Chazan was a poet, known amongst the Précieuses as Belarmis and Belinde. She was occasionally employed to write verses by Louis XIV while she worked as Lady in waiting to Queen Anne of Austria. de Chazon wrote with the great names of Europe including to the Queens of England and particularly with Christina of Sweden, the Countess of Soissons, the Archbishop of Paris, and Monsieur, younger brother of the King of France. When the Queen died in 1666, de Chazon remained close to Philippe d'Orléans. She was included in the collection of verbal portraits gathered by Mademoiselle de Montpensier in 1659 and composed epigrams with Henriette de Coligny de La Suze. She died at the Palais-Royal on 13 April 1684 and was buried with her husband at St Gervais.[7][1][2][8][9][10][11][3][12][4][13][5][14][15][6]

Bibliography
  • La Sphère de la lune composée de la tête de la femme (1992)
  • Lettres et poésies de Madame la Comtesse de Brégy (1668)
  • Les Œuvres galantes de Madame la comtesse de B. (de Brégy.) (1667)
  • Les Lettres et poésies de Madame la Comtesse de B. (1666)
  • La Sphere de la lune, composée de la teste de la femme (1658)
  • Les Lettres et poésies with Charlotte Saumaize de Chazan Brégy (comtesse de, 1619-1693) as Autre
  • Cinq Questions d'amour, proposées par Madame de Brégy, avec la réponse en vers par M. Quinault, par l'ordre du Roy
  • Le Point du Jour, Air, gracieusement. (1770)

References and sources
  1. Wilson, K.M.; Wilson, M. (1991). An Encyclopedia of Continental Women Writers. An Encyclopedia of Continental Women Writers. Garland Pub. p. 243. ISBN 978-0-8240-8547-6. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  2. "Charlotte Saumaize de Chazan Brégy (1619-1693) - Author - Resources from the BnF". data.bnf.fr (in French). Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  3. Burgwinkle, W.; Hammond, N.; Wilson, E. (2011). The Cambridge History of French Literature. Complete Cambridge histories online. Literary studies. Cambridge University Press. p. 313. ISBN 978-0-521-89786-0. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  4. Briquet, M.U.F. (1804). Dictionnaire historique, littéraire et bibliographique des Françaises et des étrangères naturalisées en France (in French). p. 67. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  5. A new general biographical Dictionary projected and partly arranged by the late Rev. Hugh James Rose: In twelve volumes. Rich. Glag. 1848. p. 32. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  6. Hays, M. (1803). Female Biography; Or Memoirs of Illustrious and Celebrated Women, of All Ages and Countries: Alphabetically Arranged. Female Biography; Or Memoirs of Illustrious and Celebrated Women, of All Ages and Countries: Alphabetically Arranged. Richard Phillips. p. 46. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  7. "WORDS: BIOG: Bregy, Charlotte Saumaise De Chazan, Comtesse De". Words From Old Books. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  8. Demers, P. (2005). Women's Writing in English: Early Modern England. Women's writing in English. University of Toronto Press. p. 263. ISBN 978-0-8020-8664-8. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  9. Gibson, W.; Lam, K.D. (1989). Women In 17th Century France. Palgrave Macmillan UK. p. 410. ISBN 978-1-349-20067-2. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  10. Beasley, F.E. (2017). Salons, History, and the Creation of Seventeenth-Century France: Mastering Memory. Women and Gender in the Early Modern World. Taylor & Francis. p. 209. ISBN 978-1-351-90220-5. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  11. Norman, B.; Pub, B.A. (2001). The Documentary Impulse in French Literature. French literature series. Rodopi. p. 5. ISBN 978-90-420-1334-6. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  12. Lemprière, J. (1810). Universal Biography: Containing a Copious Account, Critical and Historical, of the Life and Character, Labors and Actions of Eminent Persons, in All Ages and Countries, Conditions and Professions ... E. Sargeant. p. 16-PP2. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  13. Goujet, C.P.; Mariette, Pierre-Jean (Parijs); Guerin, Hippolyte Louis (Parijs); Mercier, Pierre Gilles le (Parijs); Delatour, Louis-François (Parijs) (1756). Bibliotheque Françoise, ou histoire de la litterature Françoise. Dans laquelle on montre l'utilit'e que l'on peut retirer des livres publiés en François depuis l'origine de l'imprimerie ... (in French). p. 335. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  14. Chalmers, Alexander (1812). The General Biographical Dictionary Vol. VI. p. 479. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  15. Pilkington (Mary), Mrs (1804). Memoirs of celebrated Female Characters, etc. p. 60. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
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