Charles Vacquerie

Charles Vacquerie , born in Nantes on April 12th, 1817, died in Villequier on September 4th, 1843 was the son-in-law of Victor Hugo.

Resulting from a family from fishermen in the Seine and pilots, wire of Charles-Isidore Vacquerie (1779-1843), ship-owner in Le Havre, it is like oldest son intended to continue the paternal activity. It is via his/her brother Auguste Vacquerie (1819-1895) that Charles meets Victor Hugo. Indeed, Auguste, raises with the Charlemagne college of Paris had assembled the play Hernani for his comrades at the time of Saint-Charlemagne 1836, with the authorization of the author. He had come from there little by little to attend the house of the Royal Place where the poet resided.

To the summer 1838, the Hugo family is invited by Vacquerie in Le Havre and Villequier, where they have a family home close to the shore of the Seine clearing at the beginning of the 19th century (become departmental museum since 1951). It is at the time of this stay that Léopoldine, oldest daughter of Victor Hugo and Charles Vacquerie meet. Two young people plan to marry as of the following year. However, several mournings in the Vacquerie family delay the achievement of this desire. In addition, this time allows Adèle Hugo, the wife of the poet, to prepare little by little this one with the distance of his/her very loved daughter that this marriage implies. Léopoldine is only sixteen years old in 1840. The marriage is finally celebrated on February 15th, 1843. Remaining with Villequier since September 2nd, 1843, the young couple embarks in a boat of race two days later for a visit with Maître Bazire, notary of Caudebec. With the return, the boat capsizes upstream of Villequier and carries Charles, Léopoldine, Pierre Vacquerie (1781-1843), his uncle and the son of this one, Arthur (1832-1843). Excel swimmer, Charles tries to bring back his wife to surface, but not reaching that point, joined it. The two families decided to bury them together, in the same coffin, the cemetery of Villequier.

September 4th, 1852, to Jersey, Victor Hugo devotes a poem to his son-in-law, published in 1856 in Contemplations , Livre Fourth, part XVII.

Sources

Andre MAUROIS, Olympio or life of Victor Hugo , Paris, Marabout, collection " Université" , 1985, p. 305-317.
Andre DUBUC, Villequier in the life and the work of Victor Hugo , Rouen, Printing works Teased, 1946.

External bonds

the full text of the '' Contemplations '', on Wikisource.
the text of the poem entitled '' Charles Vacquerie '' on Wikisource.

the Vacquerie House, in Villequier, shelters the departmental Museum Victor Hugo

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