Countess of Darkness

The enigma of the " Countess of Ténèbres" is related to Marie-Therese de France, oldest daughter of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette.

Marie-Therese was given the December 26th 1795 to the Austrian government in French prisoner exchange, before marrying her cousin Louis-Antoine, duke of Angouleme. Duchess of Angouleme, Queen of France (during a few minutes, in 1830), Countess of Marnes, it lived in exile with Frohsdorf until her death, devoting herself to the education of her nephew Henri V of France, Count de Chambord.

The identity of Marie-Therese and the duchess of Angouleme is however discussed.

As of the 19th century, in the sovereign families of Germany, the rumor appears according to which a substitution would have made it possible Marie-Therese to withdraw world, while an other person would have taken her place near Louis XVIII and within the royal family. Marie-Therese would have been placed under the protection of a Dutch diplomat, Leonardus Van der Walck says Count Vavel de Versay and would have lived in her company, under the nickname of " Countess of Ténèbres" with the castle of Eishausen in the duchy of Hildburghausen, until its death in 1837.

So from many elements come to accredit this thesis, defended by certain historians, the enigma, to date, was still not solved.

The mystery of Hildburghausen

In 1803 appears in Germany a strange couple: the man is made call " Count Vavel de Versay" and is not German (it is actually about Dutch of the name of Leonardus Cornélius Van der Walck, born the September 22nd 1769 with Amsterdam, wire of Adianus Van der Valck and of Maria Johanna van Moorsel, he is secretary with the embassy from Holland to Paris of July 1798 in April 1799); the woman is completely vêtue of black, the dissimulated face of a thick black veil, her companion and its coachman (named Scharre) testifies an immense respect to him.

The engaged chambermaid, certain Fredericka, will affirm later that the linen of the " dame" was embroidered flowers of lily.

Its appropriate dress (black clothing, black veils, black gloves) is worth to him (today still) the nickname of Comtesse of Darkness ( Dunkelgräfin ) .

Itinerant residences (179? - 1807)

In June 1803, the couple arrives at Ingelfingen, small principality of the princes of Hohenlohe located in the kingdom of Wurtemberg to which it was later built-in (the research undertaken by the historians established that the Count was very related to the Hohenlohe-Bartenstein family). It receives an abundant mail, in particular maintaining a correspondence nourished with the Charlotte princess Rohan-Rochefort, mistress of the duke of Enghien, which remains in Ettenheim, in the duchy of Bade.

The March 17th 1804, the shortly after the arrest of the duke of Enghien, the couple leaves Ingelfingen précipitement then takes refuge in Wurtemberg. The count and the " dame" some time will reside at Gerlingen, not far from Stuttgart.

In 1806, the couple remains in a castle isolated close to Leyden, in Holland.

Residence with Hildburghausen (1807-1845)

The February 7th 1807, the mysterious couple settles with Hildburghausen, in Thuringe, where it profits from the protection of the local sovereigns, the duke Frederic Ier of Saxony-Hildburghausen and his wife, Charlotte of Mecklembourg-Strelitz (itself friendly of childhood of Marie-Antoinette). The Charlotte duchess is interested personally in the couple, facilitating their housing successively at various notable of the city ( Hotel of England , ducal house, Radefeld house).

The daily life of the couple is organized around the protection of the lady: no one should not approach it, nor to try to see its face which it dissimulates under thick black veils. The cooker, Johanna Weber (which will be returned in 1835, to have tried to introduce her son with the castle), sees herself prohibiting the access to the parts of the house other than the kitchen.

The couple carries out many walks in the car.

Installation with Eishausen.

In 1810, the crown of Hildburghausen inherits the goods of the baron de Hessberg, among whom figure the castle of Eishausen, located at 7 kilometers of Hildburghausen. The October 14th 1810, this castle is rented, by the administration of the Fields, with the senator Andreae who it sub-leases with the Count Vavel de Versay. The lease of the castle will be renewed each year until the death of the " comte" in 1845, with the authorization of the successive sovereigns.

This castle is then sold, by the administration of the Fields, with the Andrae adviser who then rents it with the Count Vavel de Versay.

The castle resembled the properties seigneuriales: a large house on three levels, a square and massive block to which one penetrates by two perrons. It was located close to the grand' road of Cobourg, beyond the Rodach river, at the end of the village; an alley of chestnut trees (which still exists) led castle to the presbytery. In 1873, during his demolition, one will discover an underground on the basis of the cellars of the castle and outcome to a wood, located not far from there… This underground (which was stopped during work of demolition) would have made it possible the ducal family of Hildburghausen to anonymously return visit to the couple.

The couple will reside definitively at Eishausen, practically world cup, and according to a princely way of life (wines of great wines, liquors, toilets of Paris, paschal lamb, vegetables of Bamberg).

The lady places on the second floor of the castle, in an apartment giving to the East and the South while the count places in another apartment, opening in North and the South; it almost never leaves, except walking in the park of the castle.

In 1826, the duchy of Hildburghausen is incorporated in the Grand Duchy of Saxony-Meiningen: the new authorities will take again on their account the same protection measures towards the Count Vavel de Versay and his partner that those taken previously.

Death of the Dunkelgrafin

The lady dies the November 28th 1837, with the castle of Eishausen. She is buried (civilly) the evening even with the Garden of the Mountain, small hill overhanging Hildburghausen. The cause of its death is unknown.

The tomb will be open the July 8th 1891 and the remainders will be identified as being those of a woman.

Doctor Lommler, charged to draw up the death certificate, affirmed that the late one was to have an about sixty years and that its face presented a resemblance striking to that of the queen Marie-Antoinette.

Thanks to a discrete intervention of the duke Bernard Erich of Saxony-Meiningen-Hildburghausen, the whole of the goods of the succession (mainly of the vestimentary effects) was given to the Count Vavel de Versay.

Death of the Dunkelgraf

The count Vavel de Versay dies the April 8th 1845 and is buried with the cemetery of Eishausen.

The examination of its personal papers, after its death, will reveal the identity of the " dame" : Sophie Botta, 58 years, single person, originating in Westphalia; in spite of the meticulous research carried out by the French and German historians, it was not found any trace of Sophie Botta in the registers of Westphalia.

A business of identity

The mystery of Hildburghausen rests on a crucial question: Which was this lady? and why was it voluntarily recluse far from the world under these conditions? . The historians who studied the business hold for asset the following elements:

the enigma of Hildburghausen consists of a secrecy of very great importance and which was to be kept at all costs;

the object of this secrecy was the lady which had been born about 1778;

the ducal couple of Hildburghausen knew the identity of foreign and knew consequently the reasons of its retirement;

the lady was not sequestered against its will by his/her companion;

the average employees to maintain this secrecy are so extraordinary that the importance is stressed by it.

Assumptions

Sophie Botta : such was the name given by the count Vavel de Versay to the death of the lady. In spite of deepened research, it was not found null trace of such a person in the registers of Westphalia. No family of Westphalia, moreover, never bore this name.

Agnes Berthélémy : she was the mistress of Van der Valck at the time of her stay in Paris.

a princess of Cop : this identity was revealed by the Marie queen of Hanover, (girl of Joseph Ier of Saxony-Altenbourg, grand-daughter of Frederic Ier of Saxony-Hildburghausen and Charlotte de Mecklembourg-Strelitz) with its lady's companion, Mrs. von Heimbruch.

Marie-Therese de France, Countess of Darkness?

Facts and presumptions

According to certain historians, several elements tend to accredit the thesis according to which this mysterious woman would be Marie-Therese de France, girl of Louis XVI:

- physically , in spite of the thick black veil which dissimulated it, the face of the Countess was seen twice, in addition to the fact that it was exposed taking into consideration those which attended its funerals. All those which transfer it, and which were later on put in the presence of portraits of the Queen Marie-Antoinette or portraits of Marie-Therese painted before 1795, swore in good faith that they recognized, in these two women, the features of mysterious Comtesse.

The physiological facts are indeed particularly disconcerting: as many Marie-Therese and the Countess Darkness presented great physiological similarities with Marie-Antoinette, as much the duchess of Angouleme resembled Louis XVI undoubtedly and did not present any the physical characteristics of Marie-Antoinette.

It appears today obvious that the duchess of Angouleme, which resembled physically Louis XVI and Mrs Elisabeth, cannot, physically, being comparable with Marie-Therese de France

- psychologically , the duchess of Angouleme will adopt, under the Restoration, an attitude which will not be without rejecting all the old familiar ones of Versailles: systematically rejecting any memory of Marie-Antoinette (with which she will refuse to honor the memory), she excludes systematically from the Court and her entourage all the people who, before the Revolution, had attended the royal family. Its character will be registered in contradiction with all the principles of education and kindness inculcated by Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette in their children.

Many graphologists compared the written letters by Marie-Therese during her captivity with the Temple, with those written later on by the duchess of Angouleme and concluded that these letters could not emanate from the same person.

- materially , of many elements of the life of the Countess, to Eishausen, indicates its membership to a royal family, to see her proximity with the family of Bourbon: marked linen of flowers of lily, particularly high way of life, and especially systematic and fastidious protection of the authorities (initially, on behalf of the ducal family of Saxony-Hildburghausen then, as from 1826, on behalf of the large-ducal family of Saxony-Meiningen-Hildburghausen).

A certain number of elements thus seem to indicate that the duchess of Angouleme could, neither physically nor psychologically, being Marie-Therese de France; on the other hand, of heavy presumptions weigh on the identity of people between the latter and the Countess of Darkness.

These presumptions are accentuated by the contents of the correspondences between the various reigning houses of Germany (Saxony-Meiningen-Hildburghausen, Saxony-Altenbourg, Mecklembourg-Schwerin, Wurtemberg, Hanover), the majority of these families being convinced that the " Countess of Ténèbres" was the legitimate girl of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette. If all the documents were destroyed carefully, it is that the revelation of the truth would have been likely to upset Europe, by thwarting too great interests.

This position was also confirmed by the natural descendants of the duke of Berry, wire of Charles X.

Substitution of people?

The identity of Marie-Therese de France and the Countess of Darkness can be based only on one substitution of people: before being given to Austria in French prisoner exchange, the December 26th 1795, Marie-Therese de France would have been seen substituting another person, who would then have taken her place at the Court of Austria, then within the royal family of France.

Ernestine Lambriquet . The Registre of the Children of France indicates that certain Ernestine Lambriquet was high with Marie-Therese: the two young girls, born at a few months of intervals, are high like binoculars; in all circumstances, Ernestine is at the sides of Marie-Therese and profits from the same way of life and the same expenditure (pension, dresses, apartment, education) that the princess.

Girl of Jean Lambriquet (guillotine in 1793), manservant of Madam Elisabeth de France, sister of Louis XVI, Ernestine Lambriquet is doubtless a natural girl of Louis XVI and Marie-Filipino Lambriquet (the rumors according to which Ernestine Lambriquet would have been the natural girl of Louis XVIII are unfounded, Louis XVIII being prevented from procreating): operated of sound Phimosis Louis XVI (with the agreement of its wife), a test would have carried out which would have made it possible to note that it was neither impotent nor sterile… the Public records testify thus that Marie-Filipino Lambriquet will receive an annual pension, which will be with its death transferred with his/her daughter.

It is Ernestine Lambriquet which would have been substituted for Marie-Therese de France, before the exchange of Huninge, and would have become duchess of Angouleme.

Louis XVIII and Charles X, would have been of course informed and would have played the game (what explains why Marie-Therese distorts it would have been married with her cousin Louis-Antoine, future Louis XIX, which was moreover unable to procreate).

The reasons of substitution are still unknown today.

According to some, Marie-Therese would have liked to cut off herself from the world to live in the memory of her parents. One can also consider a form of more or less acute depression, a nervous dilapidation, or a psychological imbalance engraves, consecutive with the serious traumatisms undergone during its years of imprisonment and of terror, lived, let us recall it, in full adolescence.

According to others, it would have been isolated world so that one can make sure of his silence as for the escape from Louis XVII.

Random links: