La Motte, Jeanne de Valois, countess de (1756–1791)

views updated

La Motte, Jeanne de Valois, countess de (1756–1791)

French adventurer. Name variations: Madame La Motte; Jeanne Lamotte; Jeanne de Valois, countess de la Motte; Countess de La Motte. Born Jeanne de Saint-Rémy de Valois in 1756; died 1791; m. Nicolas de La Motte (soldier).

Daughter of a poor farmer in Champagne who was one of the last of the Valois (a direct descendant of French king, Henry II); after father died and left her penniless, was granted an annual pension of 800 livres by Louis XVI; spent next few years petitioning the court for more; with husband, set out to recoup Valois estates, involving Marie Antoinette in the Affair of the Diamond Necklace (1783–84); when the elaborate plot was revealed (1786), was branded and imprisoned; escaped from jail (1787) and joined husband in England; autobiography published (1793), 2 years after her death. Alexander Dumas pére wrote novel, Le Collier de la Reine (1849–50), based on her scam.

See also Women in World History.

About this article

La Motte, Jeanne de Valois, countess de (1756–1791)

Updated About encyclopedia.com content Print Article