23 Prairial
An CCXXXIV
Thérésia Cabarrus
Tallien gave the signal for the fall of Robespierre on 9 Thermidor, dagger in hand. His aim was not to end the Terror. It was about his lover, whom he wanted to free from prison: Thérésia Cabarrus. The beauty of this woman tipped the balance: after the triumph of the Thermidorians, the French Revolution strayed from the path of republican virtue. From then on, corruption and decadence dominated politics. Cabarrus became the Notre Dame de Thermidor, the party icon of the Directory. The new upper class gathered in her house: deputies, military men, bankers and speculators. Thérésia was the star of extravagant festivities – and her marriage to Tallien lasted only a short time. Thérésia met a wealthy count who took her to his magnificent château in Belgium. There she died at the age of 61.
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1773 - 1835
- July 31, 1773 · Born in Carabanchel near Madrid.
- February 21, 1788 · At the age of 14, she marries the wealthy Jean-Jacques Devin, who brings her to the royal court in Paris.
- 1791 · After Devin emigrates, the marriage is dissolved.
- 1793 · She is imprisoned in Bordeaux, but released by the Convention commissioner Tallien, who falls in love with her.
- May 1794 · Upon her arrival in Paris, she is arrested again.
- August 1794 · She is freed after Robespierre’s fall on the 9th of Thermidor.
- December 26, 1794 · She marries Tallien. In the following years, Thérésia has numerous affairs with influential men, including Director Barras and the banker Ouvrard.
- April 1802 · Her marriage to Tallien ends in divorce.
- August 1805 · She later marries François-Joseph-Philippe de Riquet, Count of Caraman and Prince of Chimay.
- January 15, 1835 · She dies at Chimay Castle in Belgium.
Quotes
I had a dream: Robespierre no longer existed, and the prisons were open. But thanks to your admirable cowardice, soon there will be no one left in France who can make it come true.
Letter from Thérésia Cabarrus to Tallien from prison, shortly before the 9th of Thermidor
Don’t you see that these shameless women, these adventuresses of noble birth, who today grant you the honor of prostituting themselves in your bourgeois arms, will destroy you as soon as they have succeeded in returning things to their former course?
Gracchus Babeuf on the famous courtesans of the early Directory
She was a charming young girl, but she has turned into a dishonored and dissolute woman.
Emperor Napoleon on Thérésia Cabarrus, 1805
Le Moniteur
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