CLAIRE-CLEMENCE, PRINCESSE DE CONDÉ
Mazarin with difficulty restrained his impatience at numerous Royal
favours bestowed on Condé. Indeed, whilst the latter was engaged in
keeping the Army loyal, he agitated against him and did his utmost to
undermine the confidence placed in him by the Queen-Regent. In this way
the warrior and the priest soon became open adversaries. If it was hard
for Condé to submit to the tyranny of Richelieu, still less could he put
up with the haughty insolence of the Italian, who stood between him and
his own Royal relations. It was natural, therefore, that he should
become bitter and think himself insufficiently recompensed for the great
services he had rendered to the King. All those members of the
aristocracy who were likewise irritated against Mazarin gradually
crowded round Condé, and he who had defeated the so-called _Old Fronde_
now became the leader of the second, known as the _Young Fronde_.
Mazarin, therefore, found an excuse for undermining the position of
Condé and succeeded in making the Queen believe that the second Fronde,
led on by Condé, was opposed to the Government. In order to counteract
these false reports, the Prince came to the Palais-Royal to pay a
formal visit to her Majesty, who was, however, ill in bed. His own
mother (now the Dowager Princess), who had always been on terms of great
intimacy with Anne of Austria, was then at her bedside. It was the last
interview between Condé and his mother. Her Majesty seemed tired, and
after a few words dismissed the Prince, who then proceeded to the Salle
de Conseil, where Mazarin awaited him. There he found also his younger
brother, Conti, and his brother-in-law, Monsieur de Longueville.
Presently Mazarin under some pretext left the room, and no sooner had he
gone than the captain of the Queen's body-guard, Captain Quitaut,
entered, and making his way towards Condé and the others, said, not
however without embarrassment, "Gentlemen, I have the Queen's orders to
arrest you." Condé for a moment seemed thunderstruck. Was this her
Majesty's gratitude for the victories he had gained against the enemies
of France? Then, seeing that this arrest was intended in all
seriousness, he addressed the group of councillors around him, saying,
"Can you believe that I, who have always served the King so well, am now
a prisoner?" For a space they all stood speechless. Presently someone
offered to speak to the Queen, and all left the apartment. Then, since
they did not return, Quitaut was compelled to carry out his orders. A
door then was opened into a dark passage, and there appeared some of the
King's men-at-arms. Condé, his brother Conti, and M. de Longueville
were overcome with amazement. It was indeed true! Mazarin had
triumphed. They were transported then and there to the donjon of
Vincennes, that self-same prison wherein Henri II de Condé, with his
wife the beautiful Charlotte, had been secluded for three years.
The hour was past midnight when they reached the prison, and Condé found
himself shut up in a cell whence little could be seen but a tiny patch
of sky. He did not, however, lose his courage, and his spirit never
seemed to forsake him, even though he was behind prison walls. One day
he learned from the doctors who came to visit his sick brother Conti,
that his wife Claire-Clemence was employing every effort she could to
get him free. To while away his weary hours he took a fancy to
cultivating flowers. "Is it not strange," he said to the doctor, "that I
should be watering carnations, whilst my wife is fighting!"
After her husband's unforeseen imprisonment, Claire-Clemence was
permitted to join the Dowager Princesse de Condé at Chantilly, since
Mazarin looked upon her as harmless. It was rather Condé's sister,
Madame de Longueville, whom he feared, and whom he had intended to
arrest with her husband. She, however, escaped in time, braving by night
a terrible storm at sea, and joined Turenne, who helped her in her
attempts to liberate the prisoners.
Nor did Claire-Clemence remain inactive. She consulted with Lenet, a
great friend of the Condé family, who had come to Chantilly, on what
course to adopt to set her husband at liberty. Rumours reached her that
she would be separated from her son, at which she was greatly alarmed.
Taking Lenet aside, she declared to him emphatically that she would
never be separated from her only child; but that she intended, on the
contrary, to conduct him at the head of an army to deliver his father.
This indomitable courage on the part of Condé's spouse was to be the
first step in a course of action which later on contributed much to his
eventual deliverance.
Meanwhile spring had come, and, in spite of the great misfortune which
had befallen the Grand Condé, Chantilly became the resort of a crowd of
visitors, who flocked round its brilliant _châtelaine_, Charlotte de
Montmorency, Dowager Princesse de Condé. The young Duc d'Enghien took
his morning rides on his pony, anglers with rod and line repaired to the
ponds, gay parties of pleasure-seekers roamed over the lawns and along
the avenues, and the woods resounded with the winding of the huntsman's
horn. In the evening the guests assembled in the splendid apartments of
the castle to hear music, or listen to the many interesting tales
related by the Dowager Princess, who loved above all else to dilate upon
the attentions shown to her by Henri IV.
[Illustration: PLATE XIII.
CHANTILLY BEFORE 1687.]
[Illustration: CHANTILLY IN THE TIME OF THE GRAND CONDE.]
Soon, however, the visits to the Château of Lenet and of Madame de
Châtillon, both of whom had played a prominent part in the Fronde, were
reported at Court; and one day the Princesses were suddenly surprised
by the sight of Swiss guards stationed around their dwelling, and
Monsieur de Vauldy simultaneously arrived at the Château with special
orders from the King himself. He first asked for the Dowager Princess
and endeavoured to persuade her to leave Chantilly for Berry; which,
however, she flatly declined to do. In despair, the envoy, who had
orders from the King not to show force, then asked to see the Princesse
Claire-Clemence. On being conducted into a bedchamber, a lady lying in
bed was pointed out to him as the Princesse de Condé; and he was told
that she was suffering from so severe a cold that she could not possibly
leave Chantilly at once. Furthermore a child, also suffering in the same
way, was shown to him as the young Duc d'Enghien. These persons were,
however, in reality an English governess and the gardener's son, for the
Princess herself, with her son in her arms, had made good her escape by
a pathway that had by chance been left unguarded. Some of her ladies and
gentlemen followed her at a distance until she safely reached a spot in
the woods where she found a carriage, which had been kept always ready
for emergencies. In this conveyance, after a fatiguing journey, she
reached Montroux, an old country-seat of the Condés, where the hero of
Rocroy had passed his early youth. Thence she wrote to the Queen,
stating that she had undertaken this journey to show obedience to the
Royal commands, since she had been desired to leave Chantilly. Anne of
Austria took this communication good-humouredly enough, and admired the
pluck of the young mother, whilst everybody was amused at Vauldy's
discomfiture. At Montroux the Princess soon found herself surrounded by
friends and partisans; and she succeeded in arousing enthusiasm by her
easy and natural method of expression in speaking, which, upon occasions
of importance, could rise to flights of real eloquence.
In order to be of service to the State and to the Prince, she decided to
push on in the company of Lenet and Coligny to Bordeaux, whence the Duc
de Bouillon came out to meet her. The Princess, mounted on a splendid
charger named "_Le Brézé_," which had come from her father's stables,
was received with Royal honours by Turenne, who defrayed all her
expenses and those of her escort as far as Bordeaux.
Claire-Clemence and her supporters now decided to attack Mazarin openly
for having imprisoned the Princes, but the Cardinal, getting wind of it,
ordered the gates of Bordeaux to be shut in her face. The people of the
city, however, revolted against such an injustice and opened the gates
by force, crying, "_Vive le Roi, et point de Mazarin_." It may be
remarked here that the citizens of Bordeaux had every reason to be
grateful to Condé for his kindness to them when, upon a previous
occasion, they had revolted against their hated Governor, the Duc
d'Epéron. The Princesse de Condé decided to approach the city by water,
and as soon as her ship came in sight, it was saluted by a cannonade
from eighty vessels, whilst more than twenty thousand people welcomed
her at the landing-stage. The streets were adorned with flowers, and
public enthusiasm was so great that she was compelled to show herself on
the balcony of her palace until midnight to receive the ovations of the
populace.
In order to secure the support of the Bordeaulese, Claire-Clemence
resolved to present her petition before their Parlement in person. With
great spirit, therefore, she made her way to the Chamber of the
Councillors, accompanied by her son. "I come to demand justice of the
King against the violence of Mazarin," she said imploringly, "and I
place my person and that of my son in your hands." At the same time the
little Duke, dropping on one knee, cried out: "Gentlemen, I implore you
to assume the place of a father to me; since the Cardinal has deprived
me of my own." The whole assembly was deeply touched, and after some
deliberation, the members of the Parlement agreed to extend to her their
protection to the suppliants.
It would be superfluous to pursue here in full detail all the efforts
made by Claire-Clemence at Bordeaux on behalf of her husband. The chief
difficulty now was, however, that Mazarin, having treated Condé with
such injustice and violence, was afraid to set him free; and he
therefore even went so far as to entertain ideas of destroying him
altogether. The Court, meanwhile, in spite of the events which were
taking place at Bordeaux, had removed the Princes from the fortress of
Vincennes to a prison at Havre; and at the same time ordered the
Princess to leave Bordeaux and retire to Montroux. After distributing
handsome gifts to all those who had befriended her, she departed with a
numerous cortège, amid a shower of flowers; and on hearing that the
Queen was at Bourg-sur-Mer, sought an interview with her. With her
little son beside her, she fell upon her knees before Anne and begged
for her husband's freedom. Her Majesty's answer was: "I am very glad, my
cousin, that you at length recognise that you adopted a wrong course by
which to get what you so intensely desire. But now that you seem to take
another more fitting and more humble attitude I will see whether I can
satisfy your request."
To the united efforts of Claire-Clemence and of Condé's devoted friend
Lenet, there was also now added the powerful help of Anne de Gonzague,
Princess Palatine, whose influence extended from Paris to Warsaw and
even to Stockholm. She persuaded no less a person than Queen Christina
of Sweden to plead for the Grand Condé's liberty. Moreover, her sister,
Marie de Gonzague, Queen of Poland, who had never ceased to be the
hero's devoted friend, also came to his aid with considerable effect.
Meanwhile France was rent by civil war, and Anne of Austria began to
regret the loss of Condé's strong arm, which had done so much for her
infant son, Louis XIV. The disorder, in fact, became so great and the
clamour for Condé's liberation so imperative, that Mazarin was compelled
to proceed to Havre with an order under the Queen-Regent's sign-manual
for his unconditional release. The Cardinal entered the cell wherein the
Princes were confined in his travelling attire and himself announced to
them that their captivity was at an end. Whereupon compliments were
exchanged and healths drunk; Mazarin even privately affirming to Condé
that it was not to him that he owed his long imprisonment. A carriage
was in waiting for the liberated prisoners, and Mazarin, taking his
leave of them, bowed so low as to create unbounded mirth amongst those
present. Then he himself departed into exile; whence, however, it was
not very long ere he returned.
All Paris turned out to welcome Condé, and no less than 5,000 cavaliers,
the flower of the French aristocracy, went out to meet the Princes at
Saint-Denis. They were conducted by Gaston d'Orléans to the
Palais-Royal, where they were received by the Queen-Regent and the young
King, who welcomed them with his accustomed warmth, as if nothing had
occurred. In the evening a supper was given in their honour by Monsieur
the King's uncle, and a ball by the Duchesse de Chevreuse. Next day a
solemn session of the Parlement took place, and for several nights Paris
was brilliantly illuminated.
The young Princesse de Condé came from Montroux, accompanied by the Ducs
de Bouillon and de Rochefoucauld, and the Prince, who appreciated to the
full all that she had done for him, endeavoured to show his gratitude.
He met her with a train of twenty carriages to accompany her entry into
Paris; and nothing could have touched the Princess's heart more
profoundly than to hear the crowds along the road repeat: "_Voici une
femme fort chèrie de son mari_." It testified to the sympathy held by
the public for this long-neglected wife.
From Paris the reunited pair proceeded to Chantilly, where festivities
and hunting-parties followed fast one upon another. Condé, however, felt
bound to claim a certain amount of recompense for the great wrong which
had been done to him. He demanded for himself the Governments of
Burgundy and Champagne, besides other rewards for his friends de
Rochefoucauld and Nemours. At first the Queen-Regent promised
everything, but presently, upon the remonstrance of the exiled Mazarin,
went back on her word.
This was sufficient to enrage Condé once more, and a report spread that
amid the rural charms of Chantilly he had opened negotiations with
Spain. Gondi, Archbishop of Paris, anxious to obtain a scarlet hat for
himself, went secretly to the Queen, and knowing that Her Majesty was
lamenting Mazarin's absence, promised her that he and Gaston d'Orléans
would bring the Cardinal back from exile if Condé were once more
arrested. Condé, although his freedom was so recent, felt insecure and
retired with his wife and son to Saint-Maur, where Madame de Longueville
joined them; so that he was not present when Louis XIV was proclaimed
King, but was holding council with his adherents at Chantilly. "_Il faut
pousser M. le Prince_" was a stock saying of Mazarin and Gondi (now
Cardinal de Retz), both of whom were endeavouring to goad Condé to his
own destruction.
Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé, along with his many great
qualities, had unfortunately inherited also all the faults of the
Condés--faults which the Duchesse de Nemours (daughter-in-law of his
sister, Madame de Longueville) describes as follows: "_Ils avaient des
airs si moqueurs, et disaient des choses si offensentes que personne ne
les pouvaient souffrir ... quand on leurs déplaisait ils poussaient les
gens jusqu'a la dernière extremité, et ils n'etaient capable d'aucune
reconnaissance pour les services qu'on leurs avait rendu_." These were
the qualities which at this period of his life turned the scale against
him. It was not against France or the King that Condé proposed to fight,
but against the Italian Cardinal, the trusted confidant of Anne of
Austria; and his grievance was that he had not only been deprived of his
liberty, but that attempts had even been made upon his life. It was for
that reason that Condé did not take part in any of the festive
celebrations held at the King's Proclamation, and he made his excuses
in a letter presented to the King by his brother, the Prince de Conti.
This was unquestionably a great blunder, and was done against his wife's
wishes, who had given such great proofs of devotion and courage.
On September 13, 1651 Condé retired to Montroux, where his sister,
Madame de Longueville, and the leaders of his party triumphed over his
last scruples. It was then that he pronounced the famous words: "_Vous
me forcez à tirer l'epée,--eh bien! soit! mais souvenez vous que je
serai le dernier à la remettre dans le fourreau_."