The story of one rescue and the tragedy of the savior (10 photos)

When you really want to live, a person will grab every opportunity. Without thinking about the possible consequences.





Antoine Marie Chaman de Lavalette (1769-1830) was a French politician who became famous not so much for his actions in the political field as for his specific way of surviving.



Antoine Marie Chaman de Lavalette

Being the same age as Napoleon, Antoine, who had made a good career, ended up in the army and the field of view of Bonaparte. The man took part in the Italian and Egyptian campaigns, accompanied Bonaparte as an adjutant and secretary during negotiations and, in general, became his faithful friend and ally. For which he received the title of count. After which de Lavalette headed the postal department, remaining at the helm until Napoleon's abdication.





Emilia Louise Beauharnais, Countess de Lavalette

Antoine achieved no less heights on the personal front. Josephine Beauharnais's niece Emilia, who was a maid of honor to her aunt the empress, was married to him. After the birth of her daughter, Emilia left the court to devote herself to her family and raising her child.



Madame Lavalette (second from left) holds the robe of Empress Josephine in the famous painting by Jacques Louis David

After Napoleon's abdication and expulsion, the heads of his entourage predictably fell off their shoulders. De Lavalette should have been no exception. The Count was charged with treason and quickly sentenced to death. Louis XVIII was so determined that he even refused Antoine the right to choose a method: as an officer, he could insist on execution instead of the shameful guillotine.



Louis XVIII

Despite poor health caused by a miscarriage, Emilia arrived with her daughter and maid at the Conciergerie, the central Parisian prison, to see her husband for the last time.



Fortress Conciergerie in Paris

The next day, December 23, 1815, the execution was scheduled. In the cell, the woman swapped clothes with her husband. And he, covering his face with a scarf, left the prison with his daughter.



After two weeks of wandering around the capital, with the help of friends, he moved to Belgium. When the deception was revealed, the king became furious. The woman was kept in a cell for a month and then forced to speak in court. When she was finally released, the poor girl's mind became clouded.



Bas-relief on the grave of Antoine and Emilie - the scene of de Lavalette's escape from prison

There were rumors that the reason was not the difficult conditions of detention (although the cell was clearly not the best place for a woman who had experienced the loss of a child and was worried about the fate of her husband), but evidence of the betrayal of her husband, whom she was saving, risking her freedom and life.



The unfortunate woman was given into the care of her daughter. A few years later, the fugitive will be granted a royal pardon. And he will return to Paris to see the one who gave him 15 years of life. But Emilia did not recognize him. She had not recognized anyone for a long time, remaining imprisoned in the endless halls and corridors of her clouded mind.



The couple's grave at the Père Lachaise cemetery

The crazy woman outlived her husband by a quarter of a century and died at the age of 74. Periods of relative calm were constantly followed by violent attacks.

Emilia found her final refuge in the Parisian Père Lachaise cemetery next to her husband. Did she regret her decision? Now no one will know... And history has become a source of inspiration for many authors of various art movements.