The Duchess of Devonshire - a scandalous lady

The Duchess of Devonshire, whose biography is interesting enough, was, perhaps, at one time the most famous woman. Granddaughter of the first Duke of Marlborough, she was born in 1757 in the family of Count Spencer. Among the descendants of her kind Lady Lem is the love of the poet Byron, Princess Diana , etc.

If in those days in France the fashion master was Queen Maria Antoinette, then in England it was she who was the Duchess of Devonshire, who married Cavendish at seventeen. Since childhood, Georgiana dreamed of marrying a decent and handsome man. However, her marriage could not be called happy. The Duke of Devonshire preferred to live in a quiet family circle in a country house, not enduring secular joys, while his wife loved only secular pleasures.

Duchess Georgiana Devonshirskaya could not give her husband no home comfort, or a calm family idyll, so from 1790 their marriage was already called broken up.

Lady Cavendish in society was not only famous, but scandalously famous person, about whom the whole of the London high society gossiped. Her plumes and bustles were incredibly luxurious. It was said that even Georgiana's stockings and garters were adorned with precious stones. It was she who initiated the fact that a special shade of brown steel was called "devonshire".

No less well known was the Duchess of Devonshire with her lovers. She chose for herself only the most famous and interesting men, for example, Gray's young brilliant politician or the famous portrait painter Gainsborough.

A special place in the life of Georgiana was occupied by maps. According to her contemporaries, she played almost every night. England does not know more than an avid gambler in her entire history. The Duchess of Devonshire not only went to play cards, but also forced her husband to hold regular card parties. Georgiana could lose a few thousand a night. And the "debt of honor", which the Duchess of Devonshire was gaining very quickly, was forced to give away her husband. He did this in order not to spoil relations with her.

Georgiana, who understood that she was not giving him the family he was dreaming of, was trying to change something in their life. Therefore, she introduced the duke to the provincial noblewoman, the beautiful Elizabeth Foster, with whom she became friends, despite various social statuses. Her new girlfriend, already had time to learn all the hardships of family life, was in poverty along with young children.

The Duchess of Devonshire invited Bess to live with her. She, in addition to compassion, was guided by the calculation: the new girlfriend belonged to the type of women who liked her husband. Gradually, between the duke and Bass, feelings developed into deep relationships. The strange life of the "threesome", which they led, shocked the high society. However, the Duchess of Devonshire herself quietly enjoyed it.

Since the summer of 1791, they decided to live separately with her husband: the duke with Bess and the children, one of whom his mistress gave birth to him - in a country estate, and Georgiana herself settled in Bath with a new lover, politician Charles Gray.

In 1797 a scandalous socialite, dancing in an open dress at a ball, caught a cold. The disease was aggravated by a severe infection before our eyes. To restore the duchess's vision, she underwent an operation that left visible scars on her beautiful face. However, even being disfigured, Georgiana was still considered the most popular in the light of a lady and an avid player. She continued playing cards until her death.

Duchess Devonshirskaya died in 1806 from consumption. She died in the arms of his girlfriend Bass, blessing their marriage with Cavendish. By the time of his death, Georgiana had huge debts that her poor husband paid to her death.