Several years ago, burgeoning French tolerance became interested in one interesting question: why in history textbooks 80% of the space is reserved for men, and women are mentioned in only 20% of the pages? It was decided to write a "female" history textbook. We selected a team of authors, looked into ancient documents and found out that women played a much more prominent role in history. So, Alexander the Great, in order to please his beloved getter, burned Persepolis, Antony lost his head because of the love of Cleopatra, who had enchanted the great Caesar before him, and so on and so forth. Women in the Middle Ages led troops, withstood sieges and ruled states. It turned out that many "great men" were in fact "great henpecked", and could not take a step without consulting their wives or mistresses. His wife Agrippa doused Socrates with slop, and he was meek and obedient to her, although he fearlessly denounced the Athenian aristocrats. Louis XV was, alas, entirely in the hands of Madame Pompadour, and the Duchess of Marlborough, in the absence of her husband, listened to the reports of the ministers and replaced the admirals. What, by the way, is very reliably described in our, not English, feature film "A Glass of Water". The naval commander Horatio Nelson, who, in addition to his legal wife, also had a life partner, "Lady Hamilton", was no exception to this rule. We will tell you about it today.
Film "Lady Hamilton" 1941. The charming Vivien Leigh starring.
Emma Hamilton is the favorite of Horatio Nelson, the British vice admiral and great naval commander, and the inspiration for portrait painter George Romney. She became known in high society for her scandalous love affairs. She was the mistress of Greville, Hamilton, Nelson … When Lord Nelson passed away, Emma Hamilton also disappeared, although she outlived her eminent lover by ten years. Novels were written about this extraordinary person, a hundred years after her death, an operetta was staged, and the cinema did not stand aside, having released a film dedicated to the life of Emma Hamilton.
Amy Lyon, daughter of the blacksmith Henry Lyon and the maid Mary Lyon, was born on May 12, 1765 in the town of Chester, Cheshire. Emma did not know her father at all, because a month after the birth of her daughter, he died. A young widow with a baby in her arms was forced to leave for her homeland, in the village, to her mother Sarah Kidd. Little Emmy was brought up by her ardently loving grandparents, and her mother was forced to earn a living trading coal, which she carried home on a little donkey.
Trying to somehow help her mother, at the age of twelve, Amy went to nanny to the village doctor, surgeon Honoratus Lee Thomas. After serving faithfully for a year, Amy went to look for a better life in the capital of Foggy Albion - London.
Further, the details of her life are so contradictory that you cannot tell what is a lie and what is true. In all likelihood, Amy went to work as a saleswoman in a jewelry store. By a strange coincidence, a certain lady of very dubious reputation was a regular customer in the store. Emma's pretty face attracted the madam's attention, and she invited Emma to go to her as a companion.
And here she looks older …
At that time in London, the public lectures of a certain James Graham, a Scottish medicine man and charlatan in combination, were wildly popular. He took courses in the art of magnetism in France. Graham gave entertaining lectures on eternal life, and also sold right and left various amulets and medicines, swearing oath to the gullible Londoners of the exclusiveness of the drugs sold. Near the Thames embankment, Graham organized the "Temple of Health", which he recommended as a purely medical institution, although in essence it was the most ordinary brothel. The only difference was that in this "Temple" the rich, but, alas, childless spouses for a reasonable fee went to the "heavenly bed", piously believing that they would be able to regain their lost fertility. Emma took the most direct part in such a noble cause. Trying on a variety of masks: from Hebe to antique Medea and Cleopatra, Emma was supposed to awaken extinct desires in men, and her delicate taste and ability to wear antique clothes introduced fashion to the ancient Greek style.
The divine beauty of Emma's body was highly appreciated by British artists: Sir Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the great German poet, was also captivated by her beauty. And the portrait painter George Romney, who became her passionate admirer, invited the girl to pose in his studio. Emma accepted the offer and soon became his favorite model. Moreover, she sincerely believed in her exclusivity and decided that she must certainly become an actress and she will definitely be accepted. But … Playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan, to whom she came to audition, said that for the stage, external data alone are not enough, and stage abilities "you, miss, do not."
In 1781, Emma accidentally met a wealthy young dandy, Sir Harry Featherstonho, who was struck by her beauty and invited her to live for several days in his father's luxurious villa in Sussex. Several days stretched out for six months. Well, since mother Harry often came to the villa, he, in order to avoid unnecessary questions, moved her to a cottage several miles from the villa. Emmy enjoyed life, frolicked like a child, and spent money on outfits and pleasure, dancing naked on the table in between times. During her stay at Featherstonhoe, she mastered horsemanship and became also an excellent rider.
And here is the loving admiral himself. The famous Laurence Olivier.
Six months later, when Harry's love ardor subsided so much that he began to think about how he could get rid of the annoying Emma, he found out that she was pregnant. Without coming up with anything better and without explaining anything, the once ardent lover hastily parted with her. Emma returned not to the capital, but to her native village of Harden. There she gave birth to tiny Amy. Emma's situation was so difficult that she was forced to seek help from her London acquaintances. The letters were written illiterately, were full of numerous mistakes, but Emma begged to help her, and begged not to leave her in trouble.
Admiral Nelson's wife. Perhaps she did not look like that, but everyone says that both in appearance and … in her mind, she could not compare with Emma.
Sir Charles Greville became Emma's guardian angel. Esthete, an art connoisseur, he invited Emma to his place and settled her in a country house, furnishing it with furniture and everything necessary to his liking, of course, taking into account the fact that a woman with a small child will live here. Greville hired teachers for Emma, who studied spelling, music and singing. There were many books in the house, and Emma read them with great pleasure, while away the evenings alone. The only outlet for Emma was a visit to Romney's art workshop. By that time, the portrait painter already had 24 completed portraits of Emma, and in addition, there was also an incredible amount of sketches. Emma silently called the artist "father".
The life of the old bachelor Greville, meanwhile, went on as usual. Financial affairs were not going well, and he makes a decision: in order to somehow improve his affairs, it is necessary to marry a rich heiress. Greville did not consider himself a scoundrel and a scoundrel, and therefore the further fate of Emma was not indifferent to him. Case decided the matter. His uncle, Sir Lord William Douglas Hamilton, who was serving as the British ambassador in Naples, returned to London at that time. Ladies' man, funny and witty interlocutor, the soul of the company, a magnificent dancer and singer, violinist and archaeologist, diplomat Hamilton was struck by the beauty and charm of Emma. On April 26, 1786, Emma and her mother arrive in Naples. On this day, Emma turned 21 years old. Hamilton graciously welcomes both women as if they were high society ladies and invites them to live in the Palazzo Sessa, the dazzling mansion of the British ambassador.
The absence of an arm and an eye did not prevent Nelson from commanding! True, he did not lose his eye, but he saw worse for them than for others.
Amy writes rave letters to Greville, telling him of Sir William's endless kindness. In them, she sincerely regrets that she cannot make Hamilton happy, since her heart belongs to him, Graville. Charles gives Emma "good advice" to become the mistress of his 55-year-old uncle as soon as possible.
The famous signal: "England hopes everyone will do their duty!" It was unusual and memorable. Moreover, imitators also appeared, albeit in their own way. Thus, Admiral Togo, who admired Nelson, raised a signal to his fleet before the Battle of Tsushima: “The fate of the empire depends on this battle. Let everyone do his duty! " Yes, the psychology of the British and the Japanese was markedly different.
And so, in September 1791 in London, she was married to Lord Hamilton. Shortly before the wedding, she visits "father" Romney and says goodbye to him. The day after the wedding, the Hamilton couple went to sunny Italy. On the way, they visit Paris, where Empress Marie Antoinette, who has already been followed day and night, surreptitiously gives Emmy a letter to her sister, Queen Marie Carolina of Naples. In it, the empress urged the queen to provide all possible assistance and patronage to the bearer of this letter. Emma repaid with kindness for kindness: the acquaintance grew into a sincere friendship.
September 22, 1798. In the sun-drenched Naples, something unimaginable was happening: the whole city poured into the streets and rejoiced at the meeting of Admiral Horatio Nelson, who defeated the French in the battle of Aboukir. Emmy stood in the crowd of enthusiastic citizens and looked at the hero with adoration. Their meeting with Nelson took place somewhat earlier, three months before the great triumph of the naval commander.
And on September 29, Nelson's birthday, Emma arranged a grandiose celebration in its splendor. The admiral wrote that 80 guests were invited to the gala dinner and another 1740 were invited to the ball.
Unfortunately, a scandalous fly was added to the barrel of festive honey. Nelson's stepson, a young man of "eighteen years old," publicly accused his adoptive father of betraying his wife with Lady Hamilton. The scandal was quickly hushed up and the guests continued to have fun.
The latest military campaign left its mark on Nelson. His health was somewhat failing, and he took great pleasure in accompanying Lady Hamilton on the journey to Castel Mare.
Nelson trusted Emma infinitely. Absent for a long time due to official needs, Horatio left Emma for himself, and was sure that she would cope with all matters. There was a case when Emma received a "delegation" from the island of Malta. She did an excellent job of this task, fully complying with their requests. At the tacit request of Nelson, who wished to please Emma, the Master of the Order of Malta, and also … the Russian Emperor Paul I, sent her a Maltese cross as a token of gratitude.
Some time later, Lord Hamilton was recalled from the post of envoy in London in connection with the end of his mission in the capital. The admiral goes after his beloved. Queen Maria Caroline accompanied them to Vienna.
In 1801, Lady Hamilton gave birth to Nelson's lovely daughter Horace. In the same year, Nelson acquired a small house in the town of Merton Place, rather dilapidated, on the outskirts of what is now Wimbledon. There he lived openly with Emma, Sir William and Emma's mother. This strange "marriage of three" caused a lot of gossip in the conservative British society. The newspapers relished the details of her life, everything was in sight: what outfits she preferred to wear, what furniture was in her house, and even what would be served for dinner today.
As time went on … Emma's bright beauty began to fade. From a fragile sophisticated beauty, Emma turned into a woman "in the body." But this did not affect her active life in society, unlike the admiral, who did not like Emma's life activity at all. As a result, Lady Hamilton and Horatio decided to move away from the bustle of the world and start a new, measured and calm life. For the same reason, Emma refused to sing at the Royal Opera of Madrid.
April 1803 turned out to be the last in life for Lord Hamilton. He died in the arms of Emma and Nelson. All movable and immovable property of the Lord went to the sole heir, Sir Greville, and the wife received only things and a small lump sum. And exactly two weeks after the funeral service, Greville asks Emma to immediately leave the Hamilton dwelling. Nelson was deeply outraged by Greville's misbehavior. Realizing what a plight Emma was in, he writes Merton Place to her and, in addition, Emma became the recipient of a monthly annuity. The beginning of 1804 was a happy one for Nelson: Emma gave birth to his second child. Unfortunately, the girl died soon after. To somehow drown out her grief, Emma began to seek solace in gambling.
Painting by Joseph Mallord William Turner, The Battle of Trafalgar (1822).
Before the famous Battle of Trafalgar, which became fatal for the admiral (and may be fatal precisely because he was simply looking for a way to die with dignity in order to end his dual existence), Nelson, who had drawn up his will in advance, added to it one more point in which the admiral asked not to leave Emma Hamilton and her daughter to the mercy of fate. However, the state did not heed the admiral's request. Nelson's widow and all of Nelson's relatives received everything they were entitled to as heirs by law, and his beloved Emma and little daughter ended up penniless. Emma got stuck in debt, and spent almost a year in a debt prison. In 1811, her mother died, the only one who had been with her all these years, supporting and helping as much as possible. After leaving prison, Emma Hamilton and Horatia fled to France.
In early 1815, Emma caught a bad cold and contracted bronchitis. Not cured in time, he turned into pneumonia. Emma got worse and worse every day. Only two portraits hanging on the wall above Emma's head reminded her of her former life and of the people she loved dearly all her life: her mother and her beloved admiral … The friends and relatives who came to bury Lady Hamilton looked sympathetically at the girl sobbing next to her. Nobody knew that it was Horace, daughter of Emma Hamilton … An interesting fact: captains and officers of all English ships stationed in Calais came to her funeral, and they put on ceremonial uniforms.
