Figure 1.--French painter François-Pascal-Simon Gérard painted portraits during both the Napoleonic Empiread the Bourbob Restoration. This is the Comtesse du Cayla with her children. The Comte and Comtessa separated after prolonged, very public litigation. This brought the Comtesse to the attention of King Louis XVIII. And the Comtesse personally appealed to the King for protection from her husband. She also was supported by her the mother-in-law, who was a lady-in-waiting in the household of the comtesse de Provence, who was the titular queen of France. At Louis' court, Mme de Cayla was also the protegée of the vicomte Sosthène de La Rochefoucauld (beginning about 1817). Here she is with her children. Ugolin and Ugoline, about 1825. Ugolin seems rather plainly dressed compared to gis mother and sister.

Zoé Victoire Talon (1785 – 1852), styled Comtesse du Cayla, was an intimate friend and confidante of King Louis XVIII was his maîtresse-en-titre. She as born at Le Boullay-Thierry (1785). he was the daughter of a royal avocat, Antoine Omer Talon (1760–1811). He arranged for her to be privately educated and groomed by Madame Campan, whose school Lamartine was styled an academy of feminine diplomacy. She married the comte Baschi du Cayla (1802). They had two children seen here, Ugolin and Ugoline about 1825 (figure 1). Ugolin seems rather plainly dressed compared to his mother and sister. We are not sure what that was meant to convey. The Talons separated after prolonged, very public litigation. This brought the Comtesse to the attention of King Louis XVIII. And the Comtesse personally appealed to the King for protection from her husband. She also was supported by her the mother-in-law, who was a lady-in-waiting in the household of the comtesse de Provence, who was the titular queen of France. At Louis' court, Mme de Cayla was also the protegée of the vicomte Sosthène de La Rochefoucauld (beginning about 1817). This was at first discret, but eventually became an important comduit by which the Ultras were able to influence the aging and emotionally needy Louis XVIII. The Ultras meaning ultra royalists was mostly nobels who opposed all of the major themes of the Revolution. Louis was inclined to make some concessions. The Ultras supported Bourbon's and wanted policies to maintain the traditional hierarchy between classes, limit the suffrage, restrict the bourgeoisie and their liberal, democratic tendencies. The King lavished favours upon Mme. de Cayla, but though historians doubt she was his mistress.

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Created: 8:06 PM 4/4/2017
Last updated: 8:06 PM 4/4/2017