Hortense Mancini, Duchess of Mazarin (6 June 1646 – 2 July 1699), [1] was a niece of Cardinal Mazarin, chief minister of France, and a mistress of Charles II, King of England, Scotland, and Ireland.

Feb 12, 2025 · Riding into London is Hortense Mancini, the cross-dressing, pistol-shooting aunt-in-law to the future James II of England. Hortense was universally acclaimed as beautiful.

Hortense Mancini's life was full of drama, intrigue, and more than a little controversy. Read on for these scandalous facts about Hortense Mancini.

In many ways, beginning with her famed flight from Armand-Charles, Hortense Mancini challenged domestic ideas of womanhood at the time: her life was one of movement, mobility, and …

Dec 22, 2021 · Hortense Mancini, Duchesse de Mazarin, was quite an interesting lady who did everything. She had a husband who knocked out female servants’ front teeth, she ran away from …

The mud-covered, weather-beaten figure was at first mistaken for a postman, but the rider’s beauty and elegance gave her away: it was Hortense Mancini, the legendary Duchess Mazarin, who had fled her …

Dec 12, 2025 · Hortense Mancini arrived in London in December 1675 and caused a diplomatic crisis. Famous across Europe as the heiress of Cardinal Mazarin and as the duchess who had fled her …

One of the most beautiful and flamboyant women in Europe, Hortense walked out on her miserable marriage to the duke of Mazarin. A religious fanatic, the duke had forced her to perform severe …

Biography of Hortense Mancini Duchess of Mazarin 1646-1699 including her birth, marriages, death and life events, life events of her siblings, and her ancestry to five generations, royal ancestors and royal …

Sep 28, 2022 · Hortense Mancini was many things, but perhaps her greatest legacy is her influence on how we drink Champagne. Explore her story.