It was a comet. An improbable and scarlet flash of light, emerging from nothingness, which illuminated the dark hours of the Revolution before plunging back into the oblivion of History. Born in 1762 in the Principality of Liège (1), Anne-Josèphe Théroigne, from a wealthy peasant family, would no doubt have led a quiet and peaceful existence in the Ardennes if fate had not caused her to lose her mother in the age of five.
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Then begins a childhood and a wandering in Cosette: entrusted to an abusive aunt, she goes through the convent, before becoming a cowherd then a servant. Luckily, in 1778, an English lady, Madame Colbert, spotted her and made her her maid. She teaches him to read, write, count, sing and play the piano. Pretty face, mischievous face, fine features, perfect manners: Anne-Josèphe has undeniable advantages. She launches out into the world hoping to become a singer, divides her time between Paris and London.
Gallantry and socialites
In truth, the young woman will live longer
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