Messy And Iconic
Julie d’Aubigny, later and perhaps better known as Mademoiselle Maupin (or simply “La Maupin”), was a French opera singer. But to limit her biography to that would be missing a whole lot. Though we have pieced together most of her story through gossip and rumors, it appears the chaotic socialite lived a wild life of sordid affairs— and now she's even gained a reputation as an early queer icon.
1. She Was French
We know little about the precise circumstances of Julie d’Aubigny’s birth. She was born sometime in 1673 in Paris, France to a family of relatively high stature, yet far from nobility. Her father had some associations with the King of France, though there were several degrees of separation.
2. Her Father Was A Royal Horseman
While we know nothing of Julie’s mother, her father was Gaston d’Aubigny. Gaston worked as a secretary to the comte d’Armagnac, Louis de Lorraine-Guise, who himself was King Louis XIV’s Master of the Horse. But despite Gaston’s low position, higher ups still placed their faith in him.
3. Her Dad Had Responsibility
Gaston was an intelligent man, and because of this, he received a special responsibility at court: that of training the pages. He had a penchant for teaching and was always happy to pass his knowledge on to the next generation. His daughter, of course, benefited greatly from this.
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4. She Got An Education
At the time, France largely reserved education for boys, but because of her father’s position, Julie d'Aubigny took lessons from Gaston alongside the male pages. She became competent in a number of academic subjects. She also received training in another activity usually reserved for boys.
5. She Became A Swordswoman
Alongside her lessons, Julie’s father also honed her skills in the art of fencing. A skilled swordsman himself, Gaston wanted to set his daughter up well to defend herself against the unforgiving world of 17th-century France. She took to it like a fish to water.
6. She Was Great At It
By the age of 12, Julie d'Aubigny was an incredibly skilled fencer, excelling at the sport and often besting her male competition. Not only was it unusual for girls to compete in fencing duels, but the plucky young firebrand quickly became the best fencer in her class. But while her father had passed on his skills, he had endowed his daughter with his vices too.
7. She Became A Mistress
Gaston had a reputation as something of a player, enjoying a hedonistic nightlife of gambling, drinking, and seduction. As she came of age, Julie d'Aubigny took after her father and all his worst impulses. By the age of 14 or 15, the young girl became the mistress of her father’s boss, the Count d’Armagnac. Gaston knew he had to rein his wild child in.
8. She Was Locked Down
In 1687, after some convincing by Gaston, the Count d’Armagnac agreed to arrange a marriage at court for young Julie. He betrothed her to the Sieur de Maupin of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, and the parties directing the union wasted no time sealing the deal. Julie had gained a new husband and, with him, a new title.
9. She Got Her Moniker
Having married the Sieur de Maupin, Julie d'Aubigny now adopted the title of Madame de Maupin (or, per French custom, simply “La Maupin”). The name would come to define her much more than the marriage: Julie is much better known to history, now, as Mademoiselle Maupin—and there’s a scandalous reason the prefix of her moniker eventually changed.
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10. Her Husband Moved Up
Even after her marriage, Julie’s affair with the Count d’Armagnac continued, and the clandestine couple felt stifled by the young girl’s new marital status. Sieur Maupin was an underling to the Count, and his boss decided to assign Julie’s husband to a new administrative position in the south of France. Madame de Maupin now found herself unshackled by the confines of marriage.
11. She Was Left Behind
Perhaps at the Count’s persuading, Julie’s husband decided to leave her behind in Paris, and the Count and Madame were now free to pursue their affair. It did not last long, however; accounts differ as to the reason for the dissolution of their relationship. Maybe Julie grew bored with d’Armagnac, but it is not unlikely that it was the Count who grew weary of his lover’s wild streak.
12. She Gained A Reputation
Julie d'Aubigny was her father’s daughter in every way, and she gained a notorious reputation for her wild ways. She was a hedonist through and through, unashamed of her unbridled sensuality and debaucherous habits, qualities that were greatly discouraged in women of the era. But Julie would not take any slights against her lying down.
13. She Was Scrappy
All the while, Julie kept up her long-held passion: that of fencing. She would often challenge young aristocrats to very public duels, besting many of them. She did not limit her fighting to the fencing saber either—the unpredictable young woman had a reputation for hitting shopkeepers over price disputes. Few could tame her wild spirit, but one man tried to match her energy.
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14. She Found A Man
Still around 1687, shortly after her affair with d’Armagnac ended, Julie encountered an assistant fencing master named Séranne. She had met her match: Séranne, too, had a reputation for a bombastic personality, confidence, and a tendency to challenge others to showy public duels. The two quickly began a steamy affair, and they made for a dramatic pairing.
15. She Went On The Run
In a move worthy of Julie d'Aubigny herself, Séranne found himself in hot water after the authorities issued a warrant for his arrest following his slaying of an opponent in an illegal duel. Feeling the heat closing in, the couple promptly fled the city of Paris, now fugitives from the law. Considering their pursuers, they needed to hide, and quick.
16. She Went Into Hiding
Nicolas-Gabriel de La Reynie, who was the Lieutenant-General of the Paris Police and the founder of the world’s first modern police force, personally pursued Julie and her lover. With all the resources of the law bearing down on them, the couple fled to the countryside, doing their best to evade the authorities at every turn. But they still needed to earn a living.
17. She Became A Showman
Now travelling through the countryside, Julie and Séranne decided to monetize their skills. They began moving from town to town, putting on fencing exhibitions. The shows attracted large crowds, given the level of skill the couple displayed. But they did not limit their talents to swordsmanship.
18. She Discovered A New Talent
Séranne, and Julie even more so, were both surprisingly good singers, and they decided to add these talents to their increasingly flamboyant live show. They even supplemented their income from exhibitions by singing at local fairs and taverns as they travelled. And while their talents drew the crowds there, it was the sight of the couple that kept audiences hooked.
19. She Had A Look
Since her earliest fencing days, Julie d'Aubigny had enjoyed dressing in men’s clothing, giving her a signature androgynous look. This oddity of the time served to greatly increase interest in the couple’s live shows. Notably, Julie did not attempt to conceal her gender through her clothing; she very much embraced a unique gender identity all her own, a trailblazing act for the time. Soon she would find her way to another signature identity.
20. She Found Her Calling
Julie’s passion for—and the reception to—her singing only increased as time went on, and when the couple finally arrived in Marseille, she felt ready to commit. She had had no formal musical training, but her natural talents were evident, and they accepted her into the Opéra de Marseille under her maiden name of d'Aubigny. She was now free to express herself artistically—and personally.
21. She Came Out
Julie d'Aubigny was coming into her own and discovering her true self, and that meant it was time to unshackle from her old life. After growing bored with Séranne, she dumped him and soon got involved with a new lover, one with a notable difference: her new squeeze was a woman. Queerness was, of course, deeply taboo at the time, and when Julie’s lover’s parents learned of their daughter’s new relationship, it scandalized them.
22. She Pursued Her Lover
After finding out that their daughter was involved with another woman, Julie’s unnamed lover was forcibly shipped off by her family, to a convent in Avignon. They had no idea who they were dealing with, however: if Julie went on the run from the law for a former lover, a convent hardly seemed an insurmountable obstacle. The young singer promptly followed her lover to the nunnery.
23. She Went Undercover
Upon arriving in Avignon, Julie d'Aubigny enlisted as a novice nun in the convent. She had no intention, of course, of converting to a life of modest piousness; she was there to rescue her lady. The unstoppable singer-swordswoman hatched a daring plan and set it in motion at the first opportunity.
24. She Robbed A Grave
Shortly after Julie’s arrival at the convent, an elderly nun passed away, and the singer saw her chance. With the body stored ahead of burial, Julie robbed the corpse and, with it, snuck into her lover’s room.
There, the couple placed the nun’s body in the bed and promptly set the room ablaze. Hoping the sisters would misidentify the charred corpse as their newest nun, the pair absconded in the night. It was a wildly elaborate hoax, but it proved not worth the trouble.
25. Her Lover Left
Julie’s affair with the young lady for whom she sacrificed so much lasted only three months. The woman apparently got cold feet and, longing for a life of normalcy (and, to be fair to her, Julie was probably difficult to keep up with), returned to her family in Marseille. Scorned and heartbroken, Julie’s troubles had only just begun.
26. She Got In Trouble
Julie’s plan was not exactly subtle, and the sisters of the convent quickly noticed her absence the day after her daring escape. They reported her crimes to authorities, and they charged the singer in absentia—as a male, oddly enough, in perhaps a systemic denial of the queer nature of the relationship—with arson, body snatching, kidnapping, and failure to appear before the tribunal. Authorities sentenced Julie to burning at the stake. But luckily for her, she was nowhere to be found.
27. She Pursued Her Passion
Julie returned to the last place the authorities would think of looking for her: her hometown of Paris. There, she took up singing once again and began to earn a steady living with her beautiful voice. She took lessons to give her vocals a more professional sheen and continued to draw audiences with her typically male clothing choices. She continued her rabid ways too, of course.
28. She Honed Another Craft
All the while, Julie d'Aubigny never let her oldest talent wane: she was still an enthusiastic and prolific dueler and was perhaps only getting better with age. No time was this illustrated more than when she fought three male squires at once in Villeperdue and emerged victorious. For one squire in particular, it was a grisly fight: Julie had gotten the upper hand and drove her blade through his shoulder. She did not gloat this victory, however.
29. She Showed Remorse
Julie d'Aubigny was quite concerned about the squire she had injured, and the next day, after enquiring about his health, visited him in his recovery bed. There, she learned he was Louis-Joseph d’Albert Luynes, the son of the Duke of Luynes. Apologizing for her actions, the young count did more than forgive her.
30. She Went From Foe To Friend
Julie and the Comte d’Albert found they had a lot in common and quickly grew fond of one another. She helped nurse him back to health and, before long, the two became lovers. The affair would only be a brief one, but they remained lifelong friends. Julie now had two Counts as lovers to her name, and it would prove advantageous.
31. She Used Her Contacts
Forever on the move, Julie d'Aubigny eventually left Villeperdue and made her way once again back to Paris. But the law was still hot on her trail following her dramatic escape from the convent, and she tired of being a fugitive.
Dusting off her old contact book, Julie got in touch with her first lover, the Count d’Armagnac, and enlisted his help. The Count had a lot of sway with the King and, amazingly, convinced the monarch to drop the charges against his former mistress. The way was now paved for Julie to make a better name for herself.
32. She Eyed The Big Leagues
Around this time, Julie d'Aubigny had sought more singing lessons from a man named Maréchal, who was an established musician and actor, now middle-aged and passing on his knowledge and experience to the next generation. Maréchal was immensely impressed with Julie’s talent and convinced her that she was ready for primetime: he encouraged the young diva to apply for the Paris Opera.
33. She Fell Short
Julie plucked up her courage and underwent the nerve-wracking process of auditioning for the Paris Opera. Unfortunately, it was not yet meant to be. The powers that be in the Opera initially rejected her application. But anyone who knew her by now knew that Julie would not stop that easily.
34. She Launched A Charm Offensive
Julie decided to wield her next best tool after her voice: her ability to schmooze. She sought out an elderly singer named Bouvard, whom she knew held sway with the higher ups in the Paris Opera and charmed him into advocating for her. Bouvard convinced the master of the King’s household to accept the young upstart into the company. Julie’s dreams had come true.
35. She Made It
Julie made her debut for the Paris Opera in 1690. Her first role was that of Pallas Athena in a production of Jean-Baptiste Lully’s Cadmus et Hermione. For the next four years, Julie would perform regularly in major productions by the company, initially as a soprano but later as a contralto, which better suited her range. Audiences went wild.
36. She Received Acclaim
Julie’s powerful voice and performances blew away critics and audiences alike, and crowds came in their droves to watch the controversial star on stage. The Marquis de Dangeau summed up the feelings of most when, after seeing her perform, he wrote that Julie had “the most beautiful voice in the world”. It was unclear how many fans were aware of her dramatic past.
37. She Adopted A Stage Name
In case you forgot (and it certainly seemed she did for most of her life), Julie was still a married woman, and she opted to take advantage of the stature of her name. Though it is unclear whether she ever saw her husband again, she performed under the name Mademoiselle de Maupin. This may have gained her certain career opportunities.
38. She Made A Good Muse
Julie gained a laundry list of notable roles, including being among the first to perform new operas by big names like Collasse, Destouches, and Campra. Indeed, so inspired was Campra by her voice that in 1702, he composed a role in his production Tancrède specifically for Julie and her vocal range. But while her professional life soared, her personal life remained as wild as ever.
39. She Was A Diva
While Julie was popular among audiences and critics, her troupe mates in the opera did not share their enthusiasm. The young star had a very tumultuous relationship with her fellow performers, often getting into fights with them and—of course—challenging them to duels. Indeed, it was this behavior that would define Julie’s legacy more than her singing.
40. She Got Talked About
Throughout her life, and long after, Julie’s bombastic and flamboyant lifestyle made her the subject of much gossip, many rumors, and countless colorful stories. Indeed, it is difficult to know what is true and what is exaggerated about her life since most of our information comes from these accounts and stories. By the time she reached her 30s, it appeared Julie’s dramatics were catching up to her.
41. They Were Lovers In A Dangerous Time
Julie's tempestuous love life struck again in 1703 when she fell head over heels in love with “the most beautiful woman in France". This woman was the Marquise de Florensac, and she attracted plenty of attention thanks to her good looks. In fact, the Grand Dauphin himself had his eye on Florensac, meaning that Julie was literally competing with royalty for Florensac’s affections.
Julie came out on top: the Marquise returned her affections, and no tragic dramatics were required.
42. Their Happiness Was Fleeting
Despite Julie successfully wooing the Marquise de Florensac, both women had to flee France to escape the wrath of the Grand Dauphin. According to one account, the lovers settled in Belgium and had two happy years together. Sadly, the Marquise reportedly passed in 1705.
Losing her companion devastated Julie, and she never recovered. She retired from the opera and took refuge in the last place you’d expect her to go, particularly given her past run-ins with them: a convent. She lived out her days there, though they proved to be limited.
43. She Perished Young
Some believe that Julie retired to the convent as penance for her sinful life, though this is likely just an overly conservative interpretation of her actions written by men. In truth, we know little about her reasoning and, regardless, the singer didn’t last much longer.
After only two years with the nuns, Julie perished of unknown causes. She was 33 years old. Her life was cut devastatingly short, but her legend would far outlive the spirited woman that inspired it.
44. She Served As Inspiration
The story of an angelically voiced, swashbuckling, promiscuous opera singer was too juicy a tale to resist, and so, inevitably, Julie’s life has inspired countless fictional and semi-fictional retellings ever since her passing. From plays and novels to poems and songs, the young swordswoman’s legend has been thoroughly cemented. But one accounting, in particular, stands above the rest.
45. She Inspired A Novel
While her life served as a loose inspiration, Julie’s name directly inspired the title of Théophile Gautier’s 1835 novel, Mademoiselle de Maupin. The story caused waves at the time of its release and comprises stories both directly from and inspired by the escapades of our heroine. Unlike some men’s contemptible accounts, however, Gautier seems truly amazed by Julie’s life.
46. She Was A Respected Subject
Though he changed details of her life, including setting his novel in the 19th century, Gautier clearly admired Julie and had great affection for the dramatic way in which she lived. The author viewed his central character’s life romantically, with touching descriptions of the deep love Julie felt for her companions.
Unapologetic in his unvarnished account, Gautier famously argued in the novel’s preface that he was making “art for art’s sake”, and not to shock or offend. The content of the book was, for the time, noteworthy.
47. Her Fashion Got Immortalized
In Gautier’s book, the titular character employs multiple disguises, just as Julie did. Over the course of the narrative, Madeleine de Maupin meets one Count d’Albert and his mistress. In a dramatic turn, she ends up seducing both separately; neither character knows her true identity, however.
48. Her Habits Made A Good Story
As the story progresses, the Count and his mistress both fall in love with the androgynous Théodore de Sérannes. Unbeknownst to either character, however, their new infatuation is, in fact, Madeleine de Maupin in disguise. This narrative conflict didn’t just make for a great story; it was also a trailblazing moment in literature.
49. She Paved The Way
This characterization of Julie was completely radical for 19th-century literature. Never before in the history of the popular written word had such a vivid account been published of sensual, gender-agnostic love. There were unabashed themes of same-gender romance, gender fluidity, and queer joy, a truly revolutionary turn in storytelling. The reaction was, of course, as you’d expect.
50. Her Story Got Banned
Naturally, because of the incredibly progressive content of the story, Gautier’s novel saw bans in several markets, most notably by the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice, a self-appointed morality police organization, who even encouraged the arrest of a bookstore owner that sold the book. Julie’s story has stood the test of time, however, and with our modern sensibilities, it has immortalized her legacy.
51. She’s An Icon
Julie d’Aubigny was a sword-swinging, fast-talking, convent-burning badass who had relationships with men and women and flouted gender conventions at every opportunity—and who never accepted that she should live any other way. All this has meant that over the years, she has become an icon of the LGBTQ movement and community. And have no doubts: Julie would have been right there at Stonewall if she had been around.
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