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Pauline Von MetternichFamous Viennese and Parisian socialite
Date of Birth: 25.02.1836
Country:  Austria |
Content:
- Biography of Princess Pauline von Metternich
- An Influential Figure in Vienna, Dresden, and Paris
- A Patron of Music and Fashion
- A Life Marked by Historical Crises
- A Symbol of Lost Worlds
Biography of Princess Pauline von Metternich
Princess Pauline Clementine von Metternich was born on February 25, 1836, in Vienna, Austria. She came from a noble Hungarian family, the Slawnitzas, and her father, Moritz Sándor, was known as the "mad rider" for his passion for horses. Her mother, Princess Leontine von Metternich, was the daughter of Austrian Chancellor Klemens Wenzel von Metternich.
An Influential Figure in Vienna, Dresden, and Paris
Princess Pauline spent most of her childhood in her family's home in Vienna. In 1856, she married her uncle, Prince Richard von Metternich, the son of Chancellor Klemens. Despite her husband's numerous love affairs with actresses and opera divas, their marriage was a happy one. They had three daughters together.
As the wife of an Austrian diplomat, Princess Pauline accompanied her husband to the imperial courts in Dresden and Paris. They resided in Paris from 1859 to 1870, where she became a close friend and confidante of Empress Eugénie. Princess Pauline introduced the designer Charles Frederick Worth to Empress Eugénie, which led to his patronage by the empress.
A Patron of Music and Fashion
Princess Pauline was a passionate patron of music and a leader in the fashion community. She introduced the latest social trends to the Parisian elite and taught aristocrats how to ice skate and ladies how to smoke cigarettes. She had a wide circle of acquaintances, including renowned composers such as Richard Wagner, Franz Liszt, Charles Gounod, and Camille Saint-Saëns.
Princess Pauline opened her own salon, where she showcased shortened versions of famous operas, including Wagner's "Der Ring des Nibelungen," in which she herself performed as a singer and director.
A Life Marked by Historical Crises
Throughout her life, Princess Pauline experienced several historical crises and disasters. As a child, she witnessed the revolution of 1848 in Vienna. In 1870, she sided with Empress Eugénie during the Franco-Prussian War. She later assisted the empress in her escape from Paris to the United Kingdom, secretly sending her precious jewels to London with diplomatic baggage.
Tragedy also struck Princess Pauline's family. Her eldest daughter, Sophie, was born in 1857. Her middle daughter, Pascaline, married Count Waldstein, a mentally unstable Czech aristocrat and alcoholic who tragically killed her in Duchcov in 1890. Her youngest daughter, Clementine, born in 1870, was severely disfigured by her own dog in childhood and vowed never to marry.
A Symbol of Lost Worlds
Princess Pauline von Metternich passed away in Vienna on September 28, 1921. Her life spanned the glory and decline of the Austrian and French empires, and she is often regarded as a symbol of these lost worlds. She wrote two memoirs: "Gesehenes, geschehenes, erlebtes" (Seen, Happened, Experienced), dedicated to her grandfather, Chancellor Metternich, and father, Count Moritz Sándor, and "Éclairs du passé" (Flashes of the Past), which recounted her life at the court of Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie. Both memoirs were published posthumously in 1920.
