#madame de saint-baslemont

[sartorialadventure]

1-2. Madame de Saint-Baslemont de Neuville by Claude Deruet, 1646 3. Same,  engraved by Balthasar Moncornet, 1630s

Alberte-Barbe d'Ernécourt, Dame de Saint-Baslemont (sometimes spelled Saint-Balmon; 14 May 1607 – 22 May 1660) was a French soldier and writer, a heroine of the Thirty Years' War.

Alberte remained at Neuville-en-Verdunois when her husband was away serving the Duke of Lorraine, but needed to defend her property against French, Swedish and Croatian soldiers who were roaming the countryside. She dressed in men's clothing, assuming the persona of the "chevalier de Saint-Baslemont" (supposedly her brother-in-law), and is said to have participated in hand-to-hand combat, adopting military tactics she had learned from her husband. She also took responsibility for the protection of the shrine of Notre-Dame-de-Benoite-Vaux, with its statue of the Virgin Mary. She created a fighting force from among her tenants, and succeeded in maintaining some order within her family's territory. As a result, her lands attracted many incomers from other areas whose own homes were threatened or destroyed.

[city-of-ladies]

(Equestrian portrait of Madame de Saint-Baslemont, by Claude Deruet, 1646)

Alberte-Barbe d'Ernécourt, Dame de Saint-Baslemont - The amazon of Lorraine

Alberte-Barbe (1607-1660) was the eldest daughter of a distinguished family from Lorraine. This region between France and Germany is now part of France, but was at that time an independent duchy. Intelligent, robust and athletic, Alberte-Barbe was also generous and concerned with the well-being of the people who lived on her family estates.

In 1624, she married Jean-Jacques de Haraucourt, lord of Saint-Baslemont. The pair rode on horseback and hunted together. Of their children, only a daughter survived to adulthood. The couple would soon be parted as the Thirty Years’ War raged in Europe. Jean-Jacques left to join the Duke of Lorraine who was fighting against the French. It appears that Alberte-Barbe had sympathies for the French crown, as she sometimes gave safe passage to French troops. She nonetheless respected and supported her husband’s choice and paid his ransom twice when he was made prisoner. 

Alberte-Barbe busied herself with defending her territories at the head of a small, but well trained militia. She led from the front, sword in hand and was often found fighting hand-to-hand with her enemies. She fought against French and enemy soldiers as well as marauding brigands, preventing them from pillaging her lands. Her first victory took place in 1636 when she defeated a band of 100 French cavalrymen trying to drive off her cattle herd.

She fought for eight years and her biographer states that she was never wounded or defeated. She also reportedly challenged a military officer who caused troubles on her lands to a duel and defeated him. The man thought he was fighting against “the knight of Saint-Baslemont” and was ashamed and astonished when Alberte-Barbe revealed her real identity before leaving. Her military reputation was so impressive that many refugees came to her lands.

Alberte-Barbe was nonetheless merciful and spared those who surrendered, she also offered medical care to the wounded, friends or foes alike. This benevolence could be observed in other aspects of her life, for instance, she established a weekly “soup kitchen” that fed 200 hundred people, often served by Alberte-Barbe in person. She gave dowries to young women and clothing to young men entering the monastery and cared for the sick. 

She was also a very religious woman and attended the mass daily. Alberte-Barbe was also a playwright and wrote a religious tragedy title The twin martyrs and published in 1650. After her husband’s death in 1644, she refused to remarry. She died in 1660.

Bibliography:

D’Orléans Nemours Marie, Mémoires de la duchesse de Nemours

Hacker Barton, Vining Margaret (ed.), A Companion to Women's Military History

Lynn John A., “Saint-Baslemont, Alberte-Barbe D’Ernecourt, Madame de”, in: Higham Robin, Pennington Reina (ed.), Amazons to fighter pilots, biographical dictionary of military women, vol.2

“Portrait équestre de Madame de Saint-Baslemont”

Tribout de Morembert Henri, Hommes illustres de Lorraine

Winn Colette H., Larsen Anne R., Writings by Pre-Revolutionary French Women

[ladyniniane]

“Recently I noticed an angry person on the internet expressing outrage at the very idea of women, any women, being able to use a sword. Frankly, it’s an objection that’s too stupid for words. While one could certainly respond by mentioning, for example, the Trưng sisters, Madame de Saint-Baslemont, and of course the flamboyantly bisexual and dangerous Julie d’Aubigny, let’s do what we do best, here, and talk about some of the excellent books featuring swordswomen.”