The Death of the Duke of Burgundy

The French court was desolated in February 1712 by the successive deaths of the Duchess of Burgundy, the Duke of Burgundy—who had but the year before become Dauphin—and their elder son; he would very likely have been followed by his two-year-old brother had not their governess removed him from the care of the royal doctors. The events are described by St. Simon with a refinement of artistry that in no way conceals the shock and grief of the time. Of the ‘Rose of Savoy’ St. Simon wrote: ‘Indeed mourning for her has never ceased, a secret involuntary sadness has remained, a terrible emptiness that can never be filled.’ When, a few days later, the husband succumbed also to a fever which was probably measles in a particularly virulent form, St. Simon knew that this private tragedy had become a public catastrophe. To Burgundy’s personality and ideas the frustrated, pent-up diarist had attached himself with more than common friendship and loyalty. He saw in him the salvation of France and of his class.