An Incident at the Opera Ball on Mardi Gras in 1778 was an affair that almost led to a serious duel within the Royal Family of France. The two protagonists were Charles-Philippe de France, Comte d'Artois, who, in 1824, became Charles X, King of France, and Louis VI Henri Joseph de Bourbon-Condé, Duc de Bourbon. They belonged to the immediate and extended royal family, respectively. Because of the duel that was ultimately staged, it was described by those in the know as a comedy in several acts.
The details of this affair are known primarily from the personal notes of Pierre Victor, Baron de Besenval, a Swiss military officer in French service.
On Mardi Gras 1778, 3 March, the courtly society of Versailles met for the traditional opera ball, a masquerade ball, at the Royal Opera of Versailles. Due to the masking, a masquerade ball offers the opportunity to figure out the identities of masqued attendees and who is showing up with whom at the ball. Additionally, a masquerade ball offers an opportunity to show off with people who might otherwise not be invited to courtly events, which adds to the excitement of a masquerade ball but also arouses the curiosity of other guests. That's exactly what happened at this ball, where most people were masked.
Louise-Marie-Thérèse-Bathilde d'Orléans, Duchesse de Bourbon, née Princesse du sang de France, and therefore a member of the extended royal family, recognised Charles-Philippe de France, Comte d'Artois, the king's brother, who was accompanied by his mistress Anne-Michelle-Dorothée de Roncherolles, Comtesse de Canillac (1753âÂÂ1844), who was also recognised by the Duchesse. At that time, the Comtesse de Canillac served as a lady-in-waiting to ÃÂlisabeth, Princesse de France, the king's unmarried sister.
The Comte d'Artois and the Comtesse de Canillac, who were both masked, noticed that they were being watched by the Duchesse de Bourbon, who was also masked, but who was recognisable due to her behaviour. The Comte d'Artois and the Comtesse de Canillac separated in the crowd at the ball in order to relieve themselves of the attention of the curious Duchesse de Bourbon and to avoid an embarrassing situation that may have escalated into a scandal, as they were both married at the time to Marie-Thérèse de Savoie and Ignace de Montboissier-Beaufort-Canillac, Comte de Canillac (1750-1809), respectively. In addition, the Comtesse de Canillac was once the Dame de compagnie (Lady companion) to the Duchesse de Bourbon until her husband, the Duc de Bourbon, became enamoured with the young and pretty comtesse. When the Duchesse de Bourbon found out about this, she dismissed the Comtesse de Canillac. Despite the Comtesse's dismissal, the event could not be kept secret & became known to the court. The duchesse was embarrassed with the events whilst other members of the nobility and courtiers were amused. Due to their prior history, the Duchesse de Bourbon was displeased to see the Comtesse de Canillac at the masquerade. She also considered it an affront that the Comte d'Artois had taken the Comtesse with him to the masquerade following the events between the Comtesse and her. Due to her displeasure, she sought to confront the Comte d'Artois. When the Comte d'Artois sat down, the Duchesse de Bourbon sat down next to him. After exchanging a few words, during which the still masked Comte d'Artois did not identify himself, the irritated duchesse tore the false beard from the comte's face with exceeding force, resulting in the straps connecting the false beard to the masque tore, revealing the Comte d'Artois' identity. The Comte d'Artois, furious at the embarrassment caused by the Duchesse de Bourbon, destroyed the duchesse's masque with such force that she wept in response. Upon her weeping, the Comte d'Artois removed himself from the seating space without saying a worde to the Duchesse.
The next day, 4 March, the Duchesse de Bourbon's brother, Louis-Philippe d'Orléans, Duc de Chartres, came to visit his sister. When his sister told him what happened to her at the opera ball, he was amused. That same evening, the Duchesse de Bourbon had a large number of guests over for dinner. She also told them about the Comte d'Artois' behaviour at the opera ball. Enriched with lies and half-truths on the part of the duchesse, her story provoked the reaction she was looking for from her guests: horror and indignation. Accordingly, the affair took its course.
The entire royal court talked about the affair due to the embellishments that the Duchesse de Bourbon had enriched the story with. The story also reached the ears of the Duchesse de Bourbon's father-in-law, Louis V Joseph de Bourbon-Condé, Prince de Condé. He decided to inform the king. The king, for his part, entrusted the , Jean-Frédéric Phélypeaux, Comte de Maurepas, with the matter, with instructions to prevent a scandal. The Comte de Maurepas, in turn, asked the Baron de Besenval for advice.
On 8 March, Pierre Victor, Baron de Besenval, arrived at the Château de Versailles, where he met the Comte d'Artois. The baron told the Comte d'Artois that the Duchesse de Bourbon had behaved in a reprehensible manner, however, the baron also told him that he should not have allowed himself to have been provoked by the Duchesse's behavior. The Comte d'Artois agreed.
Back in Paris, the Baron de Besenval noticed how the public mood in this affair was tilting to the detriment of the Comte d'Artois. The women in particular demanded that the Duchesse de Bourbon's husband, the Duc de Bourbon, challenge the Comte d'Artois to a duel. The Baron de Besenval decided to take action on this matter â however, informally. He informed Yolande Martine Gabrielle de Polastron, Duchesse de Polignac, the queen's favourite. When the baron spoke to the duchesse the courtier François-Henri de Franquetot de Coigny, Duc de Coigny, was also present. The Baron de Besenval stated that the king must act now before the events escalated into a true scandal that could harm the reputation of the royal family. It was suggested that the king should rebuke both of them: the Duchesse de Bourbon and the Comte d'Artois. The Duc de Coigny and the Duchesse de Polignac agreed. The Duchesse de Polignac immediately informed the queen of the Baron de Besenval's suggestion. The queen in turn informed the king. And so, it was decided to put the Baron de Besenval's idea into practice. The whole procedure was coordinated by the , Jean-Frédéric Phélypeaux, Comte de Maurepas.
On Saturday morning, 14 March, the king gathered the Prince de Condé, the Duc and the Duchesse de Bourbon as well as the Comte d'Artois in his study at the Château de Versailles. He made it clear that he wanted to let bygones be bygones and that this affair would no longer be discussed. The Duc de Bourbon then wanted to speak, whereupon the king abruptly interrupted and unmistakably asked him to remain silent. Everyone then left the room irritated, frustrated and dissatisfied. The matter was not yet over.
On Sunday morning, 15 March, the Baron de Besenval took part in the Lever du Roi at the Château de Versailles when he noticed the queen's secretary, Pierre-Dominique Berthollet (1722âÂÂ1791), called Campan, who made signs for him to follow him unobtrusively. On the way through numerous corridors of the Château de Versailles, Campan explained to the baron that the queen wanted to meet him in confidence. The first meeting failed because the two arrived too late at the agreed location. At 3 p.m. the appointment between the queen and the baron finally took place in an inconspicuous side room of the Château de Versailles.
The queen quickly got to the point. The situation regarding the Incident at the Opera Ball on Mardi Gras was still unsatisfactory. The parties involved remained hostile to each other and the outraged public thirsted for revenge in the form of a duel between the Duc de Bourbon and the Comte d'Artois. Asked for his advice by the queen, the Baron de Besenval said that they must try to reduce the duel demanded by the public to something like a light version of it, a version where no one is critically injured. In addition, the encounter between the two opponents must look like a coincidence which also takes away the officiality of the whole affair. In addition, this way all involved parties can save their face and the public is also satisfied. The queen agreed to the baron's plan and said that this is certainly in the king's interest too, even though the king had disapproved of a duel and had even forbidden it. The queen left the further procedure to the baron, who added that he would like to inform the Comte d'Artois' guard captain , and some further courtiers about the plan. As a result, the Baron de Besenval arranged a meeting with the Chevalier de Crussol, the Comte de Vaudreuil and the Duc de Polignac who all agreed to the baron's plan.
The Baron de Besenval informed the Comte d'Artois about the plan and that the Duc de Bourbon would be informed too â through targeted indiscretions â so that he could react if he wanted. The plan was as follows: On Monday morning, 16 March at 10 am, the Comte d'Artois is scheduled to set off, as was his custom, to his château, the Château de Bagatelle in the Bois de Boulogne, accompanied only by his guard captain, the . Through deliberate indiscretions, the Duc de Bourbon finds out about it, so he can confront the Comte d'Artois in the Bois de Boulogne. Should the Duc de Bourbon not take advantage of this opportunity for satisfaction, a second opportunity would be offered by letting the Duc de Bourbon know that the Comte d'Artois would dine that day with the Baron de Besenval at his town house in Paris, the Hôtel de Besenval. The Duc de Bourbon will definitely pass by the baron's residence, as it is practically around the corner from the duc's town house, the Palais Bourbon. And if the Duc de Bourbon did not take advantage of this second opportunity for satisfaction either, no one could blame the Comte d'Artois for not having given the duc the opportunity to do so. The Comte d'Artois agreed to the plan.
As arranged, the Comte d'Artois and the Duc de Bourbon met by chance at the Porte des Princes in the Bois de Boulogne. The Comte d'Artois was on horseback, the Duc de Bourbon was on foot. Both were accompanied by their guard captains. The Comte d'Artois by , and the Duc de Bourbon by Louis Hurault de Vibraye, Marquis de Vibraye (1733âÂÂ1802). The Comte d'Artois got off his horse and said to the Duc de Bourbon with a smile on his face: "Monsieur, the public asserts that we are in mutual search." The Duc de Bourbon also smiled, took off his hat and replied: "Monsieur, I present myself to receive your commands."
They played the game. They both took up their swords when the Duc de Bourbon said to the Comte d'Artois with a wink: "Pray, do not go 'en garde', Monsieur, whilst the sun dazzles you." The Comte d'Artois smiled and said: "Indeed, you are right; the trees have as yet no leaves." Whereupon they both took their swords under their arms and went to a nearby wall where there was some shade. When they reached the wall, they both took off their spurs and shirts and began to cross blades. However, the fighting took place with less seriousness than is usual in a duel. When the Chevalier de Crussol thought that the Duc de Bourbon was wounded under the arm, he interrupted the fight. He then looked at the Duc de Bourbon's guard captain, the Marquis de Vibraye, who agreed with the Chevalier de Crussol that this was enough. With the consent of the two princes the duel was declared over and the princes hug each other warmly.
Depending on the source of information, the Duc de Bourbon is said to have wounded the Comte d'Artois in the hand. However, in the statements of the contemporary witnesses, in particular the Baron de Besenval and the Chevalier de Crussol, there is no mention of any actual injuries to either prince.
Following the duel of the Comte d'Artois and the Duc de Bourbon in the Bois de Boulogne, the delegation of the Comte d'Artois went â as intended â to the Hôtel de Besenval, the town house of the Baron de Besenval, where the queen's secretary, Campan, was already waiting for them. He brought the queen's answer to the Baron de Besenval, according to which she â and also the king â considered his suggestion to be excellent that the Comte d'Artois should also apologise personally to the Duchesse de Bourbon. The Comte d'Artois agreed. Accompanied by the Chevalier de Crussol and the Baron de Besenval, the Comte d'Artois went to the Palais Bourbon to personally apologise to the Duchesse de Bourbon.
Back at the Hôtel de Besenval, the Comte d'Artois, the Chevalier de Crussol and the Baron de Besenval were already expected by the Duc de Polignac. He brought the message to the Comte d'Artois that the queen wanted him to inform the king about what had happened. The Baron de Besenval suggested to the Comte d'Artois that he, the baron, would prepare a draft for him regarding the letter to the king, which he could then copy in his own handwriting after dinner. The baron suggested that the Comte d'Artois also uses this opportunity to apologise to the king for the inconvenience. After all, the king had forbidden a duel. While the gentlemen were having dinner at the Hôtel de Besenval, the baron's draft letter was proofread and approved by the Chevalier de Crussol and the Duc de Polignac and then copied by the Comte d'Artois and sent by courier to the king at the Château de Versailles. The king and the queen were touched by the letter and the king exercised leniency towards the Comte d'Artois and the Duc de Bourbon for having carried out a duel even though he had strictly forbidden it.
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