An Extraordinary Life

If you don't know about Julie d'Aubigny, buckle up. This opera-singing, sword-slinging Frenchwoman left a string of broken hearts and scandals in her wake. Read on to learn about this fascinating figure!

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1. Her Birth Was Mysterious

Full disclosure: a lot of details about Julie's life have been sensationalized in art, and what facts we do have are so sensational that they're sometimes hard to believe. We know the year of her birth—1673—but not the day. Nor is information about her mother readily available.

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2. Her Name Varied

As anyone who's tried to research their family history probably knows, historical spelling can be hard. In her life, Julie was also referred to as Émilie, Julie-Émilie, or Julia. Most contemporary sources called her La Maupin or Mademoiselle Maupin, her professional name (yes, even married performers were called Mademoiselle).

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3. She Grew Up Close To Royalty

While Julie was not a member of the nobility, she grew up in close proximity to them. Her father, Gaston, worked as a secretary to the King's Master of Horse. From the age of 9, Julie grew up in the court of Versailles.

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4. She Had A Thorough Education

Gaston d'Aubigny was quite a forward thinker by modern standards. Using his court resources, he gave his only child the same education that any noble boy would receive. In addition to reading writing, drawing, dancing, and singing, Julie was also trained in athletics.

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5. She Was A Fencing Prodigy

Specifically, Julie trained in fencing. While fencing wasn't unheard of for young ladies, it definitely wasn't common. By age 12 she began fencing competitively and could best her male peers.

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6. She Married Young

Julie was also something of a prodigy in matters of love. At 14, she caught the eye of the much older Count of Armagnac. To cover up the affair, the teenage Julie was quickly married off to another older man, a timid tax collector.

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7. Her Relationships Were Far From Exclusive

Julie's marriage wasn't exactly thrilling, and her fiery personality makes it easy to understand how she would feel stifled by her marriage. Soon after the wedding, Julie took up with an assistant fencing master named Séranne. It would have been a match made in heaven, had Séranne not been on the run from the cops.

8. She Used Her Talents To Earn Money

How were two expert duelists supposed to support themselves on the run? By giving impromptu fencing exhibitions of course! The two put their show on the road at the taverns and fairs of Marseilles.

9. She Wore The Pants In Relationships

Something we didn't mention before is that Julie wore trousers during her fencing training, and kept wearing them outside of duels. It's worth noting that while Julie may have found menswear comfortable and practical, she never attempted to pass as a man. She was just a woman in pants.

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10. She Wouldn't Abide Hecklers

Like all entertainers, Julie and Séranne were subject to heckling. One particularly drunken onlooker insisted that Julie was lying about her sex, because she was too good at fencing to be a woman. In response, she ripped open her blouse to prove she was.

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11. She Sang For Her Supper

In addition to fencing, Julie added singing to her performance roster. While she had some musical education, she was in no way a trained musician. Nonetheless, Julie's incredible voice soon landed her a role in the Marseille Opéra.

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12. She Revolutionized Opera

Julie had an astounding range and could sing just about anything written for women, from high soprano to low contralto. Opera was in its infancy at this time, and most roles for women were soprano. While Julie could hit those notes, her natural range was much lower, so composers wrote lower parts for her, formally introducing the contralto.

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13. Her Sword Swung Both Ways

In addition to her brash personality, swordplay, and cross-dressing, there was one other thing that made Julie's life ripe with scandal: she was bisexual. Throughout her life, Julie had numerous relationships—both flings and long-term relationships—with men and women.

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14. She Went To A Nunnery

When the first woman Julie fell for was sent off to a convent by disapproving parents, Julie saw no other option but to follow her. Taking a break from the stage, Julie went to Avignon as a postulate...with plans of escape. One night, Julie left the body of a recently-deceased nun in her girlfriend's bed, set fire to the convent, and escaped hand-in-hand with her lover.

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15. She Evaded Death

As you can guess, the government wasn't too pleased with this affair and charged Julie in absentia with a whole slew of charges: kidnapping, body snatching, and arson. They also charged her as a man, being unable to believe that one woman could abduct another. The punishment was public burning, but Julie escaped, as she always did.

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16. She Was Loud & Proud

Julie was never quiet about who she loved. At one royal ball (which she attended in men's clothes, of course), she kissed a noblewoman in full view of the court. Outraged, three of the noblewoman's suitors challenged Julie to a duel. She agreed, fought all three at once, and returned to the ball.

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17. She Made Love As Well As War

MIstaken for a man by the count d'Albert, Julie was challenged to a duel, promptly running her sword through her opponent's shoulder. Julie felt bad about this, nursed him back to health, and beame his lover. Though the romance did not last, the two remained lifelong friends.

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18. She Was Pardoned By The King

One thing that we conveniently forgot to mention is that duelling was illegal this whole time! Julie was granted a royal pardon twice: first, for the nunnery incident, then, for the dueling-three-men-at-once thing. Allegedly, the king granted her pardons because he found Julie amusing.

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19. She Returned To A Nunnery

Toward the end of her life, Julie went to another nunnery, this time on purpose. Distraught following the death of her final lover, the Marquise de Florensac, Julie retired to a convent. It seems that, after a whirwind life, she finally sought some quiet.

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20. Her Life Was Short

After two years at the convent, Julie passed away at the age of 33. It seems surprising that such a vibrant and bold young woman would end her life not at swordpoint, but in a life of quiet contemplation. Nonetheless, Julie's memory has never truly gone away.

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