What is “La Maupin, Mistress of the Sword”?
Temporary cover mock-up for the upcoming novel, created using AI tools
“La Maupin, Mistress of the Sword” is the title of both this website and my forthcoming book, a novelization of the life of the notorious swashbuckling La Maupin, Julie d’Aubigné, also known as either Madame or Mademoiselle Maupin.
This website is devoted both to my novel and to the infamous La Maupin herself. Every couple of weeks or so, I post background material and articles about Julie and her world, snippets from the book, behind-the-scenes looks at its creation. Any or all of these could be spoilers for the book, so you’ll find them all via the button at the top of the page. The button will take you to a growing list of links to books and resources about her.
Who is La Maupin? — Julie d’Aubigné
Short form: La Maupin was a bisexual, cross-dressing, sword-wielding opera star who fought duels and was the mistress of some of the most powerful men in France and Europe and the lover of a lady said by some to be the most beautiful woman in France. In her day, she was as famous and infamous as some of the rock stars of today.
La Maupin was born Julie d’Aubigné (or d’Aubigny) in 1673, the daughter of the secretary of the powerful Comte d’Armagnac, Grand Écuyer of France. We know nothing of her mother or any siblings, and it is generally believed that she was the only daughter of a man who took advantage of his position to give her an education very similar to that of the pages whose training was the responsibility of his boss. As a young woman, she became d’Armagnac’s mistress. After a while, she was married to a clerk named Maupin from Saint-Germain-en-Laye.
When her husband was given a job in the provinces, she stayed behind in Paris, frequenting the fencing salons, and getting into trouble, enough trouble that she and a fencing instructor fled south, where she eventually joined the Opéra of Marseille and got into even more trouble. After setting fire to a convent and running off with a young nun, she spent a year or more on the run, at first with her lover the nun, and then on her own.
After further adventures, including being sentenced to death, running a future prince through in a duel and then becoming his lover, studying opera with a drunken former actor, and meeting up with another future opera star, she managed to return to Paris, obtain a pardon and join the Paris Opéra, just in time for her seventeenth birthday. That’s just the first half of her life. Before she died at the age of 34, she traveled to the Netherlands and Spain, joined the Brussels Opéra, became the lover of the future Holy Roman Emperor, fought duels in front of the Palais-Royal and the Louvre, appeared in police reports for assaulting her landlord and his cook, and generally made trouble both good and bad.
The La Maupin Mailing list
Besides this website, we have a La Maupin mailing list to notified people when new material is released here, the book is published. You can also give us feedback. Click on this button: to send us email with a subject line mentioning the “La Maupin mailing list”.