Incredible love stories. Admiral Nelson and Lady Hamilton. Biographies, stories, facts, photos Admiral Nelson and Lady Hamilton biography

Booker Igor 14.02.2019 at 14:00

Lady Hamilton is the mistress of Admiral Nelson and the muse of the portrait painter George Romney. She passed from hand to hand: Greville, Hamilton, Nelson ... When Lord Nelson died, Emma Hamilton also disappeared, although she outlived her famous lover by ten years. Novels were written about this scandalous person and films were made, and an operetta was staged a hundred years after her death.

Amy Lyon was the daughter of Chester blacksmith Henry Lyon and maid Mary Lyon, née Kidd. The girl, born at the end of April, was baptized on May 12, 1765, and a month later her father died. The widow with the child left for her native village, where she settled with her mother Sarah Kidd. From the age of six, Amy delivered coal on a donkey, and at twelve she became a nanny in the house of the village doctor, surgeon Honoratus Lee Thomas (Honoratus Leigh Thomas). After a year, Amy moved to London.

So conflicting information has been preserved about her life in the capital that it is very difficult to figure out where the lie is and where the truth is. Perhaps Amy got a job as a saleswoman in a jewelry store, one of whose clients was a lady of dubious reputation. She drew attention to Amy's pretty face and invited her to become her companion. Regarding the loss of Amy's innocence, they say that she decided to help her relative, who was taken to the sailors against his will, and turned to his boss.

Londoners then were crazy about the charlatan James Graham (James Graham), who was trained in the art of magnetism in Paris by Mesmer himself. The Scottish medicine man gave fascinating lectures on eternal youth, sold talismans and medicines. Close to the Thames embankment Royal Terrace and theater "Adelphi" (Adelphi) Graham founded Temple of Health- "Temple of Health", issued by him as medical institution. In this essentially brothel, wealthy but infertile couples went to the "heavenly bed" for a modest fee to restore their fertility and conception. Emma posed for him either under the guise of Hebe or Juventa, the goddess of youth, or portrayed the heroines of antiquity from Medea to Cleopatra. Her naked charms were designed to awaken in men faded desires, and her art of draping in ancient Greek clothes introduced the fashion for antique bedspreads.

The beauty of Emma's body was appreciated by the English artists Sir Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough and the great German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Forever she won the heart of the portrait painter George Romney (George Romney), becoming a model in his studio. Inspired by this recognition, Amy decided to become an actress. However, the playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan, after listening to her recitation, said that she was not fit for the stage. It must have been so bad that the Irishman Sheridan rejected the English girl who grew up in Wales.

In 1781, she met the wealthy, young dandy Sir Harry Fetherstonhaugh, who invited her to stay at his father's magnificent villa in Sussex. Emma stayed there for six months. Since Harry's mother was often there, the high-society dude settled his mistress in a cottage remote for several miles. Amy throws money at outfits and pleasures, becomes a dashing rider, and occasionally dances naked on a table. Metressa got sick of her lover, and when in December 1781 he found out that Emma was expecting a baby, he hurried to part with her. She returned not to London, but to her native village of Harden (Hawarden). There, Emma gave life to little Amy. She sends letters to her London acquaintances asking for help. They are written with numerous spelling errors and indicate that the beauty Amy was almost illiterate.

Professor Higgins in relation to Emma Galatea was Sir Charles Greville. A fine connoisseur of art with great taste arranged a country house, where his passion lived quietly and alone. Emma studied spelling, music, singing and read a lot. Almost her only entertainment was to visit Romney's workshop twice a week. The portrait painter managed to complete 24 portraits of Emma and created countless sketches. Emma called the artist "father".

Greville decided to improve his affairs by marrying a wealthy heiress and was thinking about how to arrange the fate of an already bored mistress, as his uncle, the English envoy in Naples, Lord William Douglas Hamilton, returned to London. Bonvivant, sportsman, cheerful and intelligent interlocutor, dancer, singer, violinist and archaeologist, diplomat Hamilton was fascinated by Emma's beauty and charm. On her birthday - she turned 21 - on April 26, 1786, Emma and her mother arrived in Naples. Lord Hamilton settled the two women, as if they were ladies of high society, in the Palazzo Sessa, the magnificent residence of the British ambassador.

“You cannot imagine,” wrote Amy Greville, “how kind Sir William is to me. He does his best to make me happy. than my shadow. Indeed, I am angry that I cannot make him happy. I can only be polite and amiable. And indeed, I am as nice to him as I can. But I am also yours, Greville. You alone can I belong and no one will take your place in my heart." In response, Charles advises her to quickly become the mistress of his 55-year-old uncle. Outraged by such cynicism of a loved one, Amy wrote to him: "If you take me to the extreme, I will marry him to myself."

Emma carried out her threat on September 6, 1791, when she married Lord Hamilton in London. On the eve of her wedding, she came to say goodbye to her "daddy" Romney, and a day after the marriage, the Hamiltons left for Italy. On the way, they stopped in Paris, where Empress Marie Antoinette, already under vigilant supervision, secretly handed Amy a letter to her sister, the Neapolitan Queen Maria Karolina. Such an assignment opened the doors of the Naples Palace for Emma. In a short time, Amy and Maria Carolina became friends.

On September 22, 1798, the whole of Naples solemnly welcomed the winner at Aboukir, Admiral Horatio Nelson. Amy met Nelson three months before the naval commander's triumph. On September 29, on the occasion of Nelson's birthday, Emma arranged a grand celebration. In a letter to his wife, the admiral wrote that 80 people were invited to the dinner party and at least 1740 guests were present at the ball. At the same time, an incident occurred. Nelson's eighteen-year-old stepson publicly reproached his adoptive father for cheating on his wife with Lady Hamilton. The last campaign somewhat upset Horatio's health, and he gladly accepted Lady Hamilton's invitation to rest in Castel Mare.

When the affairs of the service forced Nelson to leave Naples, in his absence he transferred power to Emma Hamilton. Once she received a deputation from the island of Malta and granted their requests. At the request of Nelson, Grand Master of the Order of Malta, Russian emperor Paul I sent her a Maltese cross in December 1799. But soon Lord Hamilton was recalled from his post as envoy to London. Nelson followed his beloved. Maria Caroline accompanied them to Vienna. In the capital of Great Britain, Emma Hamilton was greeted with hostility.

On January 31, 1801, Lady Hamilton gave birth to Nelson's daughter, Horatia. In the autumn of the same year, Nelson bought Merton Place, a small decrepit house on the outskirts of what is now Wimbledon. There he lived openly with Emma, ​​Sir William and Emma's mother, this menage a trois,"marriage for three" did not leave the public indifferent. Newspapers covered her every move, what outfits she wore, how her house was decorated, and even the dinner party menu. However, the former beauty left her - Emma became stout. Nelson did not like active public life that his beloved longed for. Emma turned down an offer from the Royal Opera of Madrid to sing for money on her stage. Lady Hamilton and Nelson tried to start a new, quiet life.

In April 1803, Lord Hamilton died in the arms of Emma and Nelson. The lord's fortune passed to his only heir, Sir Greville, and his wife got only things and a lump sum. Two weeks after the funeral, Greville asked Emma to find another place for herself. Outraged by his behavior, Nelson gives Emma Merton Place and gives her a monthly annuity. In early 1804, she gave birth to Nelson's second child. The girl died shortly after birth. Out of desperation, Emma began to gamble. If Horatio gets a divorce, then she could marry him.

Before the famous Battle of Trafalgar, which turned out to be the last for the admiral, Nelson added one more clause to his will: "The only favor that I ask from my Sovereign and from my homeland is concern for the fate of Lady Hamilton and little Horace." The government ignored the request folk hero. A generous hand was awarded to Nelson's widow and relatives, and his beloved woman and daughter were on the verge of poverty. Emma spent almost a year in a debtor's prison. In 1811, her mother died, who was always with her and earned the respect of all Emma's acquaintances. Fleeing from creditors, Lady Hamilton and her daughter Horace fled to France. In January 1815, Emma fell ill with bronchitis, which turned into pneumonia. Above the bed of the dying woman hung two portraits - of her mother and of Nelson. Weeping at her deathbed, Horace never publicly admits that she was the daughter of Emma Hamilton.

In London, Emma quickly loses her job as a nanny and remains on the street, left to herself in search of a piece of bread. Chasing a job, she changes many occupations, but each time unsuccessfully, and more and more despair seizes her. Finally, she gets a job as a saleswoman in a jewelry store. Among the customers of this store was a certain Arabella Kelly, a lady of dubious reputation. Arabella took notice of the pretty Emma, ​​and the latter soon became her companion. Here she meets her countryman, a sailor from Howarden. He gets into a bad story, and she turns to his boss, who can help him out. He agrees, but at the cost of her innocence. After some hesitation, Emma agrees. It was her first connection.

Soon she felt pregnant. Long before the birth of the child, her lover left her. In her last despair, Emma turns to her mother. She comes and takes away from Emma her daughter, named after her mother, also Emma.

No matter how sad this event was, but thanks to him, Emma realized that she was beautiful.

Soon after her illness, she takes part in the sessions of Dr. Graham.

Dr. Graham was a charlatan magnetizer, then in great fashion in London. He was very educated and studied magnetism in Paris with Mesmer. Returning to London, he gave fascinating lectures on eternal youth, sold talismans and medicines. Emma posed for him under the guise of Hebe-Vestina, the goddess of beauty and health. Lying naked on the so-called "heavenly bed", she was supposed to reawaken the exhausted love energy in the audience. Here her vanity could be fully satisfied. All London society bowed before the beauty of her body. Here the artists Reinold and Gainsborough first saw and appreciated her, and Romney was forever captivated by her beauty.

From here she goes, as a model, to Romney's workshop, where he paints Circe from her and admires her mimic talent. Inspired by him, she thinks of going on stage. But Sheridan, after listening to her recitation, says that she is not fit for the stage.

From the workshop of Romney, she goes to the maintenance of the baronet Sir Harry Featherston, lives with him for 6 months the life of a first-class lady of the demi-monde, spending crazy money on pleasures and outfits, and abandoned by him returns to Howarden.

She was in London for only 2 years. She left Howarden an inexperienced child, and returned there a woman who had experienced a lot and had seen a lot. In a small place like Howarden, Emma's arrival was an event that everyone everywhere was talking about. Even earlier, her child, brought by her mother, was the subject of talk. Now she herself, with a few of her outfits that survived, was met with universal condemnation. Everywhere she was made aware of the ambiguity of her position, and the doors of the virtuous people of Howarden were closed to her. In desperation, she writes 7 letters, one after the other, to Sir Harry, but there is no answer. Then she addresses an imploring letter to Sir Carl Greville, whom she met in Lately his stay in London. Greville had already helped her once, by giving her some money for the journey to Howarden, and she hoped that he would help her there too. Greville liked her, but, as a reasonable man, he was afraid to show his feelings and thus bind himself in advance. In response to her pleas for help, he writes to her coldly and judiciously. He calls her to London under the condition that she renounce all her former acquaintances and leave the child in Howarden, and allows her to maintain relations only with her mother.

Greville needed a submissive and modest mistress, who did not require large expenses, which he did not want and could not do.

After receiving Greville's letter, Emma moves to London without delay. Here Greville once again conducts a dry conversation with her about his conditions. Emma at that moment saw in Greville her only hope and salvation. She not only agreed to all his conditions, but was also grateful for them.

Now Emma settles on the outskirts of the city, in a modest house, which Greville, a fine connoisseur of art, however, managed to arrange with great taste. Emma had to live here quietly and alone, learning spelling, literature, singing and music. Her mother Mrs. Kidd, as she called herself now, took Greville in charge of the household. Emma was nowhere, and apart from a few of Greville's acquaintances, grave and stiff gentlemen, no one appeared in her little house.

Despite this, for her modest but calm life, Emma felt infinite gratitude to Greville. It seemed that nothing could disturb the serenity and silence that surrounded Emma. She never made an attempt to get out of obedience, and her rebellious soul, apparently, was forever pacified. Only once, when Greville took her out to a grand celebration, did Emma, ​​finding herself in the midst of noise, music, brilliance and illumination, become infected general mood and suddenly, jumping up on a chair, she began to sing in her pleasant ringing voice.

The crowd at first protested against such a sudden performance, then, subdued by her amazing appearance, burst into a storm of applause. Emma, ​​intoxicated with success, sang louder and more beautifully. This joy almost cost her a break with Greville, outraged by her antics, and Emma had to shed many tears in order to beg his forgiveness.

After that, she again became unassuming and submissive. Her only amusement was visiting Romney's workshop twice a week. The artist was still faithful to her, she was still his favorite model, and he painted her endlessly. Twenty-four completed portraits and infinite set sketches, sketches ... Nothing has ever marred their good relationship. She was his "inspiration", as he called her, she called him her "father". She was taken to the workshop and back by a carriage, she rarely appeared on the street alone, and in most cases she was accompanied by her mother.

Greville's uncle, the English envoy in Naples, Lord Hamilton, returned to London. He was an athlete, a cheerful and intelligent interlocutor, a dancer, a singer, a violinist and an archaeologist.

Appearing at Greville and meeting Emma, ​​Hamilton was struck by her beauty and after a while decided, with Greville's permission, to give her some information on art. He soon became engrossed in his role as a teacher; lessons become more and more frequent, and the house on Edgware Roo becomes his favorite haunt.

As for Greville, he was very pleased with the attention his uncle showed Emma. In this he foresaw a convenient way out. Greville's money, despite an economical lifestyle, was coming to an end, and he was already thinking how easy it would be for him to part with Emma and improve his affairs with a profitable marriage. How Emma would react to this, he did not care at all.

First, Greville convinces Emma to leave London for the summer. Emma, ​​unaware that this is the end, travels with her mother to Chester. On the way, she stops at Howarden and takes her daughter with her from there.

From Chester she writes to Greville full of love, humility and tenderness of the letter.

“With what impatience I sit down to write, waiting for the postman. I'll probably get a letter today. Could you, my dear Greville - no, it's impossible to forget your poor Emma already ... I constantly think about you and reach the point that it seems to me that I hear and see you. Think, Greville, what a self-deception it is when I am so abandoned and there is no news of you ... Have you forgotten, as you told me when you left, that you would be so happy to see me again ... Oh, Greville, think of the number of days, weeks and years, which we may still have. One line from you will make me happy…”

Uncle and nephew acted in concert, hiding the truth from Emma. Barely returning to Greville, Emma receives an invitation from Lord Hamilton to come and visit him in Naples. Anticipating some new events unknown to her, Emma hesitates to accept this flattering invitation, but at the insistence of Greville, she accepts.

Emma arrives in Naples with her mother. Lord Hamilton received and treated them with as much attention as if they were ladies from the highest English aristocracy.

“You cannot imagine,” writes Emma Greville, “how kind Sir William is to me. He does his best to make me happy. He never dine out. In truth, since my arrival, he leaves me no more often than my shadow. He has breakfast, lunch and dinner with me, he always sits next to me, looking at me, I can’t move my arm, side, or leg so that he doesn’t immediately notice how graceful and beautiful, in his opinion, my movements. Really, I'm angry that I can't make him happy. I can only be polite and kind. And really, I'm as nice to him as I can be. But I am yours, Greville. To you alone can I belong, and no one will take your place in my heart.

Greville saw from Emma's letters that if he did not act decisively, Emma would reappear in London. And since it was him in the highest degree undesirable, he writes her a letter, where, with extraordinary cynicism, he advises her to become Lord Hamilton's mistress, and for his part offers her friendship and companionship.

Emma, ​​who loved him, was deeply outraged by this cynical advice. Her answer is full of indignation, but at the same time this is the last desperate attempt to win back Greville.

“... It is you who advise me... Nothing can express my despair. I'm just going crazy. You, Greville, give me such advice. You who used to be jealous of me for one smile. With what cold indifference you advise me to go to ... Sir William. Oh, this is the worst. If I were near you, I would kill you and myself ... "

And at the end of that letter, in a postscript, she writes:

“…You don't know my power here. Only I will never become a mistress. If you take me to extremes, I will marry him to myself.

True, Greville smiled as he read this threat. But Emma at this time was no longer the former timid and submissive mistress, whom he closed in the narrow framework of philistine life. Ambitious dreams were already swarming in her soul.

And now, having survived many minutes of despair and offended pride, having thought over all the ways of revenge, Emma decides to fulfill her last threat - to marry Lord Hamilton. Since the autumn of 1786, she left her apartment and, to the great joy of Lord Hamilton, settled in the embassy palace. Here at that time Goethe saw her and admired her.

“Lord Hamilton, who is still here as an English envoy, after a long study of art and many years of observation of nature, found the perfect combination of nature and art in a beautiful young girl. He took her to him. She is an Englishwoman in her twenties. She is very beautiful and very well built. He made her a Greek costume that suits her amazingly. With her hair loose, taking two shawls, she changes her postures, gestures, expressions so much that in the end you think that this is just a dream. What thousands of artists would be happy to achieve - here you see embodied in motion, with an exciting variety. On her knees, standing, sitting, lying, serious, sad, playful, enthusiastic, penitent, captivating, threatening, anxious ... One expression follows another and follows from it. She knows how to give the folds of the dress for each movement and change them, make a hundred different headdresses from the same fabric. This is how Goethe described Emma.

The Comtesse de Boigne, in her memoirs, says of her:

“Others tried to imitate the talent of this woman; I don't think they succeeded. This is a thing in which there is only one step to the ridiculous. In addition, in order to have her success, you must first of all be flawlessly beautiful from head to toe, and you rarely meet such people.

Less than a year later, Emma was finally accepted in Neapolitan society. She carries herself so skillfully and tactfully that the king of Neapolitan says: "The Neapolitan ladies would do well if they took an example from her."

Soon Emma's threat became a fact. On September 6, 1791, she is married in London to Lord Hamilton. On the day of the wedding, she stopped by Romney's workshop for the last time. During this visit, he sketched her portrait, which he later called "The Messenger". Emma sadly left her old friend. For Romney, the separation was even more difficult, the one with which his art was so closely connected left him forever. With the departure of Emma, ​​the last ray of the sun, which illuminated his old age, leaves the life of Romney.

How dear Emma was to Romney can be seen from his letter to a friend:

“Kasandra (Emma) returned to town on the 16th, but I only saw her on the 20th. You imagine what I have suffered. She decided to pose on the 23rd and since then she has posed all the days ... When she appeared in my studio, she seemed to me more tender than the last time ... Now it seems to me that she is more cordial to me than ever. She regrets leaving England without seeing you. I am extremely grateful to you for your sympathy. Indeed, my soul suffered so much that it was reflected in my health, and I was afraid that I would not be able to write more from her, but since she is still kind to me, I have completely recovered both in body and spirit ... "6 September Emma saw Romney for the last time. They never met again.

The day after the wedding, Lord and Lady Hamilton left for Naples. On the way they stopped in Paris, thinking of staying there for a while. But the impending thunderstorm of the revolution forced them to leave it soon. However, they managed to get into the palace, and Marie Antoinette, who was already under strict supervision, secretly hands Emma a letter to her sister, the Neapolitan Queen Maria Carolina. For Emma, ​​this letter was a great joy. It opened the doors of the Naples Palace for her.

Upon arrival in Naples, she hands a letter to Maria Carolina, and from that day their friendship begins.

In this happy time of her life, Emma is true to her past. Her mother is inseparable from her, and she writes tender letters to Greville and Romney.

“Indeed,” she writes to Greville, “if we stay here, it’s only because I promised the queen not to leave her until her departure.” And then she says, “I spent the evening with the queen alone, laughing, singing, etc. But during the reception, I kept my place and showed the queen such respect as if I were seeing her for the first time. She liked it very much. ” At the end, Emma talks about her personal life “You can’t imagine how happy dear Sir William is. Right, you you can’t understand our happiness, it is indescribable, we are not separated for an hour all day We live like lovers, and not like husband and wife, especially if you think about how modern spouses treat each other .. "

During this period of Lady Hamilton's life, Horatio Nelson appears on her horizon, small man with clear, open eyes and an authoritative, all-conquering voice Two passions owned this man - hatred for France and boundless love for his homeland.

From the first appearance of Nelson in Naples, between Emma and him established friendly relations, they were united by a patriotic feeling

Emma at that time was no longer only a friend of Mary Carolina, she was an attorney for all her affairs and her closest confidante. From the very beginning of the French Revolution English influence was very strong at the Neapolitan palace. When the formidable shadow of Bonaparte appeared on the horizon, Naples could only expect salvation from him from England.

And Emma became the mediator between Naples and England. At first she seemed to be afraid of this, but soon, encouraged by Queen Maria Carolina, she brilliantly entered her role. She transmits secret letters, writes them together with the queen.

“I did not have time to write to you, as we have been writing important letters for three days and three nights, which we sent today by courier to our government,” she writes to Greville. England sent Horatio Nelson to defend Naples from Bonaparte.

Since that time, the fate of Emma is forever intertwined with the fate of Nelson. Prior to this meeting, Emma had no free choice. Necessity made her go to Greville, ambition to Lord Hamilton, to Horatio Nelson - love. On Nelson's part, this was also a real, great feeling.

The victory at Abukir, and the whole of Naples comes to life, from complete despondency, he passes to the most stormy joy. All admiration belongs to Nelson, and Naples greets him as a triumphant. Emma's heart must have beaten strongly when she saw him surrounded by such a halo of glory.

The last campaign undermined Nelson's health, and he gladly accepts Lady Hamilton's invitation to go to Castel Mare for a holiday.

“I live in their house, and only the meticulous care with which I am surrounded could restore my sad health,” Nelson writes to his wife.

Some time later, Nelson was assigned to occupy Malta. But the victory this time was not his, and he returned to Italy, where the French threatened Naples. The royal family had to flee, and Naples was occupied by French troops. The Hamiltons and Nelson worked out an escape plan to the smallest detail. Events followed one after another with extraordinary rapidity. Emma - poor nanny twenty years ago - holds fate in her hands royal family, and only her energy, her determination owes her salvation. With the general panic, Lady Hamilton alone maintains her presence of mind and encourages others. Soon Nelson took advantage of the favorable moment, and Naples again passes into the power of the British.

The royal family could return to Naples, but they were afraid of this, and the Hamiltons and crown prince. It seemed that all royal power was now in the hands not of Mary Carolina, but of Emma Hamilton.

There is a lively correspondence between her and Maria Carolina, in which the latter dictates her orders, explicit and intimate, and Emma exactly fulfills them. In her letters, Emma gives the queen an exact answer about all the events in Naples.

But Emma's extensive correspondence with the Queen does not absorb all of Emma's time. On behalf of the queen, she frees the prisoners, distributes money to those in need. In October 1799, the English fleet leaves for Palermo and Lady Hamilton with him. Maria Carolina is waiting for her here. Nelson is again greeted as a triumphant, and Emma shares the glory with him. Maria Carolina showers her with gifts.

Frequent cruising forced Nelson to leave Naples more than once. In his absence, he transfers his power to Emma. On one of these occasions she received a deputation from the island of Malta. She found a way to satisfy their request, for which she was given a rare honor for a woman. The Grand Master of the Order of Malta, Russian Emperor Paul I sent her a Maltese cross along with a handwritten letter.

An unexpected unpleasant event changed happy life Emma. Lord Hamilton was called to London, and another was appointed to the post of envoy in Naples. It was hard for Emma to leave the country where she saw herself at the pinnacle of fame, and go to London, the same London that did not accept her in all the splendor of her twenty-year-old beauty. What could she expect from him now, at the end of her youth. Meanwhile, Nelson could no longer completely live without her. Referring to poor health, he temporarily refuses active service and follows it.

Maria Caroline accompanied them to Vienna.

Already in Vienna, Emma, ​​intoxicated by her success and accustomed to worship, had to face a strict and even unfriendly attitude. In London, she was received coldly.

In 1801, Lady Hamilton had a daughter, Horace. Her birth was shrouded in mystery, and she was introduced to Lord Hamilton as an orphan whom Emma would like to adopt. The fact that this is the daughter of Emma and Nelson, Lord Hamilton never found out.

It was strange in general the behavior of Lord Hamilton in this whole romantic story. A smart and insightful man, he could not help but see what everyone saw. But all the time, until his death, he was a tender friend of Nelson, and his attitude towards Emma was the same as before. Gaina of his behavior and went with him to the grave.

All documents relating to the child were destroyed, and only thanks to Nelson's letters to Emma, ​​which the latter did not dare to destroy, do we know who Horace's parents were.

“You know, my dear Emma, ​​that I would give anything in the world to be with you and our dear little daughter,” Nelson writes to Emma.

Horatia herself did not know who her mother was. She only knew that she was Nelson's daughter and "of too high a position to reveal her name." So Emma told her, and she could learn nothing more for the rest of her life.

Less than a month after the birth of her daughter, Emma was forced to start a secular life. Lord Hamilton considered it his duty to have his own salon. Emma's salon was a success. Even the Prince of Wales expressed a desire to dine with them and listen to Lady Hamilton sing. But this news aroused Nelson's discontent and jealousy, and Emma deftly avoided this opportunity, not wanting to upset her lover. Of course, the triumph that once surrounded Emma was gone, and the years took their toll. Strongly replenished, Emma has already lost her former impeccable beauty. Yet she was still beautiful enough to captivate, and her turbulent past surrounded her with an aura of intense interest.

At the end of 1801, Nelson instructs Emma to buy an estate for him to live there with her. Emma happily fulfills this assignment and buys the Merton estate in the vicinity of London. Everything you need is here. Not very big, but a comfortable home for Lord Hamilton, whose favorite sport used to be fishing, a river rich in fish.

In Merton, Emma experienced the happiest years of her love for Nelson. Her husband and Nelson were in best regards. After settling in Merton, they seemed to wish and thought it was forever. But Emma soon got bored with the noisy secular life. One after another, guests began to appear in Merton, Nelson's relatives and friends, the son of Maria Carolina Luitpold and others.

In early July 1802, Nelson and the Hamiltons take a short trip. This time they were not three of them, as they were traveling from Italy, and were generally everywhere, but four of them. The fourth is Greville. Emma seemed interested in defying public opinion, carrying her husband and two lovers with her.

In April 1803, Lord Hamilton dies in the arms of Emma and Nelson, who did not leave his head. A loss loved one, to whom alone, in essence, she owed her position, was aggravated even more by the fact that the state of Lord Hamilton passed to Greville, and to her only things and a small lump sum. Probably, Lord Hamilton would have left her more, but he hoped until the last minute that the government would give him, and then her, the pension he had been asking for a long time.

Two weeks after the funeral, Greville asked Emma to clean up their hotel in London and look for another apartment. In general, here it finally manifested itself in its present form. Former lover Emma, ​​he kept himself like her worst enemy. Outraged by his behavior, Nelson gifts Emma Merton and gives her a monthly annuity. For anyone else, what Emma had would have been quite sufficient, but for the spoiled life of Emma, ​​this is almost a need. All her numerous requests addressed to the government and her former friends for the issuance of her pension after Lord Hamilton, lead to nothing on October 21, 1805, the memorable day of Trafalgar. Before the battle, Nelson adds a paragraph to his will, in which he addresses the government: “The only favor I ask from my Sovereign and from my homeland, he writes, is concern for the fate of Lady Hamilton and little Horace.”

This fight was the last for Nelson. England was saved, but Nelson was killed.

For Emma, ​​this was the end. After Nelson's death, his wife and relatives were generously supported by the government. But Emma and Horace, about whom Nelson only asked his homeland, were completely forgotten. Emma seemed to want to be completely erased from Nelson's life, like a stain on blessed memory hero.

With the death of Nelson, Emma's life turned into a continuous ordeal. Under Nelson, there were hopes, there was life, now it was poverty, already real, and the complete contempt of others.

In 1811, her mother dies, who was always with her and managed to earn the respect of everyone who ever surrounded Emma.

Emma goes to jail for debt. Freed from there, she soon sees herself in danger of being re-arrested for new defaults and flees from her creditors to France. But even here there is no light. Ten years since Nelson's death, Lady Hamilton is still trying to overcome her fate, and, only having lived through them, she sees that her efforts are useless. She ended just as she began, in complete poverty. In January 1815, she fell ill with bronchitis, which turned into pneumonia.

Lady Hamilton was dying in a cold room with bare walls. Two portraits hung over the bed - her mother and Nelson, next to her sobbed Horace

On January 15, in the evening, Emma died. She was buried at the expense of her maternal relative, Henry Kadagan, a man with whom she never had anything in common during her lifetime.

The film is about the famous Lady Emma Hamilton, who was the mistress of the legendary British Admiral Horatio Nelson. Thanks to his military plan, the English fleet was able to defeat the combined squadron of Spain and France, which became one of the turning points in the history of the Napoleonic Wars.

And now more about the film itself. To be honest, the film by Alexander Kord seemed to me one of the best examples of British cinema. Reviewers have already mentioned that "Lady Hamilton" was Sir Winston Churchill's favorite film (the ubiquitous Wikipedia also tells us about this). Prime Minister british empire I watched the film so often that I rubbed the film to the holes. In the end, I became interested: Winston Churchill's favorite film this time; starring an amazing actress, one of the queens of classic cinema Vivien Leigh it's two; historical events it's three; and finally, the acting tandem of Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh is four. And so, I decided to look.

I liked the movie, and I couldn't help but like it. When Vivien Leigh plays, her incomparable beauty is in perfect harmony with her incomparable acting talent; the talented duet of Lee and Olivier, beautiful scenery and excellent camera and directorial production in the end, you need to try very hard so that the picture does not like at all. But at the same time, the feeling of some kind of staging did not leave me. Yes, this feeling of props rarely slips, because the viewer is captivated by interesting dialogues, good acting, but still, no, no, yes, it slips. Someone will tell me then all the films were like that. What to complain about? But somehow Gone with the Wind was filmed in such a way that even now you don’t feel any falsehood and you know that this production is eternal. It is beyond all time and estimates. However, we deviated from the topic and this is my personal opinion.

I would also like to add that now the picture may look somewhat naive. The creators somewhat ennobled the image of Lady Hamilton, gave it true aristocratic features, nobility, loyalty. In life, unfortunately, everything was somewhat darker and more prosaic. But this is only a huge plus that such a great and pure feeling in the film is freed from any unnecessary household filth, which would only distract and frighten the viewer. However, grains of salt remained. A smart person will see them.

The picture was shot when the flames of war were already raging in Europe, and when the filming process was over and the picture was released, the flames of the Second World War were already raging with might and main. Therefore, in "Lady Hamilton" there are episodes filled with scenes of sincere patriotism of sailors and officers when flags are raised, Admiral Nelson's angry speech that no peace treaties are possible with dictators and other heresy that threatens the world (oh, if Mr. Chamberlain knew this when gave the Reich Czechoslovakia to “eat”, as well as the “noble” background of the war itself (I don’t blame the creators, then it was wartime).

So, the movie "Lady Hamilton" is an integral and beautiful picture, but still for me there are artistic gaps in it.

Merits Admiral Nelson and his role in the history of Great Britain are obvious and undeniable. But most often his name is mentioned along with the name Lady Hamilton- a woman with a dubious reputation, which everyone would probably have long forgotten if it were not for her talent to charm noble, influential and prominent men. Her fate made such sharp turns that Emma Hamilton either bathed in luxury, then found herself in a debt hole and complete poverty. How did she know how to attract the attention of artists, aristocrats and generals?

Emma Lyon, Lady Hamilton

The famous adventurer By a happy coincidence, she married William Hamilton, the British ambassador in Naples.

Her life was rich in adventure. She knew poverty and wealth, splendor and poverty, grief and death. Lady Hamilton was married to Sir William Hamilton, a well-known collector of ancient art and a diplomat, the British ambassador to Naples. This marriage lifted her, a modest servant from an ordinary London tavern, who gave herself to anyone who paid well, from the social bottom to the top of the elite.

She was called "the beautiful Bacchante", and when she drove through the streets of Naples, people stopped, amazed by her beauty. However, beauty, alas, faded quickly and inevitably. Lady Hamilton loved good food, and even more loved the porter. However, even after three bottles, it was hard to think that she missed even one glass. The incomparable form of Lady Hamilton began to blur excessively. Having once believed in her extraordinary beauty, bathed in compliments, she did not see that she was changing, she did not notice how the delights of her admirers began to subside. White dresses, which she preferred, only emphasized the flaws of her plump figure. They began to slander that she had bad manners, that there was a lot of vulgar behavior in her behavior.

But in singing and pantomime dance she had no equal. Once at a reception at Hamilton's house in Naples, she even competed with singer Georgina Brigita Bundy. After Emma's performance, her rival exclaimed: “God, what a voice! I'd give my whole fortune for this!"

But the most big success had her pantomimes. Goethe, who traveled through Italy and was invited to Sir William's house, wrote in his diary: "Sir William Hamilton ... after for long years passion for art and nature crowned his success in this area, finding himself a beautiful woman ... This is a twenty-year-old Englishwoman, beautiful and wonderfully built. He ordered her to sew Greek clothes that suit her very face, and she walks in them with her hair loose ... In the tireless movement and constant change, you can see what thousands of artists would like to portray: here she looks seriously, sadly, coquettishly, raises her eyes in surprise , modestly lowers them, glances now seductively, now with fear, now menacingly ... She knows how to drape herself with a scarf and a hundred different ways decorate their heads. old husband can't get enough of it and wholeheartedly admires everything she does."

Of course, Emma was pleased. She hoped that the echo of delight would reach London, where her lover, Sir Charles Greville, from a noble family of Warwicks, would hear them.

Yes, she did not love anyone so much, she dreamed that maybe Greville would come to Naples to see her, and then she would be able to persuade him to take her to London.

Who was this singer, dancer who inspired artists?

She was born in Chester, Cheshire. Some of her biographers claim that her father was the blacksmith Henry Lyon, but it is more likely that she was a "child of love". She was baptized on May 12, 1765 at Great Niston Church. Soon the father died. A thirteen-year-old girl, Amy, later called Emma, ​​left her native village with her mother. Fate did not spoil them: Emma had to do odd jobs on the streets of London, serve in cheap taverns. At seventeen, she gave birth to a girl. One day she was noticed by a certain Dr. Graham, a charlatan and adventurer who claimed to have invented a miraculous electric bed, on which elderly men gained vitality and youth. Dr. Graham gave Emma a job in his office, where she appeared covered with a transparent gaseous cloth. The office of the "miracle worker" has become fashionable. The so-called Temple of Apollo with the Goddess of Health began to be visited by representatives of higher circles.

Fate changed dramatically when the young baronet Sir Harry Featherstonehof fell in love with her. Amy followed him to his ancestral castle. A new, hitherto completely unexplored life began for the adventurer. Unlimited possibilities opened up before her. Balls replaced one another. Huge sums passed through the hands of the courtesan. Holiday rides showed that Amy is a skilled horsewoman. The guests of the baronet were fascinated by her talents. But the baronet was tired of the frivolous beauty, who exhausted his treasury, he rented a modest apartment for her in a remote quarter of London - and that was it.

Poverty has come again. Amy was pregnant, but the born child soon died. It is not known how her fate would have developed in the future if she had not met Sir Charles Greville, a fan of the fine arts and the owner of a magnificent collection of paintings. He took her to full content, while setting a strict condition: to lead a virtuous lifestyle. Frivolous, extravagant Amy became diligent, homely and economical. Charles brought in teachers who gave her spelling, music and singing lessons. Emma fell recklessly in love with a young aristocrat. Greville was not far from the idea of ​​making her his wife. The feeling was mutual. To hide her past, she identified herself as Miss Emma Hart.

There were artists in Greville's house. George Romney immortalized her in numerous studies.

This idyll lasted almost four years. During this time, Emma gave birth to three children - two girls and a boy. But Greville never married her. Partly for reasons of economy, partly because of the indecision and disapproval of this marriage from the immediate family.

In 1784, Charles introduced the beauty to his uncle, the recently widowed Sir William Hamilton. Sir Hamilton lived in Naples, was ambassador to the court of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Emma began to interfere with Greville, and he asked his uncle to invite her to Naples, under the pretext of learning to sing with Italian masters. Perhaps a deal was made between the uncle and the nephew - Sir William paid the debts of Greville, who gave him the girl for this.

Emma left with her mother In Naples, an aging diplomat received them with extraordinary hospitality. They settled in the ambassador's residence, and Emma found in Sir William a caring guardian, ready to fulfill her every desire.

But Emma remained faithful to Greville. She sent him fourteen letters, but received only one. The one whom she loved so much advised her to forget him.

In November 1786, she became Hamilton's mistress, and married him five years later to take revenge on the unfaithful Charles. This wedding left open the question of Sir William's inheritance: after all, he could bequeath all his fortune, on which Greville counted so much, to his wife.

In 1791, the couple traveled to London to consecrate their marriage in their homeland. On September 6, in the church of St. Mary in London, in the presence of numerous representatives of the English nobility, a wedding took place. Emma signed the prenuptial agreement with the name "Emmy Lyon", but during the marriage ceremony he was announced as "Miss Emmy Hart". Now, as the wife of Sir Hamilton, she was entitled to all the honors accepted in society. ^ However, in order not to return to Naples without being recognized by European courts, the schemer Emma forced Sir William to go to Paris and get an audience for her with Marie Antoinette, the sister of the Neapolitan queen. After that, all class barriers were removed. Lady Hamilton was very cunning, many of her contemporaries accused her of excessive slander and love of gossip. The only one Emma was friends with was the Neapolitan Queen Maria Carolina. Lady Hamilton knew how to be a devoted friend and a dangerous enemy, a hypocrite and a whore, she loved political intrigues. In general, her mind was not at all feminine.

Lady Hamilton's friendship with the Queen knew no bounds. If the ladies have not seen! at least a day, they wrote letters to each other. They dressed like twins, spent long hours together, ignoring the rules of etiquette. The Queen knew that Sir William had much confidence in his wife. During friendly conversations, Maria Carolina learned from her friend the information she was interested in. It happened, however, that it was Lady Hamilton who persuaded the queen to be frank in matters so important that Sir William was forced to send dispatches about them to London by emergency mail. It is believed that it was from them that the British government learned about the military preparations of Spain.

Emma wanted to shine in society and be revered by both the nobility and the common people. She was surrounded by an aura of mystery, which she tried to maintain by all means of her acting skills.

In September 1793, Rear Admiral Horace Nelson appeared in Venice, famous for his victory over the Spanish fleet. Nelson stayed at the ambassador's residence and was introduced to his wife. She is at the pinnacle of her enchanting beauty. Nelson, short, thin, without right hand, was seven years older than Emma and married to the widow Fanny Gisbeg. whose son, Joshua, served under his command.

From Nelson, unprepossessing at first glance, energy was beating like a fountain, extraordinary confidence emanated. He enjoyed great success with women.

The life of the three began. “One heart in three bodies,” as Lady Hamilton put it. The aged Sir William was tolerant of this novel, he was not indignant, even when he found out that he had become the father of his daughter. However, there was a moment when he offered her a separate residence. But he didn't go back to it.

All three knew their worth and, although they differed from each other, they achieved in Everyday life amazing harmony. This allowed Nelson to feel at home in the Hamiltons as in his own, which he openly wrote to his wife Fanny about. Apparently, at the request of Nelson, or perhaps driven by her own cunning, Emma also wrote to Fanny. Well, Horace generally tried to surround his wife with care and attention. It seemed that the trio could be turned into a quartet. However, Fanny, truly loving her husband, left him. Gone forever.

The affairs of the marital triangle might have remained a banal story if the romance of Lady Hamilton and Nelson had not been intertwined with events of historical significance.

On August 1, 1798, Nelson won a famous victory over the French at the Battle of Aboukir. All Europe rejoiced at this grandiose success.

When Nelson, aboard the Vengarde, entered the harbor of Naples, the Italians warmly welcomed him as a liberator. The king, queen, the English ambassador and his wife joined them to express their gratitude. And here Lady Hamilton's talent as an actress again manifested itself. With an exclamation: "Oh God, is it really possible!" she fainted and straight into the arms of the hero of the seas...

Lady Hamilton now had only one goal: to make her name sound along with the name of the legendary Nelson by any means necessary.

Emma tried to hide her relationship with Nelson, but his personal affairs increasingly influenced his official ones. When Nelson, for example, was ordered to sail from Naples to link up with Admiral Lord Keith, Emma objected And Nelson obeyed her! In 1799, the Grand Master of the Order of Malta, Russian Emperor Paul I, awarded Nelson with the Order of the Cross, Emma liked it so much that she certainly wanted to replenish her jewelry collection with it. Tsar Paul also awarded her, allegedly in recognition of her merits in helping the inhabitants of the island. Here, however, there were some formal difficulties, for the woman who received this cross had to be of noble birth and swear an oath of chastity. Since Emma Hamilton was no different, the king said that the cross was given to Lady Hamilton in gratitude for the gift of 10,000 livres and for the transport from Sicily.

In a word, Emma has reached the pinnacle of success. However, the time has come to return to London: Sir William was recalled from his post. And here it was not without Nelson. Having no authority to do so, he allegedly promised Malta to the Neapolitan king Ferdinand. For this unwise step, apparently dictated by excessive self-confidence, the British government brought him to justice. Nelson received a letter from the First Lord of the Admiralty recommending that he leave the Neapolitan court. The trio returned to London.

There they were met by Charles Greville. He had not seen Emma for almost ten years and looked with surprise, or maybe with hostility, at her magnificent forms.

Well, Nelson was waiting for an explanation with his wife. The meeting ended with the separation of the spouses and the division of property. But Emma did not have to celebrate the victory: public opinion accused her of destroying the family.

Nelson's stay in England did not last very long. Promoted to vice-admiral, he left for military operations against Denmark. During his absence, Emma gave birth to a daughter, Horatia, who was quietly taken out of sight. The nanny was told that the father of the child was Mr. Thompson, the mother was a lady from high society, and they were obliged to strictly keep the secret. Horatia was never supposed to know who her mother was. She only knew that she stepdaughter Lord Nelson.

During this period, Nelson's letters to Emma were filled with concern for her health. Then this topic was replaced by the anxiety of a jealous lover. Emma deliberately teased him, telling in letters about an invitation to dinner with Prince Wally and about meetings with Charles Greville. This "news" infuriated Nelson. However, the matter did not come to supper with Prince Valii, and Greville did not bother anymore. In one of the letters, Nelson first called her his wife. "There is nothing in the world that I would not do so that we can be with our child."

The admiral made plans for a joint departure to where the evil rumors of their imaginary friends would not reach, where they could live in peace and only for themselves. He also declared that he did not want to see his wife Fanny anymore. Never before had Lord Nelson written so openly, none of his letters contained such ardent assurances that there was no other woman for him but Emma. They moved to a small house in Merton, near London. From that time on, in Nelson's letters to Emma, ​​household issues began to occupy a lot of space, concerns about the house in which they wanted to live together.

In this house, they had no time for themselves. Nelson was constantly distracted by the service, and both of them by the receptions of friends. It was the last home of the Grand Admiral.

On October 21, 1805, Nelson fell in the famous Battle of Trafalgar, defeating the French fleet. The letter that Nelson wrote to Emma before the battle began with the words: "My dear, beloved Emma, ​​my dear heart friend ..."

He left them alone, Emma and Horace, for Sir William had died by that time. It was said that he died in Emma's arms, squeezing Nelson's hand. The same narrators added, not without malice, that he was then unconscious. The only proof of the sobriety of his thought was the will, in which he left Emma only 700 livres of an annual pension, and the whole fortune to Charles Greville.

Without a husband and friend, Emma felt lost. Nelson left her a substantial fortune. However, she threw money down the drain, lived in a big way, and in the end completely went bankrupt. Due to debts, she went to prison and there she fell ill with jaundice.

During this difficult period of her life, Thomas Lovell unexpectedly published two volumes of Letters from Lord Nelson to Lady Hamilton, apparently stolen. The books aroused great interest.

The publication brought new torments to Lady Hamilton. Her reputation, already so heavily tarnished, was completely ruined. If until then there was some hope of retirement, now it has vanished forever.

It is not known how long she would have remained in prison if Joshua's lawyer Jonathan Smith, a member of the London City Council and co-owner of a prosperous firm, who had previously served on the Admiral's ship Victoria, had not shown up. He tracked her down in prison and brought back the blood-stained uniform of the Grand Admiral, then paid her bail and helped her escape to France. With fifty pounds in her pocket, along with Horace, Lady Hamilton found herself in Calais. An incorrigibly frivolous woman settled in a luxurious hotel, from where she was soon forced to move out. “She chose modest Sant Pierre, two miles from Calais. Increasingly feeling the lack of money, Emma turned to the Nelson family for help, which did not leave this request unanswered.

Lady Hamilton became ill and died on January 15, 1815. Nobody knows where she is buried.