Astolphe-Louis-Léonor, Marquis de Custine (18 March 1790 – 25 September 1857) was a French aristocrat and writer who is best known for his travel writing, in particular his account of his visit to Russia, La Russie en 1839. This work documents not only Custine's travels through the Russian Empire, but also the social fabric, economy and way of life during the reign of Nicholas I.
Biography
Astolphe de Custine was born in Niderviller, Lorraine. His family belonged to the French nobility and possessed the title marquis since the early 18th century. The paternal branch of the family also owned a famous faience factory. His mother, Delphine de Sabran, Marquise de Custine, came from the House of Sabran and was noted for her intelligence and great beauty.
Custine's father and grandfather, Adam Philippe, Comte de Custine, both sympathized with the French Revolution but were both guillotined. Custine's mother was imprisoned and barely escaped the same fate. In the aftermath of the overthrow of Robespierre and the end of the Reign of Terror, the friendship of the marchioness with Joseph Fouché (who would eventually become Minister of Police under Napoleon) allowed her to recover part of the family fortune. Custine and his mother resettled in Lorraine in 1795.
Under the direction of his strong-willed mother, Custine was raised in an chaotic yet stimulating social environment. This brought him into frequent contact with noted intellectuals, among them Germaine de Staël and François-René de Chateaubriand, considered the founder of Romanticism in French literature. The marchioness purchased the château of Fervaques, near Lisieux, in Normandy, from the Duc de Laval in October 1803; Chateaubriand noted his visits there between 1804 and 1806 in which he discussed with both the marchioness and Custine in Mémoires d'Outre-Tombe. Delphine died at Bex, in Vaud, Switzerland, on 13 July 1826.
Custine was given an excellent education and seemed to be headed towards a life in society. An income of 60,000 francs a year enabled him to live as he pleased. He owned an estate outside Paris, at Saint-Gratien, where on occasions he was visited by Frédéric Chopin. Custine spent time in the diplomatic service, attending the Congress of Vienna, and even accepted a military commission. Custine was at one time expected to marry Madame de Staël's daughter, Albertine, but refused the match. In 1821 Custine married Léontine de Saint-Simon de Courtomer, following the wishes of his mother. The Marquis, who would later admit his homosexuality and live openly with a male lover, was nevertheless genuinely fond of his wife. They had a son, Enguerrand. During the marriage Custine met and established a romantic relationship with an Englishman, Edward Saint-Barbe, who moved into the house with the couple, and remained his life companion. In 1823, during the early stages of a second pregnancy, Léontine fell ill and died, aged only twenty.
On 28 October 1824, Custine's life was irrevocably changed. That night, he was found unconscious in the mud outside of Paris, stripped to the waist, having been beaten and robbed. The attack had been carried out by a group of soldiers; with one of whom Custine allegedly had attempted to have a sexual encounter. However the exact reason for the attack was never proven. Nevertheless, news of the incident quickly spread around France — "From this time on to the end of his life Custine would figure, in the cruel gossip of the day, primarily as France's most distinguished and notorious homosexual." Even though the literary salons, as opposed to the society salons, remained open to Custine, many people who were friendly with him sneered at him behind his back. His diplomatic career was also cut short by this incident. A few years later, in 1826, several family friends would die, as well as Custine's young son Enguerrand (born 1822), by his late wife, and his mother.
In the years after these tragedies, Custine became very pious.
Custine gravitated toward the Romantic movement and spent the next few years writing poetry and novels. Custine wrote one play and purchased a theater to produce it, but the play closed after three performances. None of his literary works received much attention. Heinrich Heine called Custine "un demi-homme des lettres" (a half-man of letters).