As a professionally-trained historian and an "old stuff" nerd, I wish to express my sincerest gratitude for this channel. The reasons are self-evident for anyone who's sampled a few of these highly-informative video essays. I also appreciate home-made historical costumes, so there's that. Also, there's a dearth of really good sapphic swordfighting content on RUclips.
The IRONY that all of these people wanted to ruin her image by saying these rumors only to make her sound AWESOME. They solidified her as a badass historical character.
@@JsJdv Have you noticed you only cry when gays do "sodomy" but never straight people? It's sad you don't hold on to your faith and only use it to be bigoted and hateful. Also most of you don't know what sodomy means, some of you just want to call people animals. And honestly man I'd rather commit sodomy than molest children, you know, the thing the church does all the time? And people like you then defend? So much for thinking of the children. I pray that you one day become a good person. God Bless.
@JsJdv How are you sure that she comitted sodomy? lol. And not everyone considers your Lord their God as well, so whatever law bounds you is not applicable to everyone.
D'Aubiny would make the great subject of a Rashomon style movie narrative, something depicting dramatizations of all sorts of different stories and versions of stories about her, with a framework that explicitly explores the "all narrators are unreliable" theme. I'd watch the fuck out of that.
Yes! I was thinking this exact thing while watching! That would be the best way to tell it, since the truth isn't known and there are so many varying perspectives to work with.
I absolutely love your critical approach to sources. IMO knowing that these stories are false and/or exaggerated doesn't make Julie D'Aubigny any less interesting. She must have been a very outspoken and openly non-conforming person to attract such gossip.
I know it's a bit questionable, but I do sincerely hope the part about Julie beating the three guys in a duel at the ball and just returning afterwards and Louis just being real chill about is true.
it's truly wild how whenever men in the past tried to slander a woman and paint her as a villain they end up making her look extremely cool and badass and sexy like yes please tell me more about this vile conniving seductress
"She had skill with a sword and caused considerable violence and destruction over often same-sex love interests? How horrible!!! Tell me everything 👀💦"
The whole thing with the probably made-up circumstances of her death... I'm struck by the fact that they all completely smack of "things that happened to women in well-known operas of the time". Retiring to a hermitage after some lover-related drama is what the heroine of Verdi's La Forza del Destino does, and the hallucinating and so forth is Lucia di Lammermoor. (And, of course, the "dying in iniquity in Paris" is... take your pick, honestly, but mostly La Traviata.)
Yea, the story of her death smells a lot like something made-up in the 19th century. Dramatically-kill-your-female-protagonist-as-punishment-for-violating-patriarchal-rules-about-how-women-are-supposed-to-behave is very much a 19th-century opera trope, and those are all 19th-century operas. (Lucia: 1839, Traviata: 1853, Forza del Destino: 1862. ) Given 19th-century historians' loosey-goosey methods, I wouldn't be surprised.
@@michaellacipriani6012 And 18th century Voltaire-ian vibes at 40:40, where Kaz reads the Gilbert adds that *"Her body was cast upon the rubbish heap,"* while in Candide circa 1759, we get: *"Candide was greatly taken with an actress, who performed the part of Queen Elizabeth in a dull kind of tragedy that is played sometimes...[and] desired to know how a queen of England was treated in France. “There is a necessary distinction to be observed in these matters,” said the abbe. “In a country town we take them to a tavern; here in Paris, they are treated with great respect during their lifetime, provided they are handsome, and when they die we throw their bodies upon a dunghill.”* Voltaire's satirizing the hypocrisy to claim to be so (fashionably) pious yet chuck an actress's (aka an at-that-time "scandalous" woman's) body onto a dunghill to rot...and Gilbert, whether or not he ever read Voltaire, seems to be doing that but WITHOUT the satiric irony, "And they tossed that non-conforming bitch's body onto the rubbish heap--yep, that seems legit."
Came here after the Puppet History video on her, which I wasn't too happy with. I love Puppet History, but they really leaned into these rumours and shamed her for her lifestyle. Thank you for this video.
Strange Æons just covered her in a recent video and ever since then I’ve been wanting to know more about her so this video was perfect timing! Another banger as always Kaz
If you want more videos on Julie just search her name on youtube. There's a lot of videos on her. I would recommend the videos from Jessica Kellgren-Fozard, Iilluminaughtii, Extra Credits and A Space Alien Explains for example. Most of them cover the same main things, but I like the different presentations. And all the videos covering her call make her sound so badass! Of course most of the videos except for Kaz's aren't full on research missions.
Hearing about her burning down a convent is absolutely hilarious to me and reminds me of how my great great grandmother burned down a brothel as my great grandmother watched. Its my mom and aunt’s favorite story to tell and it’s my favorite to hear.
Having watched multiple channels attempt to tackle the stories of La Maupin, I am appreciative of your choice to actually name her contemporaries and the context necessary to sift through their slander in attempting to find any small truths we can glean. Your video has been the only one (of at least four I can say) that I have walked away feeling like I understood a little bit more about the time Julie lived and not just fun stories.
yeah I am always impressed at the depth of research Kaz does and how they always present a lengthy list of sources at the end of every video - which is important to do with topic matter surrounded by so many tall tales and political controversies
Hi! Military Historian here! (Please don't hurt me I'm not obsessed with Germany or whatever I swear) Anyways, there is something regarding the sapphic nature of women in traditionally male dominated roles that seems to repeat over the span of the 17th up to the 19th century. There are some interesting dualities if we compare them with, for instance, the stories of women soldiers, and even more some somewhat famous ones. One that I recall is that of Cavalry Captain Nadezhda Durova, who fought in the Russian Army during the Napoleonic Wars, veteran of both the Prussian campaigns of 1806 and the Russian Campaign of 1812, having even been wounded in tve Battle of Borodino. While most accounts on her life serve as a sort of testament to her abilities as a soldier, also probably part of Tzar Alexander's Propaganda campaign to make himself look progressive as a way to avoid having the same issues Louis had in France, Nadezhda's story is regarded as that of someone who found a greater calling, that of the Nation, and joined, "despite" being a woman, the role of a fighter. It's interesting that there are several Sapphic elements to her stories, like that a noble girl from Mauripol, where her Regiment, the Mauripol Hussars was stationed, fell in love with her, and yet she regarded the girl as an annoyance and requested to be moved to the Uhlans of Lithuana, and to the front lines, to get away from the unwanted attention. I've been dwelling on the artistic and literary representations of women in the armed forces for a while, and it seems that there are certain parallels and dualities regarding their depictions. It's interesting to see how their depictions of strength and "uncanny" ability as fighters or to endure the hardship of the world of men, is frowned upon as a tool to their own development or success, but celebrated, or at least understood, when done for the greater calling of King and Country. Nadezhda wasn't a lesbian going around seducing young women, it was young naïve girls falling for her while her true call was fighting in the name and glory of the Tzar. Now, going into my own field in colonial studies and military history (I'm peruvian so I've worked a lot with Latin American culture and military history). One thing that places like Peru or Mexico was known for was the women in armies. The Adelitas of the Mexican Civil War or the Rabonas in the wars fought in the Andes, all were regarded as a necessary evil. In most cases, the lack of proper state infrastructure for the fielding of armies made it so camp followers were the basis of military logistics. This was not uncommon. Even in the large european armies of the 18th and 19th century, female corps existed in order to provide for the troops. In France, even during the revolution, the Vivandiers were vital to the subsistence of armies in campaigns such as the War of the First Coalition and even the Napoleonic Wars. However one key difference exists. French-Peruvian traveler, and also feminist and communist, Flora Tristan, in 1838 wrote a memoir of her travels to Peru during a legal conundrum she had in order to receive an inheritance from the peruvian side of the Family. Her arrival coincided with one of the many civil wars that the country had during the mid 19th Century, and she saw first hand what women camp followers did on the field. Unlike the uniformed but still femininely dressed vivandiers of the french armies, these women wore sturdy work clothes. Many carried their children to battle, were armed, and if the worst were to happen and the army be defeated or their encampments attacked, they would usually grab a gun and fight alongside their husbands, lovers, brothers or clients (since many were also sex workers). This is not unlike the Soldaderas in the Mexican Revolution, who took rifles and went on to fight, sometimes even leading their own brigand bands. I think it's an interesting dynamic which repeats over most of the Early Modern Era. Women with certain "manly" attributes can be begrudgingly accepted in a men's place, like the Army, but only if they do it following a perhaps mother-like sense of sacrifice. Doing it for King and country, and accepting their role and identity as a cis-het woman, like the martially-clad Corps du Vivandiers of the Grande-Armee, with still quite femenine attire. As soon as those same attributes are used for their own growth and their own personal desires and development, that's when it's no longer a self sacrificing woman that left her place in her home to serve some greater calling, but a self-serving degenerate and potentially depraved sexual predator. I guess the stories of Julie and Nadezhda are in a way two faces of the same coin. Anyways, sorry for the lengthy comment.
My God, that was fascinating, thank you! I'm very intrigued by the napoleonic invasion of Russia, so now you have sent me down a new fascinating rabbit hole!
Can I correct you? Nadezhda Durova used to go by Alexander Alexandrov his whole life and he lived to be 82. His friends also treated him as a man and he referred to himself as such. Now it is believed that he was a trans man.
This trans girlie is up at 2:30 am in Ghana feeling depressed and out of place all day after reading about a well loved Kenyan LGBT activist brutally taken away from us and discarded. Your wonderful videos have been a tonic and reminder of our place in world history and culture today thank you
Some other creators: Wow, what a badass! Wow, queer history! Wow! Kaz: Hold on, let's look at the sources. From superhero to just a strong ass non-gender-conforming sapphic woman, which is better IMO
0:19 Okay but can you actually imagine an Assassin’s Creed game centered around her? It would be so much better than whatever Assassin’s Creed Unity was (it wasn’t that bad I’m just being unnecessarily mean but you get what I mean).
Julie's story is definitely becoming more popular in modern times, and I love it. She reminds me quite a bit of one of my favorite anime characters, Utena Tenjou.
This^^. Glad you made that connection!! I. Love Revolutionary Girl Utena! There's a manga that differs quite a bit from the anime, and its one of my favorites!
I know her life was not the same, but it reminded me so much of some of the women from the manga Innocent, especially Marie Josèphe Sanson haha. She's such a strong and cool character. If you interester in french history, you could give it a read (and the continuation Innocent Rouge). It's quite gruesome as it follows the head executioners family, but I really enjoyed the storytelling and artstyle
It's fascinating how many people back in the day had such negative views of her while so many today look at her tall tales and see her as someone to look up to. The evolution of the public perception of Julie D'Aubigny is telling of the change in social and societal norms.
Kaz, the fact that you DO share so much about your sources is exactly why I'm enjoying this channel. Quite a lot of folk on this site will just say any old thing if it brings in the clicks. Please never stop doing it EXACTLY the way you do it.
I’ve heard multiple RUclipsrs talk about D’Aubigny, so I’m so happy to have learned so many new things about whether or not these tales were factual or slander. Great job!
Perfect timing I just saw a new musical based on her life at Edinburgh fringe🗡💃 It's called Julie: The Musical and it's done in the style of a rock concert! The actors play multiple characters and instruments, all costumes and props are upstage so there's no break in the story being told which is admittedly the most embellished version of the real history!
Did you see the comment that talks about the musical based on Julie called Revenge Song that the Oregon Shakespeare Festival is putting on? It sounds incredible and there's an online showing in Oct!
Comments on the Puppet History video led me here. Love hearing about Julie D'Aubigny from the nuanced take she deserves! This channel is an instant fav ✨
Thanks for making this video! Julie D'Aubigny is such a fascinating figure. I've joked before that Saint-Simon's memoirs are basically an 18th century version of the burn book from mean girls. I've had something of an obsession with Philippe I d'Orleans and Saint-Simon tries so hard to talk smack about him but to me it reads like praise lol.
Thank you for always bring forward interesting, rarely spoken about characters. I love tales about the Tudors, but there is so many times I can hear about little necks and the blaming of teens for being used by men around them.
We may not know her actual story in details, but the fact that she made so many enemies from aristocracy that tried to ruin her image through their writings, only cements that she was a powerful figure that many people, willingly or not, acknowledged as a nuisance they can't get rid of during her lifetime imo.
One thing I really love about your channel is how often you point out that just because a historical document is authentic or a primary source doesn't mean it's accurate. It's really easy to forget that people have always been just as prone as we are to lying, misremembering or getting things wrong. I've honestly started to look at history in a whole new way.
I loved this video. I seriously loved it. Too many RUclips creators don't take their sourcing seriously enough. You gave me one more reason to recommend you to my friends.
Once again I must applaud and thank you for your hard work and research on interesting obscure subjects. Also massive respect for going through all those French legal documents, I’ve taken French for many years and can imagine how much era/profession specific words there must have been. Also possibly using the in writing only verb tense.
I'm obsessed with your channel and the way you dress and the subjects you cover and how you cover them aaaaa! as an autistic girl your channel is responsible for creating a whole new special interest for me and I'm loving it!
Her life was possibly portrayed to be so fantastical because she was just public enough to be a known name, but far enough away that no one truly knows what she was like. Also, if all of these gay things were being done by this specific woman, then everyone can point their finger at her as an example of an improper and outlandish woman.
Amazing video! I have an NPC in a Call of Cthulhu campaign set in renaissance Italy based (loosely) on Le Maupin after falling in love with the "story" of her life which I had previously read; I have to admit, even then I was somewhat skeptical of the story but really wanted to believe it. This video does an amazing job of shedding some light on some of the sketchier elements of the tales told about her; nice work!!! :) [edited for spelling]
Gosh. Watching you take the time and energy to actual RESEARCH these silly memes that float around every few years is really inspiring. Fantastic work!!
Wow! Best youtube history video i’ve ever seen because she questions the sources. We always forget that people back then were like us today. We love gossip and fake news. Phenomenal!
yo i just wanna say that your videos are great and I listen to them at work, then a second time usually with my wife at home. you structure and present information just perfectly, and I love the topics you discuss, keep up the great work and thank you
Having someone bite an ear to the point of bleeding and remaining friends with the bite-e sounds perfectly normal to me. its happened a couple of times to me personally. heck, often that'll make you and I even better friends!
YES JULIE D'AUBIGNY!!! I AM LOSING MY ABSOLUTE MIND RIGHT NOW!!!! OK but fr she is my absolute favorite of all time and I am SO glad you are talking about her again. She was the first queer person in history that I ever heard of, which was so incredibly important to 12 year old me. Maybe she's not the best role model, but she showed me that I *could exist* in this world, and I will always love her for that.
Hearing you taking about how women loving women were seem in the 17th/18th century, now I am curious about how men loving men were seen in the time. Did they were used to defame men too? Also the video is amazing, I had a lot of questions about her history and life and what was real and this video answered all of them.
I don't know much about France but in England it was interesting that the laws against homosexuality was in relation toward men, but never in reference towards women. they literally believed women didn't know how to be intimate with each other, so if they had rules against it, they would get ideas 😒. I know for men the laws were very rarely enforced till Oscar Wilde's time. I recommend the podcast, "You're Dead to Me," they not only did one on Julie (I really enjoyed this channel's info, as well) but also about LGBTQ+ history, too.
Okay forgive the length of this comment, I can finally speak on a subject of men loving men in 17th/18th century Louis the 14th brother, Philippe Duc d’Orlean was extremely well known for his cross dressing and his “slavish devotion” to one Chevalier de Lorraine, in fact Louis the 14th put the Chevalier in jail to cool his heels but also knowing it would infuriate his brother thus when he released him, his brother would let his wife go to England for a secret treaty between England and France it’s important to note, in both of his marriages to women, he produced heirs so it was sort of “you’ve done your duty, fine we’ll let it slide” again he’s the only bisexual/ gay man I’ve noted in french royal history from what I’ve read and of course the chevalier but perhaps that’s because he was the brother of the king and thus protected, though affairs were rampant throughout the french court From what I’ve read ((anyone can correct me as I’ve only read autobiographies on Louis the 14th, madame du pompadour and Marie Antoinette so is there more info let me know)) men loving men wasn’t used as much to vilify or slander men, with Louis the 15th failings during his reign, it was blamed on his mistress and her influence over him, Louis the 16th didn’t have a mistress and he was viewed as weak and pathetic due to that and thus Marie Antoinette was blamed and how her influence was used.
@@meggoldnight no need to apologise for the length of your comment, it was very interesting! I have heard about Louis the 14th brother before. Well I guess it is just what I thought, using WLW as slander was just misogyny.
The deep dive into sources was delightful, but honestly just hearing Kaz talk about Julie d'Aubigny in any context was great. Icons acknowledging icons; you love to see it.
Oh gods, how do you look so good in these historically influenced outfits, you're absolutely killing it. You've slain my sapphic heart with your costumes in every one your videos. 😍
Fascinating! I'd never heard of this woman before. Also, your pronunciation is quite good! Source: studied French for 6 years, though am out of practice. :)
I'm a native French speaker and even though she stumbled a few times her French is 1 of the best YTers who are non-french speakers I've heard attempt French. I'm French Japanese so I've heard some crazy French in my days xD.
I recently heard about her for the first time, and really appreciate your more nuanced and historically accurate take. Thanks for leaning into the truth (as far as we can know it) rather than the more interesting scandal
great video! I liked learning a bit more about how you navigate sources and and compare validity, i think how we come to popularize historical stories is just as interesting as the stories themselves
Frankly, I had never heard of Julie D'Aubigny until now. You have such a natural beauty and I love learning with you! I've watched almost every video you've produced. You are a natural teacher. Thank you so much for what you do, Kaz. Peace out, sister.
Hi, Kaz! I just found your channel recently and, as a huge history fan myself, I am really enjoying binging your videos. Thank you for all the effort that you put into your videos. I can’t fully express how nice it is to have such a fresh, factual, and well-balanced take on many urban legends. Keep up the great work!
Hmmm. Since the fictions usually ended with the lesbian repenting and going into a convent, maybe Julie just got depressed after her lover died and just retired quietly, dying years after she is said to have died. Maybe she never "repented" or went into the convent. They don't know where she was buried.
Lets be honest here, a woman who put eggs in a chicken got skinned after her death because people thought it had magical powers DESPITE her being executed for, oh I dont know, THE FACT THAT SHE WAS A FRAUD. Anywasy, people- especially religious ones, - are kind of... brain dead?
Great video on an interesting subject. I've heard numerous stories about Julie D'Aubigny but your analysis really brought into to context. Love the fencing outfit too.
Loved this! I wrote my senior thesis paper on a comparison of pre-French revolution portraiture and "cornography" since the portraits were commonly in the subject's control but the other was made without their consent. It's an interesting way to see gender control at the time period.
Girl, I binge watched the entirety of your videos two weeks ago and I was dying for the new one and I can say It did not disappointed! Love your take on Julie's story and looking forward for the next vid ;)
i'm gonna carry on the tradition of exaggerating d'aubigny's badass exploits by further claiming she rode a motorcycle. gonna carry on the tradition of slandering her by claiming it was a harley
History is kinda wild considering that for most of it, we only have what people thought was the most belivably plausible form of basically mythology. If even that much, as even the first "historian" was known to just make shit up occasionally.
I'm not even interested in learning about Julie D'Aubigny, but I just found your channel and apparently you can make any historical subject so interesting!!! I love it!
A talented woman stands up for herself and immediately she's regarded as crazy or bad. Actually, I think she was a pretty cool lady and would love to have known her.
The past: let's make her a villain. The present: she's my hero!
The best stories feature a rogue.
Their hero made a sacred vow to the Lord to commit sodomy. That says a lot about a lot of modern movements.
As a professionally-trained historian and an "old stuff" nerd, I wish to express my sincerest gratitude for this channel. The reasons are self-evident for anyone who's sampled a few of these highly-informative video essays. I also appreciate home-made historical costumes, so there's that. Also, there's a dearth of really good sapphic swordfighting content on RUclips.
The IRONY that all of these people wanted to ruin her image by saying these rumors only to make her sound AWESOME. They solidified her as a badass historical character.
Making a vow to the Lord to commit sodomy is so awesome!
@@JsJdv Have you noticed you only cry when gays do "sodomy" but never straight people? It's sad you don't hold on to your faith and only use it to be bigoted and hateful. Also most of you don't know what sodomy means, some of you just want to call people animals.
And honestly man I'd rather commit sodomy than molest children, you know, the thing the church does all the time? And people like you then defend? So much for thinking of the children.
I pray that you one day become a good person. God Bless.
@JsJdv How are you sure that she comitted sodomy? lol. And not everyone considers your Lord their God as well, so whatever law bounds you is not applicable to everyone.
@JsJdv it is! 😁 so glad you agree! 🥰
@JsJdv isn't sodomy just penetration? If you're gonna be homophobic do it right at least damn
D'Aubiny would make the great subject of a Rashomon style movie narrative, something depicting dramatizations of all sorts of different stories and versions of stories about her, with a framework that explicitly explores the "all narrators are unreliable" theme. I'd watch the fuck out of that.
Yes! I was thinking this exact thing while watching! That would be the best way to tell it, since the truth isn't known and there are so many varying perspectives to work with.
That's a great idea!!!
That'd be tight! I'm picturing her being played by a different actor in each version of the story, like that one Bob Dylan movie
I was thinking cuzco from emperors new groove her narrating her life to make her life sound more bad a$$ than it likely was.
I agree! But also, a musical??
I absolutely love your critical approach to sources. IMO knowing that these stories are false and/or exaggerated doesn't make Julie D'Aubigny any less interesting. She must have been a very outspoken and openly non-conforming person to attract such gossip.
Indeed.
I know it's a bit questionable, but I do sincerely hope the part about Julie beating the three guys in a duel at the ball and just returning afterwards and Louis just being real chill about is true.
it's truly wild how whenever men in the past tried to slander a woman and paint her as a villain they end up making her look extremely cool and badass and sexy like yes please tell me more about this vile conniving seductress
"She had skill with a sword and caused considerable violence and destruction over often same-sex love interests? How horrible!!! Tell me everything 👀💦"
👏🏼💙😘
The whole thing with the probably made-up circumstances of her death... I'm struck by the fact that they all completely smack of "things that happened to women in well-known operas of the time". Retiring to a hermitage after some lover-related drama is what the heroine of Verdi's La Forza del Destino does, and the hallucinating and so forth is Lucia di Lammermoor. (And, of course, the "dying in iniquity in Paris" is... take your pick, honestly, but mostly La Traviata.)
Yea, the story of her death smells a lot like something made-up in the 19th century. Dramatically-kill-your-female-protagonist-as-punishment-for-violating-patriarchal-rules-about-how-women-are-supposed-to-behave is very much a 19th-century opera trope, and those are all 19th-century operas. (Lucia: 1839, Traviata: 1853, Forza del Destino: 1862. ) Given 19th-century historians' loosey-goosey methods, I wouldn't be surprised.
@@michaellacipriani6012 And 18th century Voltaire-ian vibes at 40:40, where Kaz reads the Gilbert adds that *"Her body was cast upon the rubbish heap,"* while in Candide circa 1759, we get: *"Candide was greatly taken with an actress, who performed the part of Queen Elizabeth in a dull kind of tragedy that is played sometimes...[and] desired to know how a queen of England was treated in France. “There is a necessary distinction to be observed in these matters,” said the abbe. “In a country town we take them to a tavern; here in Paris, they are treated with great respect during their lifetime, provided they are handsome, and when they die we throw their bodies upon a dunghill.”* Voltaire's satirizing the hypocrisy to claim to be so (fashionably) pious yet chuck an actress's (aka an at-that-time "scandalous" woman's) body onto a dunghill to rot...and Gilbert, whether or not he ever read Voltaire, seems to be doing that but WITHOUT the satiric irony, "And they tossed that non-conforming bitch's body onto the rubbish heap--yep, that seems legit."
😊
Came here after the Puppet History video on her, which I wasn't too happy with. I love Puppet History, but they really leaned into these rumours and shamed her for her lifestyle. Thank you for this video.
same here, i was really disappointed with them :(
i like kaz's coverage of this story a lot better
Likewise! I wish Joyce had been a guest on that episode. She would have evened that shit out and I feel it would have brought the best out of Ryan.
Strange Æons just covered her in a recent video and ever since then I’ve been wanting to know more about her so this video was perfect timing! Another banger as always Kaz
Another child of father strange 👀
so did angelica asmr a couple of years ago
If you want more videos on Julie just search her name on youtube. There's a lot of videos on her. I would recommend the videos from Jessica Kellgren-Fozard, Iilluminaughtii, Extra Credits and A Space Alien Explains for example.
Most of them cover the same main things, but I like the different presentations. And all the videos covering her call make her sound so badass!
Of course most of the videos except for Kaz's aren't full on research missions.
@@HotDogTimeMachine385 thanks I’ll definitely check those out :D
@sockiesocks For pure fun, the Citation Needed episode from the Technical Difficulties is how I first heard of her, and is silly but great.
Hearing about her burning down a convent is absolutely hilarious to me and reminds me of how my great great grandmother burned down a brothel as my great grandmother watched. Its my mom and aunt’s favorite story to tell and it’s my favorite to hear.
I love Tutter's position in this video, he looks completely enthralled by your telling.
Having watched multiple channels attempt to tackle the stories of La Maupin, I am appreciative of your choice to actually name her contemporaries and the context necessary to sift through their slander in attempting to find any small truths we can glean. Your video has been the only one (of at least four I can say) that I have walked away feeling like I understood a little bit more about the time Julie lived and not just fun stories.
yeah I am always impressed at the depth of research Kaz does and how they always present a lengthy list of sources at the end of every video - which is important to do with topic matter surrounded by so many tall tales and political controversies
I just finished watching "The Wild History of Historical Gay Nuns" and now I get to learn more about Julie D'Aubigny :D
Hi! Military Historian here! (Please don't hurt me I'm not obsessed with Germany or whatever I swear)
Anyways, there is something regarding the sapphic nature of women in traditionally male dominated roles that seems to repeat over the span of the 17th up to the 19th century. There are some interesting dualities if we compare them with, for instance, the stories of women soldiers, and even more some somewhat famous ones. One that I recall is that of Cavalry Captain Nadezhda Durova, who fought in the Russian Army during the Napoleonic Wars, veteran of both the Prussian campaigns of 1806 and the Russian Campaign of 1812, having even been wounded in tve Battle of Borodino. While most accounts on her life serve as a sort of testament to her abilities as a soldier, also probably part of Tzar Alexander's Propaganda campaign to make himself look progressive as a way to avoid having the same issues Louis had in France, Nadezhda's story is regarded as that of someone who found a greater calling, that of the Nation, and joined, "despite" being a woman, the role of a fighter. It's interesting that there are several Sapphic elements to her stories, like that a noble girl from Mauripol, where her Regiment, the Mauripol Hussars was stationed, fell in love with her, and yet she regarded the girl as an annoyance and requested to be moved to the Uhlans of Lithuana, and to the front lines, to get away from the unwanted attention.
I've been dwelling on the artistic and literary representations of women in the armed forces for a while, and it seems that there are certain parallels and dualities regarding their depictions. It's interesting to see how their depictions of strength and "uncanny" ability as fighters or to endure the hardship of the world of men, is frowned upon as a tool to their own development or success, but celebrated, or at least understood, when done for the greater calling of King and Country. Nadezhda wasn't a lesbian going around seducing young women, it was young naïve girls falling for her while her true call was fighting in the name and glory of the Tzar.
Now, going into my own field in colonial studies and military history (I'm peruvian so I've worked a lot with Latin American culture and military history). One thing that places like Peru or Mexico was known for was the women in armies. The Adelitas of the Mexican Civil War or the Rabonas in the wars fought in the Andes, all were regarded as a necessary evil. In most cases, the lack of proper state infrastructure for the fielding of armies made it so camp followers were the basis of military logistics. This was not uncommon. Even in the large european armies of the 18th and 19th century, female corps existed in order to provide for the troops. In France, even during the revolution, the Vivandiers were vital to the subsistence of armies in campaigns such as the War of the First Coalition and even the Napoleonic Wars. However one key difference exists.
French-Peruvian traveler, and also feminist and communist, Flora Tristan, in 1838 wrote a memoir of her travels to Peru during a legal conundrum she had in order to receive an inheritance from the peruvian side of the Family. Her arrival coincided with one of the many civil wars that the country had during the mid 19th Century, and she saw first hand what women camp followers did on the field. Unlike the uniformed but still femininely dressed vivandiers of the french armies, these women wore sturdy work clothes. Many carried their children to battle, were armed, and if the worst were to happen and the army be defeated or their encampments attacked, they would usually grab a gun and fight alongside their husbands, lovers, brothers or clients (since many were also sex workers). This is not unlike the Soldaderas in the Mexican Revolution, who took rifles and went on to fight, sometimes even leading their own brigand bands.
I think it's an interesting dynamic which repeats over most of the Early Modern Era. Women with certain "manly" attributes can be begrudgingly accepted in a men's place, like the Army, but only if they do it following a perhaps mother-like sense of sacrifice. Doing it for King and country, and accepting their role and identity as a cis-het woman, like the martially-clad Corps du Vivandiers of the Grande-Armee, with still quite femenine attire. As soon as those same attributes are used for their own growth and their own personal desires and development, that's when it's no longer a self sacrificing woman that left her place in her home to serve some greater calling, but a self-serving degenerate and potentially depraved sexual predator. I guess the stories of Julie and Nadezhda are in a way two faces of the same coin.
Anyways, sorry for the lengthy comment.
Don't apologize, I was happy to read it. Thanks for the very interesting extra info
Thank you for the fascinating perspective!
My God, that was fascinating, thank you! I'm very intrigued by the napoleonic invasion of Russia, so now you have sent me down a new fascinating rabbit hole!
Don't apologize, it's fantastic! Excellent analysis!
Can I correct you? Nadezhda Durova used to go by Alexander Alexandrov his whole life and he lived to be 82. His friends also treated him as a man and he referred to himself as such. Now it is believed that he was a trans man.
Rest assured, the research and careful scrutinising of old documents only makes this video more interesting! Brilliant job, you never fail to deliver
This trans girlie is up at 2:30 am in Ghana feeling depressed and out of place all day after reading about a well loved Kenyan LGBT activist brutally taken away from us and discarded. Your wonderful videos have been a tonic and reminder of our place in world history and culture today thank you
Some other creators: Wow, what a badass! Wow, queer history! Wow!
Kaz: Hold on, let's look at the sources.
From superhero to just a strong ass non-gender-conforming sapphic woman, which is better IMO
Not boring at all this explains A LOT
0:19 Okay but can you actually imagine an Assassin’s Creed game centered around her? It would be so much better than whatever Assassin’s Creed Unity was (it wasn’t that bad I’m just being unnecessarily mean but you get what I mean).
I would play the hell out of that game!
No one wants that shite
Your outfit is (as ususal) incredible.
Oh to have access to that closet 🥰
Love her outfits, she can really pull of a linen tunic!
Julie's story is definitely becoming more popular in modern times, and I love it. She reminds me quite a bit of one of my favorite anime characters, Utena Tenjou.
This^^. Glad you made that connection!! I. Love Revolutionary Girl Utena! There's a manga that differs quite a bit from the anime, and its one of my favorites!
Don't forget Oscar de Jarjayes from Rose of Versailles
I know her life was not the same, but it reminded me so much of some of the women from the manga Innocent, especially Marie Josèphe Sanson haha. She's such a strong and cool character. If you interester in french history, you could give it a read (and the continuation Innocent Rouge). It's quite gruesome as it follows the head executioners family, but I really enjoyed the storytelling and artstyle
I was literally just thinking about Utena while watching this video lmao.
It's fascinating how many people back in the day had such negative views of her while so many today look at her tall tales and see her as someone to look up to. The evolution of the public perception of Julie D'Aubigny is telling of the change in social and societal norms.
Kaz, the fact that you DO share so much about your sources is exactly why I'm enjoying this channel. Quite a lot of folk on this site will just say any old thing if it brings in the clicks. Please never stop doing it EXACTLY the way you do it.
I’ve heard multiple RUclipsrs talk about D’Aubigny, so I’m so happy to have learned so many new things about whether or not these tales were factual or slander. Great job!
Me seeing this as a Sapphic opera singer *literally runs to watch this*
Perfect timing I just saw a new musical based on her life at Edinburgh fringe🗡💃
It's called Julie: The Musical and it's done in the style of a rock concert! The actors play multiple characters and instruments, all costumes and props are upstage so there's no break in the story being told which is admittedly the most embellished version of the real history!
Did you see the comment that talks about the musical based on Julie called Revenge Song that the Oregon Shakespeare Festival is putting on? It sounds incredible and there's an online showing in Oct!
@laurawagner
Comments on the Puppet History video led me here. Love hearing about Julie D'Aubigny from the nuanced take she deserves! This channel is an instant fav ✨
I appreciate your critical eye on this. I honestly first learned of Julie through viral tumblr posts that of course lacked sources of any kind.
I had a feeling you would eventually cover her and following your stories on Instagram I instantly KNEW. I'm always ready for history by Kaz ❤️
Thanks for making this video! Julie D'Aubigny is such a fascinating figure. I've joked before that Saint-Simon's memoirs are basically an 18th century version of the burn book from mean girls. I've had something of an obsession with Philippe I d'Orleans and Saint-Simon tries so hard to talk smack about him but to me it reads like praise lol.
I thought the exact same while watching this video haha
"friend of the show, bram stoker" killed me 😂😂😂
Loved the video! Thank you for all the work you put into your content! 10/10
Truly the grandmother of chaotic bisexuals everywhere
Thank you for always bring forward interesting, rarely spoken about characters. I love tales about the Tudors, but there is so many times I can hear about little necks and the blaming of teens for being used by men around them.
We may not know her actual story in details, but the fact that she made so many enemies from aristocracy that tried to ruin her image through their writings, only cements that she was a powerful figure that many people, willingly or not, acknowledged as a nuisance they can't get rid of during her lifetime imo.
Fascinating as always! All those stories about Julie D'Aubigny make her sound like a female Giacomo Casanova and I'm here for it tbh.
One thing I really love about your channel is how often you point out that just because a historical document is authentic or a primary source doesn't mean it's accurate. It's really easy to forget that people have always been just as prone as we are to lying, misremembering or getting things wrong. I've honestly started to look at history in a whole new way.
kaz has uploaded therefore my schedule today is full
I enjoyed how critical you were and the many sources. Well done! I really like listening to you
Just started college so glad I have RUclips to help keep me company/sane while I’m still meeting people. Hope you’re doing well your work is top notch
Puppet history just posted a video and i have yet to watch it but this video was the first thing that popped in my hesd
Same!
I loved this video. I seriously loved it. Too many RUclips creators don't take their sourcing seriously enough. You gave me one more reason to recommend you to my friends.
Such a pleasure to hear you pronounce French names properly 💕
Once again I must applaud and thank you for your hard work and research on interesting obscure subjects. Also massive respect for going through all those French legal documents, I’ve taken French for many years and can imagine how much era/profession specific words there must have been. Also possibly using the in writing only verb tense.
This channel deserves way more views. Keep up the great videos.
I could watch Kaz explain obscure history forever.
I'm obsessed with your channel and the way you dress and the subjects you cover and how you cover them aaaaa! as an autistic girl your channel is responsible for creating a whole new special interest for me and I'm loving it!
I think Julie D'aubigny is a fascinating person! She deserves a show on Netflix!
just as i sit down to crochet u post!!! thank u so much:)
The openings of these videos keeps improving. This was probably the best so far.
Her life was possibly portrayed to be so fantastical because she was just public enough to be a known name, but far enough away that no one truly knows what she was like. Also, if all of these gay things were being done by this specific woman, then everyone can point their finger at her as an example of an improper and outlandish woman.
Amazing video! I have an NPC in a Call of Cthulhu campaign set in renaissance Italy based (loosely) on Le Maupin after falling in love with the "story" of her life which I had previously read; I have to admit, even then I was somewhat skeptical of the story but really wanted to believe it. This video does an amazing job of shedding some light on some of the sketchier elements of the tales told about her; nice work!!! :) [edited for spelling]
Gosh. Watching you take the time and energy to actual RESEARCH these silly memes that float around every few years is really inspiring. Fantastic work!!
Wow! Best youtube history video i’ve ever seen because she questions the sources. We always forget that people back then were like us today. We love gossip and fake news. Phenomenal!
I could watch Kaz explain history forever
If a movie is ever made about Julie, I hope you will be the #1 consultant on it!
yo i just wanna say that your videos are great and I listen to them at work, then a second time usually with my wife at home. you structure and present information just perfectly, and I love the topics you discuss, keep up the great work and thank you
Having someone bite an ear to the point of bleeding and remaining friends with the bite-e sounds perfectly normal to me. its happened a couple of times to me personally. heck, often that'll make you and I even better friends!
arguably julie d'aubingy has become a bit of a folk hero
YES JULIE D'AUBIGNY!!! I AM LOSING MY ABSOLUTE MIND RIGHT NOW!!!!
OK but fr she is my absolute favorite of all time and I am SO glad you are talking about her again. She was the first queer person in history that I ever heard of, which was so incredibly important to 12 year old me. Maybe she's not the best role model, but she showed me that I *could exist* in this world, and I will always love her for that.
Can we be besties? Because same!
where did you first hear of her?
@@bestbi3587 I read a book called Goddess that is a reimaging of her life.
Kaz take my heart ugh
The small but surprisingly thriving subset of opera fans who are both young and gay thank you.
Hearing you taking about how women loving women were seem in the 17th/18th century, now I am curious about how men loving men were seen in the time. Did they were used to defame men too?
Also the video is amazing, I had a lot of questions about her history and life and what was real and this video answered all of them.
I don't know much about France but in England it was interesting that the laws against homosexuality was in relation toward men, but never in reference towards women.
they literally believed women didn't know how to be intimate with each other, so if they had rules against it, they would get ideas 😒.
I know for men the laws were very rarely enforced till Oscar Wilde's time.
I recommend the podcast, "You're Dead to Me," they not only did one on Julie (I really enjoyed this channel's info, as well) but also about LGBTQ+ history, too.
I also would like to know 🤔
Okay forgive the length of this comment, I can finally speak on a subject of men loving men in 17th/18th century
Louis the 14th brother, Philippe Duc d’Orlean was extremely well known for his cross dressing and his “slavish devotion” to one Chevalier de Lorraine, in fact Louis the 14th put the Chevalier in jail to cool his heels but also knowing it would infuriate his brother thus when he released him, his brother would let his wife go to England for a secret treaty between England and France
it’s important to note, in both of his marriages to women, he produced heirs so it was sort of “you’ve done your duty, fine we’ll let it slide” again he’s the only bisexual/ gay man I’ve noted in french royal history from what I’ve read and of course the chevalier but perhaps that’s because he was the brother of the king and thus protected, though affairs were rampant throughout the french court
From what I’ve read ((anyone can correct me as I’ve only read autobiographies on Louis the 14th, madame du pompadour and Marie Antoinette so is there more info let me know)) men loving men wasn’t used as much to vilify or slander men, with Louis the 15th failings during his reign, it was blamed on his mistress and her influence over him, Louis the 16th didn’t have a mistress and he was viewed as weak and pathetic due to that and thus Marie Antoinette was blamed and how her influence was used.
@@meggoldnight no need to apologise for the length of your comment, it was very interesting! I have heard about Louis the 14th brother before.
Well I guess it is just what I thought, using WLW as slander was just misogyny.
@@lordarthur2165 I’ll let you know if I learn more but so far it seems that way
I love those sword earrings, and the rose, my friend. Good job on all this research and pronunciation of French stuff.
I came looking for this story and Kaz delivered 🙏
Reminds me of Shojo Icons like Lady Oscar (Rose of Versailles) and Utena (Revolutionary Girl Utena)
I was dying for you to cover this story holy crap! thank you
The deep dive into sources was delightful, but honestly just hearing Kaz talk about Julie d'Aubigny in any context was great. Icons acknowledging icons; you love to see it.
Oh gods, how do you look so good in these historically influenced outfits, you're absolutely killing it. You've slain my sapphic heart with your costumes in every one your videos. 😍
Moll Cutpurse was another historical firebrand and possibly one of the first English Actresses.
I love You're Dead to Me. I'm always excited about a shot out for podcasts.
Just found this channel today, and I cannot. Stop. Watching.
I'm from Toulouse and now I wanna go search the archives to try and find anything about the convent fire and trial lol
Did you end up going? :D
Fascinating! I'd never heard of this woman before. Also, your pronunciation is quite good! Source: studied French for 6 years, though am out of practice. :)
I'm a native French speaker and even though she stumbled a few times her French is 1 of the best YTers who are non-french speakers I've heard attempt French.
I'm French Japanese so I've heard some crazy French in my days xD.
SO THATS HOW HER NAMES PRONOUNCED
my favorite historical figure
you have an insane ability to make historical documents very interesting
I recently heard about her for the first time, and really appreciate your more nuanced and historically accurate take. Thanks for leaning into the truth (as far as we can know it) rather than the more interesting scandal
great video! I liked learning a bit more about how you navigate sources and and compare validity, i think how we come to popularize historical stories is just as interesting as the stories themselves
Tutter looks so cozy in his rocking chair
Frankly, I had never heard of Julie D'Aubigny until now. You have such a natural beauty and I love learning with you! I've watched almost every video you've produced. You are a natural teacher. Thank you so much for what you do, Kaz. Peace out, sister.
Hi, Kaz! I just found your channel recently and, as a huge history fan myself, I am really enjoying binging your videos. Thank you for all the effort that you put into your videos. I can’t fully express how nice it is to have such a fresh, factual, and well-balanced take on many urban legends. Keep up the great work!
Hmmm. Since the fictions usually ended with the lesbian repenting and going into a convent, maybe Julie just got depressed after her lover died and just retired quietly, dying years after she is said to have died. Maybe she never "repented" or went into the convent. They don't know where she was buried.
Lets be honest here, a woman who put eggs in a chicken got skinned after her death because people thought it had magical powers DESPITE her being executed for, oh I dont know, THE FACT THAT SHE WAS A FRAUD.
Anywasy, people- especially religious ones, - are kind of... brain dead?
I had such a hard time doing research myself about her around 4 years ago, so thank you so much for this video :)
Great video on an interesting subject. I've heard numerous stories about Julie D'Aubigny but your analysis really brought into to context. Love the fencing outfit too.
Ah yes! The first dnd BARD
Loved this! I wrote my senior thesis paper on a comparison of pre-French revolution portraiture and "cornography" since the portraits were commonly in the subject's control but the other was made without their consent. It's an interesting way to see gender control at the time period.
Her story reminds me of the Rose of Versailles the manga and anime but that was slightly more melodramatic than her story.
Remember when Russell T Davies did that TV series about Casanova starring David Tennant in 2005?
This story sounds like a fantastic sequel series.
Girl, I binge watched the entirety of your videos two weeks ago and I was dying for the new one and I can say It did not disappointed! Love your take on Julie's story and looking forward for the next vid ;)
i'm gonna carry on the tradition of exaggerating d'aubigny's badass exploits by further claiming she rode a motorcycle. gonna carry on the tradition of slandering her by claiming it was a harley
25:39 had to pause it there for a second, i was like "wow, that song's a blast from the past"
I love that you read so many of the primary sources! They're fascinating.
This was really fascinating. Far from boring! Excellent work Kaz :)
this is such a refresher after the watcher episode
History is kinda wild considering that for most of it, we only have what people thought was the most belivably plausible form of basically mythology. If even that much, as even the first "historian" was known to just make shit up occasionally.
I'm not even interested in learning about Julie D'Aubigny, but I just found your channel and apparently you can make any historical subject so interesting!!! I love it!
I love your looks into history that I not heard of before. This one warms all the history nerd places in my ❤️
one of my favorite citation needed episodes covers her! fascinating woman
She pretended to be a doctor and said "This nun has a terrible disease! She must come with me immediately!" And the doctor also has a sword.
I truly enjoyed you going over sources
I love how careful you are to try to weed out the truth but all we are left with is the extreme and bombastic.
A talented woman stands up for herself and immediately she's regarded as crazy or bad. Actually, I think she was a pretty cool lady and would love to have known her.