Memoirs

In his memoirs the full splendor of the oeuvre of Prince Charles-Joseph de Ligne is revealed. His wit has survived the centuries. Goethe called him 'the most cheerful man of his time'. The Belgian nobleman was a welcome guest at the European royal courts. Military man, diplomat, European, writer, bon vivant, brilliant conversationalist and a born charmer: De Ligne was all of these. He was a regular guest at Maria-Theresia, Joseph II, Marie-Antoinette, Louis XV, Catherine the Great and Frederick of Prussia. Rousseau and Voltaire were among his acquaintances and as a seasoned libertine he got along very well with Casanova, whom he helped with the publication of his memoirs. After the French Revolution, which ruined him, the prince settled in Vienna, where he wrote down his own memoirs. The Memoires of Charles-Joseph de Ligne (Brussels, 1735 – Vienna, 1814) are much more than a document of the times. They are teeming with witty bon mots and spicy anecdotes. Their unique and sparkling tone makes them a wonderful lesson in the art of living in the eighteenth century.