The Sword and the Stage: La Maupin, the Scandalous Virtuosa of Baroque France
Julie d’Aubigny, better known as La Maupin, was a French opera singer, expert swordswoman, and outlaw who lived as boldly as the heroines she portrayed. Born into a noble family and trained at court, she eloped as a teenager, took up fencing, and began performing dressed in men’s clothing, while seducing both women and men across France.
Her romantic exploits are the stuff of legend: rescuing a young nun from a convent (after burning the building to cover their escape), duelling multiple noblemen in one night, and defying laws that criminalised same-sex relationships. Yet she was also a celebrated mezzo-soprano, starring at the Paris Opéra and gaining the king’s pardon more than once thanks to her unmatched voice and court connections.
La Maupin didn’t just defy gender roles: she dismantled them. She lived as both man and woman, lover and fighter, divine singer and social scandal. Her wardrobe, her duels, her lovers, and her roles all blurred the boundaries of identity in ways that made her a queer icon avant la lettre.
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