Marie Anne Adelaide Lenormand, The Empress’s Oracle

Nov 1, 2023

Marie Anne Adelaide Lenormand, an influential French fortune-teller in the 19th century, provided illegal cartomancy readings to important individuals. The hosts discuss her enigmatic life, early divination experiences, predictions on the downfall of the French monarchy and the French Revolution, her imprisonment, and the impact of her fortune-telling on the famous trial of 1800. They also follow Rose's journey from prison to power, explore Lenormand's claim to the Sterling peerage, and touch on her connection to Napoleon and the royalist cause.

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Introduction

00:00 • 2min

Marie Anne Adelaide Lenormand, The Empress’s Oracle

01:34 • 3min

Marie Anne Adelaide Lenormand's Early Life and Introduction to Divination

04:34 • 4min

Marie Anne Adelaide Lenormand's Early Life and Predictions

08:11 • 4min

The Trial of 1800 and Marie Lenormand's Divination

12:22 • 8min

Rose's Journey: From Prison to Power

20:35 • 8min

Marie Anne Adelaide Lenormand and Alexander Humphrey's Claim to the Sterling Peerage

28:35 • 21min

Advertisements and Sponsors

49:29 • 2min

Lenormand was a fortune-teller in France in the 19th century. She was hugely influential, because despite her work being illegal, very important and powerful people consulted her for cartomancy readings.

Research:

"Marie Anne Lenormand." Encyclopedia of World Biography Online, vol. 38, Gale, 2018. Gale In Context: U.S. History, link.gale.com/apps/doc/K1631010818/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=13b27256. Accessed 5 Oct. 2023.
“Madmoiselle Lenormand.” Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science and Arts, Volume 3. W.R. Chambers. 1845. https://books.google.com/books?id=TodTAAAAYAAJ
Delistraty, Cody. “The Surprising Historical Significance of Fortune-Telling.” JSTOR Daily. 10/26/2016. https://daily.jstor.org/surprising-historical-significance-fortune-telling/
Goodrich, Frank Boott. “The court of Napoleon.” New York, Derby & Jackson. 1857. https://archive.org/details/courtofnapoleon00good
Greer, Mary K. “Mlle. Lenormand, the most famous card reader of all time.” Mary K. Greer's Tarot Blog. https://marykgreer.com/2008/02/12/madame-le-normand-the-most-famous-card-reader-of-all-time/
Gronow, Rees Howell. “Celebrities of London and Paris: Being a Third Series of Reminiscences and Anecdotes of the Camp the Court and the Clubs : Containing a Correct Account of the Coup D'état.” Smith, Elder & Company, 1865
Harvey, David Allen. “Beyond Enlightenment: Occultism, Politics, and Culture in France from the Old Regime to the Fin-de-Siècle.” The Historian , SPRING 2003, Vol. 65, No. 3. Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24452371
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Jewett, J.P. “Remarkable Women of Different Nations and Ages.” 1858. https://archive.org/details/remarkablewomen00unkngoog/page/n220/
Le Normand, M. A. “The oracle of human destiny: or, the unerring foreteller of future events, and accurate interpreter of mystical signs and influences; through the medium of common cards.” London. C.S. Arnold. 1825. https://archive.org/details/b29337926/page/n24/mode/1up
Levi, Eliphas. “Dogma et Rituel de la Haute Magie.” Translated by A. E. Waite. Vol. 2. Originally published by Rider & Company, England, 1896.
O'Meara, Barry Edward. “Napoleon in Exile, Or, A Voice from St. Helena.” W. Simpkin and R. Marshall, 1822.
Rogers, Charles. “Memorials of the earl of Stirling and of the house of Alexander.” 1877. https://books.google.com/books?id=zXABAAAAQAAJ
Shelley, Lady Frances. “The diary of Frances, Lady Shelley.” Vol. 1. 1912. https://archive.org/details/diaryoffrancesla0001shel/
Sylverne, Stephanie. “Good Fortune: How Empress Bonaparte Popularized the Tarot Card Trend and Made Her Cartomancer a Household Name.” Mental Floss. 11/1/2017. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/509667/good-fortune-how-empress-bonaparte-popularized-tarot-card-trend-and-made-her-cartomancer-household
The National Magazine. “Mademoiselle le Normand.” 1853. https://archive.org/details/sim_national-magazine-devoted-to-literature-art-and-religion_1853-05_2_5

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