Hamilton, Emma, Lady

Hamilton, Emma, Lady

born с 1761, Great Neston, Cheshire, Eng.
died Jan. 15, 1815, Calais, France

English social figure, mistress of Horatio Nelson.

In 1786 she became the mistress, and in 1791 the wife, of Sir William Hamilton (17301803), British envoy to Naples. A beautiful woman whose portrait was frequently painted by George Romney, she was a favourite in Neapolitan society. She became Nelson's mistress in 1798 and gave birth to their daughter, Horatia, in 1801, then lived with Nelson after her husband's death (1803). She later squandered the money both men left her, was imprisoned for debt (181314), and died in poverty.

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British mistress
original name  Amy Lyon  
born c. 1761, , Great Neston, Cheshire, Eng.
died Jan. 15, 1815, Calais, France

      mistress of the British naval hero Admiral Horatio (afterward Viscount) Nelson. (Nelson, Horatio Nelson, Viscount)

      The daughter of a blacksmith, she was calling herself Emily Hart when, in 1781, she began to live with Charles Francis Greville, nephew of her future husband, Sir William Hamilton (Hamilton, Sir William), British envoy to the Kingdom of Naples. In 1786 Greville sent her to Naples to be his uncle's mistress in return for Hamilton's payment of Greville's debts. On Sept. 6, 1791, she and Hamilton were married.

      A beautiful woman whose portrait was frequently painted by George Romney, Lady Emma Hamilton was already a great favourite in Neapolitan society and was the diplomatic intermediary between her husband and her close friend Queen Maria Carolina of Naples. It was said that Lady Hamilton facilitated Nelson's victory over the French in the Battle of the Nile (Aug. 1, 1798) by securing Neapolitan permission for his fleet to obtain stores and water in Sicily.

      Lady Hamilton and Nelson, who had met in 1793, became lovers after his Nile triumph. In 1800, when the British government recalled Hamilton, Nelson returned with him and his wife to England, where she flaunted her control over the admiral. They had two daughters, one of whom survived infancy. After her husband's death (April 6, 1803) she lived with Nelson at Merton, Surrey. Although she inherited money from both men (Nelson was killed at the Battle of Trafalgar, Oct. 21, 1805), she squandered most of it, was imprisoned for debt (181314), and died in impecunious exile.

Additional Reading
Colin Simpson, Emma (1983); and Flora Fraser, Beloved Emma (1986; also published as Emma, Lady Hamilton, 1987), are sympathetic treatments.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • HAMILTON, EMMA, LADY —    née Amy Lyon or Hart, born at Ness, Cheshire, a labourer s daughter; appeared as the Lady in the charlatan Graham s Temple of Health, London; became the mother of two illegitimate children, and subsequently was the geliebte of the Hon. Charles …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

  • Hamilton, Emma, Lady — orig. Amy Lyon ( 1761, Great Neston, Cheshire, Inglaterra–15 ene. 1815, Calais, Francia). Figura de la sociedad inglesa, amante de Horatio Nelson. En 1786 se convirtió en la amante y en 1791 en la esposa de Sir William Hamilton (n. 1730–m. 1803) …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Emma, Lady Hamilton — Emma Hamilton Pour les articles homonymes, voir Hamilton. Lady Hamilton en Bacchante, par Élisabeth Vigée Lebrun, Naples, 1790–1791 Lady Emma Hamilton ( …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Hamilton, Emma Harte — Hamilton, Emma Harte, nachmalige Lady, eine auf sehr verschiedene Weise berühmt gewordene Frau. Wann und wo sie das Licht der Welt erblickte, ist unbekannt, doch nimmt man an, daß sie aus der Grafschaft Chester gebürtig und die natürliche Tochter …   Damen Conversations Lexikon

  • Emma, Lady Hamilton — Infobox Person name = Emma, Lady Hamilton imagesize = caption = by George Romney, 1782 birth date = 1761 birth place = Neston, Cheshire, England death date = 15 January 1815 death place = Calais, France death cause = Liver failure occupation =… …   Wikipedia

  • Hamilton, Emma Lyon, lady — ► (1765 1815) Aventurera británica. Se casó con lord Hamilton. Fue amiga predilecta de la reina María Carolina de Nápoles …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Emma Hamilton — Emma, Lady Hamilton Emma Hamilton, pintada por George Romney, h. 1785 …   Wikipedia Español

  • Hamilton — constituye la 4º area metropolitana de Nueva Zelanda. Se encuentra en el distrito de Waikato (en la Isla Norte) a 129 km al sur de Auckland. Hamilton es una ciudad que ha crecido mucho en los últimos años llegando a 197,000 habitantes, incluyendo …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Emma — (Emma) ► (m. 990) Reina de Francia, hija de Lotario II. Casó con Lotario de Francia y tomó parte en las luchas entre su esposo y Hugo Capeto. (Emma) ► (985 1052) Reina de Inglaterra, hermana de Ricardo I. Casó con el rey anglosajón Etelredo II… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Hamilton, Sir William — ▪ British diplomat born Dec. 13, 1730, Scotland died April 6, 1803, London, Eng.       British diplomat and archaeologist who was the husband of Emma, Lady Hamilton (Hamilton, Emma, Lady), the mistress of Admiral Horatio Nelson.       Hamilton… …   Universalium

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