Доротея Джордан: Англиялық актриса және сүйікті әйел

Anglo Irish actress and courtesan

Dorothea Jordan (née Bland; 22 November 17615 July 1816) was an Anglo Irish actress, as well as a courtesan. She was the long time mistress of Prince William, Duke of Clarence (later King William IV), and the mother of 10 illegitimate children by him, all of whom took the surname FitzClarence. She was known professionally as Dorothea Francis and Dorothea Jordan, was informally Dora Jordan, and she commonly was referred to as Mrs Jordan and Mrs FitzClarence.

She had an affair with Richard Daly, who was manager of Dublin's Crow Street Theatre and then of Smock Alley. Daly was married, and she had an illegitimate child with him:
Frances Daly (also called Fanny; born in September 1782; she later changed her name to Frances Bettesworth in 1806 and married Thomas Alsop in 1807; she died 2 June 1821). Jordan's work with Richard Daly helped establish her as an actress in Dublin until the two separated and she left for England. She then went to work for the theatre company operated by Tate Wilkinson. It was at this point she adopted the name Mrs. Jordan – a reference to her escape across the Irish Sea, likened to the River Jordan. The name "Mrs Jordan" was also reportedly given to her by Richard Daly for "motherly reasons", soon after she gave birth to their first illegitimate child. She appeared at Wilkinson's York Circuit theatres, including The Theatre, Leeds, where she complained of uncomfortable working conditions.

Shortly after her affair with Wilkinson was over, she began an affair with George Inchbald, the male lead in the Wilkinson company. According to biographer Claire Tomalin, Jordan had hopes of their marrying, but he was wary of committing himself; later he regretted this and proposed to her, but she turned him down.

In late 1786, Jordan began an affair with Sir Richard Ford, then a police magistrate and lawyer. She moved in with him, believing he intended marriage. They had three illegitimate children:
Dorothea Maria Ford (born August 1787, married in 1809 to Frederick Edward March, a natural son of Lord Henry FitzGerald). A son (who died at birth in October or November 1788). Lucy Hester Ford (born 1789, died 1850, Jordan's children were placed under the care of her sister Hester, who moved with them to a house in Brompton. According to a settlement dated 4 November 1791, Jordan transferred all her savings to Ford and Hester for the maintenance and education of the children; in addition, she allowed them an annual payment and granted Hester an allowance for her services.

In 1790, Jordan became the mistress of Prince William, Duke of Clarence, the third son of King George III. He had met her at Drury Lane. She began living with him first at Clarence Lodge and later, in 1797, at Bushy House. Together they had 10 illegitimate children, all of whom took the surname FitzClarence:
George FitzClarence (29 January 179420 March 1842), created Earl of Munster in 1831. Married Mary Wyndham. Henry Edward FitzClarence (27 March 1795September 1817). Unmarried. Sophia FitzClarence (August 179610 April 1837), married Philip Sidney, 1st Baron De L'Isle and Dudley. Mary FitzClarence (19 December 179813 July 1864), married General Charles Richard Fox. No issue. Lieutenant General Lord Frederick FitzClarence GCH (9 December 179930 October 1854), officer in the British Army. Married Lady Augusta Boyle. Elizabeth FitzClarence (17 January 180116 January 1856), married William Hay, 18th Earl of Erroll. Rear Admiral Lord Adolphus FitzClarence, Royal Guelphic Order, Aide de camp, Royal Navy (18 February 180217 May 1856). Unmarried. Augusta FitzClarence (17 November 18038 December 1865) married, firstly, Hon. John Kennedy Erskine, 5 July 1827, married secondly, Admiral Lord Frederick Gordon Hallyburton. Lord Augustus FitzClarence (1 March 180514 June 1854), rector at Mapledurham in Oxfordshire. Married Sarah Elizabeth Catharine Gordon. Amelia FitzClarence (21 March 18072 July 1858), married Lucius Bentinck Cary, 10th Viscount Falkland. During this time, Jordan was granted a yearly stipend of £1,200 (1200.0 in 1790 is equivalent to about <calculated amount> in recent years), but she continued to perform at both Drury Lane and Covent Garden as well as on provincial tours until her 1811 separation from Prince William. In 1811, Jordan was given an annual stipend of £4,400 (4400.0 in 1811 is equivalent to about <calculated amount> in recent years) by Prince William and custody of their daughters while he retained custody of their sons. Half of her stipend was specifically earmarked for the care of the children with a stipulation stating that in order to continue receiving that money, and retain custody, Jordan must not return to the stage.

In 1814, when her son in law, Thomas Alsop, became heavily in debt, Jordan returned to the stage to help pay off that debt. Prince William took legal action and removed their remaining daughters from her care and ended Jordan's yearly stipend. Jordan had written letters to British theatres and newspapers pleading with them to rehire her, acknowledging her previous affairs and business dealings with some of her past companions. Jordan sold her home in 1815 and moved to Boulogne, France, assuming the alias Mrs. James or Madame James or Mrs. Johnson. Not having been summoned back to England, she moved to Versailles by the end of the year. Soon after, she moved to Saint Cloud, near Paris. While in France, she was defrauded by her eldest daughter, Frances, and son in law, Thomas Alsop, after they accumulated large sums of debt in her name. During this time, both her mental and physical health declined, and she suffered from "bilious attacks, pains in her side, swollen ankles, shortness of breath and increasing general weakness". She wrote in a letter "it is not, believe me, the feelings of pride, avarice, or the absence of those comforts I have all my life been accustomed to, that is killing me by inches; it is the loss of my only remaining comfort, the hope I used to live on from time to time, of seeing my children". She died alone on 5 July 1816 from a ruptured blood vessel caused by violent inflammation of the chest. She was buried in the town cemetery of Saint Cloud.