Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire
The Duchess of Devonshire | |
|---|---|
| Born | Georgiana Spencer 7 June 1757 Althorp, Northamptonshire, England, Kingdom of Great Britain |
| Died | 30 March 1806 (aged 48) Devonshire House, Westminster, London, England, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland |
| Buried | Derby Cathedral, Derbyshire |
| Noble family | Spencer (by birth) Cavendish (by marriage) |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Issue | |
| Father | John Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer |
| Mother | Margaret Georgiana Poyntz |
| Occupation |
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Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (née Spencer; /dʒɔːrˈdʒeɪnə/ jor-JAY-nə; 7 June 1757 – 30 March 1806), was an English aristocrat, socialite, political organiser, author, and activist. Born into the Spencer family, married into the Cavendish family, she was the first wife of William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire, and the mother of the 6th Duke of Devonshire.
The Duchess was famous for her charisma, political influence, beauty, unusual marital arrangement, love affairs, socializing, and notoriety for her gambling addiction, leading to an immense debt. She was the great-great-great-grandaunt of Diana, Princess of Wales. Their lives, two centuries apart, have been compared in tragedy.