He was born in 1740, joined the army, became colonel of dragoons in 1763, maréchal-de-camp in 1780, and on 1 January 1811 gained the rank of lieutenant general.

She had originality, wit and good feelings; we renewed our acquaintance; she told me that she had a passion for anatomy, a very extraordinary taste in a young woman of eighteen.

Since I had been somewhat occupied with surgery and medicine, and knew how to bleed, Madame de Coigny was very fond of chatting with me.

I promised to do an anatomy class, but not like her, on corpses ..."[3] Anne-Françoise-Aimée de Coigny was born on 12 October 1769 and baptised in the church of Saint-Roch.

[4] Her mother died on 23 October 1775, and her father confided her upbringing to his mistress, Victoire de Rohan, Princess of Guéménée.

[5] At the age of 31, Aimée de Coigny, once more free, fell in love with the 37-year-old Jacques Joseph Garat (known as Maillia-Garat).

[17] In a sympathetic sketch, Victor du Bled says Aimée's second divorce gave her a freedom that she used or misused considerably.

"[12] Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun said that Aimée had an enchanting face, a burning gaze, and the figure of a Venus.

One evening at the house of M. de Guéménée, she removed the long tail of her dress in front of fifty people.

[12] Napoleon disliked her loose morals and at reception at the Tuileries Palace asked her in public, "Well, Madame, are you still so fond of men?"

[20] In the summer of 1812, she often visited Talleyrand's house, where she would find him in his library surrounded by writers or lovers of literature.

[21] During the last days of the Empire in 1814, Aimee wrote to her uncle, the duc de Coigny, in London and told her of the conditions for Talleyrand to give his support to the king.