Lady Jane Digby
| Jane Digby | |
|---|---|
Portrait of Digby by Joseph Karl Stieler (1831)
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| Born |
Jane Elizabeth Digby 3 April 1807 Minterne Magna, Dorset, England, United Kingdom |
| Died | 11 August 1881 (aged 74) Damascus, Syria |
| Cause of death | Fever and Dysentery, |
| Resting place | Damascus, Syria |
| Other names | Jane Elizabeth Digby el Mezrab Shaikhah Umm al-Laban |
| Title | Lady Ellenborough |
| Spouse(s) |
Edward Law (m. 1824; div. 1830) Baron Karl von Venningen (m. 1833; div. 1842) Spyridon Theotokis (m. 1841; div. 1846) Abdul Midjuel el Mezrab (m. 1853; her death 1881) |
| Parent(s) |
Admiral Sir Henry Digby Lady Jane Elizabeth |
Jane Elizabeth Digby, Lady Ellenborough (3 April 1807 – 11 August 1881) was an English aristocrat, famed for her love life and life style. She had four husbands and many lovers, including King Ludwig I of Bavaria, his son King Otto of Greece, statesman Felix Schwarzenberg, and a Greek general (Christodoulos Hatzipetros). She died in Damascus, Syria, as the wife of Arab Sheikh Medjuel el Mezrab, who was 20 years her junior.
Jane Elizabeth Digby was born in Forston House, near Minterne Magna, Dorset on 3 April 1807, daughter of Admiral Henry Digby and Lady Jane Elizabeth. Jane's father seized the Spanish treasure ship Santa Brígida in 1799 and his share of the prize money established the family fortune.
Considered promiscuous for her times, Digby was first married to Edward Law, 2nd Baron Ellenborough (later Earl of Ellenborough), who became Governor General of India, on 15 October 1824. At the time of her marriage, she was described as tall, with a perfect figure. She had an attractive face, pale-gold hair, wide-spaced dark blue eyes, long dark eyelashes, and a pink complexion. They had one son, Arthur Dudley Law (15 February 1828 – 1 February 1830), who died in infancy.
After affairs with her maternal cousin, Colonel George Anson, and Prince Felix Schwarzenberg, she was divorced from Lord Ellenborough in 1830 by an act of Parliament. This caused considerable scandal at the time. Digby had two children with Felix; Mathilde "Didi" (born 12 November 1829 Basel and raised by Felix's sister) and Felix (born December 1830 Paris) who died just a few weeks after his birth. The affair with Felix ended shortly after the death of their son.
She then moved on to Munich and became the lover of Ludwig I of Bavaria. In Munich, she met Baron Karl von Venningen (6 January 1806 – 10 June 1874). They married in November 1833 and had a son, Heribert (27 January 1833 Palermo-1885 Munich), and a daughter, Bertha (4 September 1834 Mannheim-22 September 1907).
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