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Emma Hamilton 1761-1815
Emma Hamilton was originally Amy Lyon from
England. She was
Horatio Nelson's
sweetheart and Sir
William
Hamilton's wife.
Before that, in 1781, she called
herself Emily Hart and lived with
Charles
Francis Greville, who was William Hamilton's nephew.
Charles owed his uncle a bunch of money which he couldn't
pay back. But he had a hot bird at home, which uncle William
willingly accepted as repayment and instead of hard cash.
Charles' debts were settled and
William Hamilton married the girl, now Emma, on
September 6, 1791.
Emma Hamilton met Horatio Nelson
in 1793.
In Horatio's behalf, Emma
organized supplies for the navy to pick up in Sicily. It is
rumored that this support was crucial in Horatio Nelson's
victory over the French in the Battle of the Nile,
which was fought on August 1, 1798.
Admiral Horatio Nelson was made a
baron for this success and he decided to thank Emma, Lady
Hamilton up-close and in person. The two became involved
around 1798.
In 1803, William Hamilton died and
Emma moved in with Horatio at Merton, Surrey. Horatio and
his wife Frances had separated in 1801.
After Horatio's death, Emma
spent her money until it was gone. She got jailed for debt and finally exiled.
Emma Hamilton died in Calais,
France.
Classic stuff for a movie I hear
you say? Well, well.
The 1941 movie
That
Hamilton Woman features
Vivien Leigh as Emma (best
girl for the role) and Laurence
Olivier as Horatio.
The whole thing won an Oscar and
was apparently
Winston Churchill's favorite movie of all times.
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