1802
July, 24th : Alexandre Dumas was born in Villers-Cotterêts, in the
region called Aisne. He was the son of General
Thomas Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailetterie (left) and of Marie-Louise
Labouret.
1811
He enters Abbé Grégoire's school
and will stay there until 1813.
1816
Dumas becomes a clerk for a sollicitor in Villers-Cotterêts. He devotes
more energy to the hunt than to the study of the law.
1819
Dumas meets Adolphe de Leuven with whom he will write his first literay
works.
1822
First journey to Paris.
1823
Dumas settles in Paris and gets a job at the Duke of Orléans's office.
1824
July, 24th : Birth of Alexandre
Dumas junior, (left) the fruit of his love affair with Laure Labay.
1825
Writing and peformance of the play La
Chasse et l'amour (Hunting and Loving)
with Leuven.
1829
February, 10th : Henri
III et sa cour (Henri III and his court)
is performed at the Comédie française. It is the first glorious
feat of the romantic theater and Dumas becomes one of the leaders of the
movement, along with Victor Hugo.
1830
March, 30th : First night of Christine
at the théâtre de l'Odéon. Dumas gets involved in 1830's
revolution.
1831
March, 5th : Birth of Marie-Alexandrine, daughter of Dumas and Belle Kreilssamner.
May, 3rd : Antony's
first production at the théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin, Dumas's
first triumphant success.
1832
First journey abroad, to Switzerland, where Dumas meets Chateaubriand.
1833
Publication of Impressions
de Voyage - Suisse. Dumas invites the tout-Paris of arts (among them
is Delacroix), literature and theatre to a magnificent
party.
1835
Journey to Italy.
1838
Journey to Belgium and Germany.
1840
He marries the actress Ida Ferrier. Spends some time in Italy. Publication
of Impressions de voyage - excursions sur les
bords du Rhin and Souvenirs
de voyage - une année à Florence.
1841
Publication of Le
Chevalier d'Harmental.
1844
After several scattered tries, Dumas takes up novel-writing and publishes
one after the other LesTrois
mousquetaires, Une
Fille du Régent, Le
Comte de Monte-Cristo, La
Reine Margot. His collaboration with Auguste
Maquet (on left) begins. Dumas lives in Saint-Germain-en-Laye and buys
a piece of land in Port-Marly to have a house built there.
1845
Sues Eugène de Mirecourt about his pamphlet Fabrique
de romans, Alexandre Dumas et Cie (Alexandre
Dumas and Co. : Novel factory). Publication of Vingt
ans après, Le
Chevalier de Maison-Rouge, La
Dame de Monsoreau.
1846
Journey to Spain and then to North-Africa. Publication of Le
Bâtard de Mauléon, Joseph
Balsamo, Une
Fille du Régent.
1847
Dumas opens his Théâtre Historique in February, and inaugurates
his Château de Monte-Cristo, in Port-Marly, in July. He is elected
Major of Saint-Germain-en-Laye's Garde Nationale. Publication of La
Reine Margot, Impressions
de voyage, de Paris à Cadix, Les
Quarante-cinq, Le
Vicomte de Bragelonne.
1848
Dumas gets involved in 1848's revolution and fails to be elected as Member
of Parliament. Publication of Le
Collier de la reine. Publication of La Dame
aux camélias, Alexandre Dumas junior's novel.
1849
Auction sale of Monte-Cristo. Publication of Les
Mille et un fantômes.
1850
Dumas is prosecuted for debts. The Théâtre Historique is bankrupt.
Publication of La
Tulipe noire and Ange
Pitou.
1851
Having to face more and more prosecutions, Dumas takes refuge in Brussels
where numerous opponents of Napoléon III, such as Victor
Hugo, live. Publication of Olympe
de Clèves and Mes
Mémoires.
1852
First and triumphant stage production of La Dame
aux camélias by Dumas junior. Journeys to the Netherlands
and Germany. Publication of La
Comtesse de Charny and Isaac
Laquedem.
1853
Dumas stays in turn in Brussels and Paris where he negociates the settlement
of his bankrupcy. Publication of his paper Le
Mousquetaire.
1854
Dumas leaves Brussels and settles back in Paris. Publication of Les
Mohicans de Paris and Le
Page du duc de Savoie.
1856
Publication of Les
Compagnons de Jéhu.
1857
Dumas visits Victor Hugo exiled in Guernesey. Journey to England and Germany.
End of publication of Le Mousquetaire,
launch of Le Monte-Cristo. Publication
of Le
Meneur de Loups.
1858
From june 1858 till March 1859, Dumas travels in Russia, from Saint-Petersburg
to the Caucasus. Publication of Les
Louves de Machecoul and De
Paris à Astrakan.
1859
Journey to Italy. Publication of Le Caucase.
1860
Meets Garibaldi. Dumas sails the Mediterranean sea with Emilie Cordier,
his mistress, on the yacht Emma. He joins Garibaldi in Sicilia, and helps
him by going to Marseille to buy rifles for his troops. After his victory,
Garibaldi appoints Dumas Chief of excavations and museums, in Naples. Publication
of Mémoires de Garibaldi and Causeries.
Launches the paper L'Indipendente in Naples.
1861
Dumas lives in Naples until 1864.
1863
Publication of La
San Felice.
1864
Dumas goes back to France and settles in Enghien. Publication of Ivanhoé.
1865
Dumas begins a series of talks in France and abroad. Journey to Austria
and Hungary.
1866
Journey to Italy. Republication of the paper Le
Mousquetaire.
1867
Dumas has his photograph taken with Adah Menken, his mistress, which scandalizes
people. Journey to Germany. Publication of Les
Blancs et les Bleus and La
Terreur prussienne.
1868
Publication of D'Artagnan.
1869
Dumas stays in Brittany for a while in order to work on his Dictionnaire
de cuisine. Publication of Le
Docteur mystérieux and La Fille du
marquis.
1870
Journey to Spain. Dumas settles in his son's villa in Puys, near Dieppe,
where he dies on December, 5th. His funeral takes place on December, 8th.
1873
Posthumous publication of Le
Grand Dictionnaire de Cuisine.
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