Isabel Godin of Odonais, his extraordinary destiny
Between travel, passion and family, discover the story of a woman like no other.
©️Miroir de l’histoire
The 1er November, we shared the portrait of a woman precursor of her time, Ada Lovelace. This is a new portrait of a woman that we offer you in this article, that of a woman ready to do anything to join her husband, that of Isabel Godin of Odonais, the only survivor of an expedition in the heart of the Amazon forest. Between travel, passion and family, discover the story of a woman like no other.
The story of a meeting
Isabel Gramesón, from his young girl's name, was born in 1728 in the vice-kingdom of Peru (Ecuador) then led by Spain. Isabel learns Spanish, Quechua, Quipu (Method of Inca Accounting) as well as French, a language that will only feed his passion for France. Still a young girl, she meets Jean Godin des Odonais, a French naturalist cartographer of the first geodetic expedition in equator installed between 1735 and 1744. Shortly after, in 1741, lovers married, Isabel was 14 years old, he was 28. This 18th century fairy tale could stop there, "they married and had many children", except that they marry and lived separated for many years.
Une séparation forcée
Isabel et Jean auront plusieurs enfants qui,malheureusement ne vécurent pas bien longtemps, emportés par la petite vérole.Alors qu’elle est de nouveau enceinte, Jean qui avait retardé son départ avec l’explorateur français Charles Marie de la Condamine, learns the death of his father and decides to return to France with his wife and child. The project seems simple, Jean will travel alone to French Guiana, passing through the Amazon, in order to assess the danger before bringing his family back.
But everything will not go as planned. At the time, the Portuguese and Spanish colonists refused to retrain the Amazon to recover his wife and suggested that he return alone to France, something that Jean refuses, of course. He is forced to stay in Guyana and is not allowed to write to Isabel either. He even implores Europe to obtain authorization to return to Riobamba, where his wife and daughter are waiting for him to know. It was only after years, in 1765, that the King of Portugal agreed to send a Galiote to allow Jean to find his wife. But he is wary and prefers to leave the ship at the first port. Galiote will continue on its way to Isabel, according to the order of Joseph 1er from Portugal.
Even without the Internet, the rumors of a ship are waiting until Isabel who, after confirmation of the facts by his father Don Pedro, his servant Joachim and the Amerindians, decides to go on an expedition to this famous Galiote.
The deadly expedition
So 42 people, the 1eroctobre 1769, partirent en direction du navire, pour 3000km à parcourir en 6 mois. Elle emmena avec elle ses deux frères, son neveu, trois domestiques, trente et un Amérindiens et trois Français pour en découdre avec la Cordillère des Andes et le bassin amazonien. Entre la réparation archaïque de leur canot, une navigation plus que difficile sur le fleuve et les désertions ou noyades répétées des Amérindiens, l’expédition est menacée. Les compagnons de route d’Isabel meurentles uns après les autres… tués par des piqûres d’insectes,blessés ou perdus dans la forêt. Seul son fils et le médecin, partis en éclaireurs, ont été épargnés. Mais quand ils reviendront au campement, ils ne trouveront que les cadavres des voyageurs. N’ayant pas retrouvé le corps d’Isabel, ils concluent de sa mort et en avertissent Don Pedro, son père, puis Jean.
Isabel the survivor
But Isabel is not dead, destroyed by the death of her relatives, she still finds the courage to seek food and drink to survive. For 10 days she will wander in the Amazon Forest, hungry and frightened, before having the chance to meet a group of Amerindians who will help her go to Cayenne. The story tells that Isabel's hair, traumatized, have laundered in just a few days. Jean and Isabel found themselves in July 1770 in Saint-Georges-de-l'Oyapock (Guyana), after 20 long years without seeing each other or talking to each other. Lovers returned to France in 1773, with Don Pedro, and settled in Saint-Amand-Montrond (Cher). "And they lived happy" until 1792, the year of their death or the end of a tragic adventure at the same time real historical account of the 18th century.