Lady Hester Stanhope and Her Levant Adventure (1810-1839)

Abstract

The subject of this study is Lady Hester Stanhope (1776-1839), a member of the British upper class whose family included a prime minister, and her extensive and dramatic life in the Eastern Mediterranean, including her travels from London to the Levant at the beginning of the 19th century. Her life can be traced in six volumes published by her doctor after her death. These texts are valuable because they consist of first-hand observations that contribute to the travel routes, include some accounts from the period, and orientalist literature from the first half of the 19th century. Lady Hester Stanhope was an exceptional figure for her time, as she initiated her travels as a woman, aristocrat, and adventurer. She chose to live outside the strict rules of the English aristocratic culture of her time. According to rules that would evolve into a cultural form then in the Victorian era, the role assigned to noblewomen was to be an “ideal wife and mother.” However, Lady Hester objected to this role by abandoning the opportunities offered by the British monarchy and leaving her country in 1810. She chose to live in the Levant, specifically in Joun, which was under Ottoman administration at the time, until her death 29 years later. Lady Hester was not alone among female travelers to the Levant or “East”; familiar names such as Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1689-1762) and Gertrude Bell (1868-1926) had also visited various regions of the Ottoman territory and documented their visits. Although Lady Hester resided in the region for a longer time, it is difficult to say that she was as fortunate in terms of recognition as the formers were. Therefore, this article increases knowledge about her and her Levant based on her documentary texts.

Keywords

• lady hester stanhope
• levant
• mount lebanon
• orientalism