FAQ
Short answers, honestly sourced.
Who was Casanova, in one sentence?
A Venetian adventurer (1725–1798) whose posthumously published memoirs, Histoire de ma vie, are among the most detailed first-person records of eighteenth-century Europe.
Did he really escape from prison?
Yes. Arrested 26 July 1755 and held in the Piombi — the cells under the lead roof of the Doge’s Palace — he escaped with the priest Marino Balbi on the night of 31 October to 1 November 1756, over the palace roof and down the outer wall on knotted sheets. Venetian archives confirm it.
Are the memoirs true?
Partly. Scholars find him remarkably accurate on dates, places, and public figures, and embellishing on private episodes. The scholarly editions check his claims against archives; this site flags which claims rest only on his word.
Why is the book in French if he was Venetian?
French was the language of the eighteenth-century European elite. Casanova wrote for a European readership, in the language of Voltaire — whom he had visited at Ferney in 1760.
When were the memoirs published?
Written 1789–1798; first published in bowdlerized German (1822–28) and French (1826–37) translations; the complete original French text did not appear until 1960–62. The manuscript has been in the Bibliothèque nationale de France since February 2010.
How many women were there, really?
Scholars count roughly 120–126 named women in the memoirs. The “thousand” figure is myth.
Was “Chevalier de Seingalt” a real title?
No. He invented it around 1757 and used it for the rest of his life, including on his own title pages.
Did he know Voltaire / Frederick the Great / Catherine the Great?
He met all three, by his account: Voltaire at Ferney (August 1760), Frederick II at Sans-Souci (1764), Catherine II in St. Petersburg (1764–65). The Voltaire meeting is the best documented of the three; all rest primarily on the memoirs.
Where is he buried?
At Dux (Duchcov), Bohemia — now the Czech Republic. The grave is unmarked and its exact location uncertain.
Is there a real portrait of him?
Essentially one: Johann Berka’s 1788 engraving, drawn from life and used as the frontispiece to Casanova’s novel Icosameron. See the home page.
Source notes
- Answers summarize the biography, timeline, memoirs, publication history, and myths pages; individual citations are on those pages.