Who was Jacques Aupick in Charles Baudelaire’s life?

Jacques Aupick was the stepfather of Charles Baudelaire. A career soldier who eventually rose to the rank of general, Aupick married Baudelaire’s mother, Caroline Defayis, in November 1828, an event that ended the period of intense, exclusive closeness Baudelaire had shared with his mother following his biological father’s death.1

Aupick’s professional life included service as a French ambassador to the Ottoman Empire and Spain, as well as a tenure as a senator under the Second Empire.1

In his role as a stepfather, Aupick frequently attempted to intervene in Baudelaire’s life to curb what he perceived as the young man's wayward behavior. This included sending Baudelaire on a voyage to India in 1841 to distance him from disreputable company in Paris. Later, Aupick and the family imposed a legal arrangement in 1844 that restricted Baudelaire’s access to his inheritance. This decision, which left the poet in a state of financial dependence, significantly exacerbated the growing detestation Baudelaire felt toward his stepfather.1