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Why did Stendhal leave Milan in 1821?
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Stendhal
Stendhal, oil painting by Pierre-Joseph Dedreux-Dorcy; in the Bibliothèque Municipale de Grenoble, France.
Stendhal left Milan in 1821 due to a combination of personal and political factors:
- Emotional Distress: His stay in the city ended in deep emotional disappointment after Métilde Dembowski, a woman who would haunt his memory for the rest of his life, rejected him as a lover.1
- Political Compromise: His associations with Milanese liberals and Carbonari patriots had compromised him in the eyes of the Austrian occupying authorities, ultimately forcing his departure.1