Wikipedia
Cunégonde is a fictional character in Voltaire's novel Candide. She is the title character's aristocratic cousin and love interest. Her name may be derived from Cunigunde of Luxemburg.
At the beginning of the story, Candide is chased away from his uncle's home after he is caught kissing and fondling Cunégonde. Shortly afterwards, Cunégonde's family is attacked by a band of marauding soldiers and she is taken prisoner. However, Cunégonde soon becomes the mistress of two wealthy Portuguese who decide to share her between them. Candide kills the two men and he, Cunégonde and the Old Woman (Cunégonde's servant) flee to Buenos Aires.
There, Cunégonde becomes the mistress of the provincial governor. Since Candide is wanted for the murders of the two Portuguese, he is forced to leave her in Buenos Aires. However he vows to find her and marry her. Finally, near the end of the novel, Candide finds Cunégonde in Istanbul, but she has lost her beauty, and is now very irritable and unfortunately very shallow-minded. Candide reluctantly agrees to marry her.
Cunégonde or Cunegonde can refer to:
- a character in the novel Candide
- Little Burgundy, the current name for Sainte-Cunégonde, a former municipality in part of present-day Montreal
- Cunigunde of Luxembourg
- Kinga of Poland
- Kunigunde, a European female name of German origin.