Ferdinand Maximilien Mériadec de Rohan
Encyclopedia
Ferdinand Maximilien Mériadec de Rohan (1738-1813) was an Archbishop of Bordeaux starting in 1769, and Prince-Archbishop of Cambrai from 1781. He was the son of Hercule Meriadec de Rohan, prince de Guéméné and Louise-Gabrielle Julie de Rohan; brother of cardinal de Rohan, and Jules, prince de Guéméné.
Mériadec was a chaplain of the Empress Joséphine de Beauharnais
. He served as prior and doctor of the Sorbonne
and provost of the church of Strasbourg
before being crowned archbishop of Bordeaux on 26 December 1769. He remained there only a short time before leaving Bordeaux for the Cambric archbishop's palace, and died in Paris
in 1813.
His mistress was Charlotte Stuart, Duchess of Albany, illegitimate daughter of Prince Charles Edward Stuart
, with whom he had three children, including Charles Edward Stuart, Count Roehenstart
. Lacking legitimacy or permission, Charlotte was unable to marry. Thus, she otherwise sought a protector and provider. Probably unbeknown to her father, Prince Charles Edward Stuart
("Bonnie Prince Charlie"), she became the mistress of Ferdinand Maximilien Mériadec de Rohan, Archbishop of Bordeaux and Cambrai. Ferdinand de Rohan – related by blood to the house of Stuart as well as Bourbon and Lorraine – was also unable to marry legitimately, having entered the Church as a younger son of a noble house. By him, she had three children: two daughters, Marie Victoire and Charlotte, and finally a son Charles Edward. Her children were kept secret, and remained largely unknown until the 20th century. When Charlotte eventually left France for Florence
, she entrusted the children – and she was only just recovering from her son's birth – into the care of her mother, Clementina Walkinshaw
, and it appears that few, and certainly not her father, knew of their existence.
His sister-in-law, Marie Louise de La Tour d'Auvergne
, was a first cousin of Prince Charles Edward Stuart and became his mistress. They had a son together, Charles Godefroi Sophie Jules Marie de Rohan, but Charles left her for Clementina Walkinshaw, with whom he had Charlotte.
Mériadec was a chaplain of the Empress Joséphine de Beauharnais
Joséphine de Beauharnais
Joséphine de Beauharnais was the first wife of Napoléon Bonaparte, and thus the first Empress of the French. Her first husband Alexandre de Beauharnais had been guillotined during the Reign of Terror, and she had been imprisoned in the Carmes prison until her release five days after Alexandre's...
. He served as prior and doctor of the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
and provost of the church of Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
before being crowned archbishop of Bordeaux on 26 December 1769. He remained there only a short time before leaving Bordeaux for the Cambric archbishop's palace, and died in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1813.
Charles Edward Stuart
Prince Charles Edward Louis John Casimir Sylvester Severino Maria Stuart commonly known as Bonnie Prince Charlie or The Young Pretender was the second Jacobite pretender to the thrones of Great Britain , and Ireland...
, with whom he had three children, including Charles Edward Stuart, Count Roehenstart
Charles Edward Stuart, Count Roehenstart
Charles Edward Augustus Maximilian Stuart, Baron Korff, Count Roehenstart was the natural son of Prince Ferdinand of Rohan , Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cambrai, by Charlotte Stuart, Duchess of Albany, herself the natural but legitimated daughter of Charles Edward Stuart, the Young Pretender...
. Lacking legitimacy or permission, Charlotte was unable to marry. Thus, she otherwise sought a protector and provider. Probably unbeknown to her father, Prince Charles Edward Stuart
Charles Edward Stuart
Prince Charles Edward Louis John Casimir Sylvester Severino Maria Stuart commonly known as Bonnie Prince Charlie or The Young Pretender was the second Jacobite pretender to the thrones of Great Britain , and Ireland...
("Bonnie Prince Charlie"), she became the mistress of Ferdinand Maximilien Mériadec de Rohan, Archbishop of Bordeaux and Cambrai. Ferdinand de Rohan – related by blood to the house of Stuart as well as Bourbon and Lorraine – was also unable to marry legitimately, having entered the Church as a younger son of a noble house. By him, she had three children: two daughters, Marie Victoire and Charlotte, and finally a son Charles Edward. Her children were kept secret, and remained largely unknown until the 20th century. When Charlotte eventually left France for Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, she entrusted the children – and she was only just recovering from her son's birth – into the care of her mother, Clementina Walkinshaw
Clementina Walkinshaw
Clementina Maria Sophia Walkinshaw was the mistress of Bonnie Prince Charlie.Clementina was the youngest of the ten daughters of John Walkinshaw of Barrowhill . The Walkinshaws owned the lands of Barrowfield and Camlachie, and her father had become a wealthy Glasgow merchant...
, and it appears that few, and certainly not her father, knew of their existence.
His sister-in-law, Marie Louise de La Tour d'Auvergne
Marie Louise de La Tour d'Auvergne
Marie Louise de La Tour d'Auvergne was a French noblewoman and member of the House of La Tour d'Auvergne...
, was a first cousin of Prince Charles Edward Stuart and became his mistress. They had a son together, Charles Godefroi Sophie Jules Marie de Rohan, but Charles left her for Clementina Walkinshaw, with whom he had Charlotte.