Louis, Duke of Blacas
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Louis Charles Pierre Casimir de Blacas d'Aulps, 2nd Duke of Blacas, 2nd Prince of Blacas (15 April 1815, London
– 10 February 1866, Venice
) was a French
nobleman and antiquarian. He was the son of Pierre-Louis de Blacas d'Aulps, 1st Duke of Blacas
and of his wife Henriette-Marie-Félicité du Bouchet de Sourches de Montsoreau. His godfather was Louis XVIII, King of France
.
Born in London during the Hundred Days
, he was educated first in France and then in Austria where his father had followed the exiled royal family in 1836. He returned in France only in 1844. He became an antiquarian like his father, inheriting and expanding his father's extraordinary collection of Greek vases, engraved stones and antique coins, cameos and jewels. He was particularly interested in numismatics. He translated into French, under the title Histoire de la monnaie romaine (Paris 1866), the Geschichte des Römischen Münzwesens (History of Roman Coinage) of Theodor Mommsen
(Berlin 1860), with additional notes signed B. The book is still often quoted using the Blacas translation rather than the original German version. Blacas was a member of the Societé des Antiquaires de France
and served as its secretary from 1864 to 1865.
After his father's death, Blacas defended him against allegations of unscrupulous gains made by the Duke of Ragusa. He fully supported his father's political views. Like his father, he was an ardent Legitimist
. He succeeded him as a premier gentilhomme de la chambre
to the exiled Legitimist claimant, the duc d'Angoulême
. Blacas was a devoted follower of the duc d'Angoulême's successor, the comte de Chambord
, whom he had known since childhood and whom he served all his life. His brother, Count Stanislas de Blacas d'Aulps, served the comte similarly. However, contrary to his father and to his own son (who later served as mayor and deputy), Blacas did not directly take part in the political life of the Second Empire
. He died in Venice at the Palazzo Cavalli
, the residence of the comte de Chambord, after planning a study of Venetian coinage. His body was taken back to Aups where his funerals took place.
After the French government refused to pay for its acquisition, his collection was sold by his heirs to the British Museum
for 1.200.000 francs
.
On 28 July 1863, the Duke remarried with Alix-Laurence-Marie de Damas (1824–1879), daughter of Ange-Hyacinthe de Damas de Cormaillon, 1st Baron of Damas, Peer of France, who had been Minister of foreign affairs (1823–1828) and Minister of war (1823–1824) of Charles X. They had only one daughter:
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
– 10 February 1866, Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
) was a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
nobleman and antiquarian. He was the son of Pierre-Louis de Blacas d'Aulps, 1st Duke of Blacas
Pierre Louis Jean Casimir de Blacas
Pierre Louis Jean Casimir de Blacas d'Aulps, first comte, then duc, and finally prince de Blacas d'Aulps was a French antiquarian, nobleman and diplomat during the Bourbon Restoration.-Youth:He was baptized at Avignon on 11 January 1771...
and of his wife Henriette-Marie-Félicité du Bouchet de Sourches de Montsoreau. His godfather was Louis XVIII, King of France
Louis XVIII of France
Louis XVIII , known as "the Unavoidable", was King of France and of Navarre from 1814 to 1824, omitting the Hundred Days in 1815...
.
Born in London during the Hundred Days
Hundred Days
The Hundred Days, sometimes known as the Hundred Days of Napoleon or Napoleon's Hundred Days for specificity, marked the period between Emperor Napoleon I of France's return from exile on Elba to Paris on 20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII on 8 July 1815...
, he was educated first in France and then in Austria where his father had followed the exiled royal family in 1836. He returned in France only in 1844. He became an antiquarian like his father, inheriting and expanding his father's extraordinary collection of Greek vases, engraved stones and antique coins, cameos and jewels. He was particularly interested in numismatics. He translated into French, under the title Histoire de la monnaie romaine (Paris 1866), the Geschichte des Römischen Münzwesens (History of Roman Coinage) of Theodor Mommsen
Theodor Mommsen
Christian Matthias Theodor Mommsen was a German classical scholar, historian, jurist, journalist, politician, archaeologist, and writer generally regarded as the greatest classicist of the 19th century. His work regarding Roman history is still of fundamental importance for contemporary research...
(Berlin 1860), with additional notes signed B. The book is still often quoted using the Blacas translation rather than the original German version. Blacas was a member of the Societé des Antiquaires de France
Societé des Antiquaires de France
The Société des Antiquaires de France is a Parisian historical and archaeological society, founded in 1804 under the name of the Académie celtique...
and served as its secretary from 1864 to 1865.
After his father's death, Blacas defended him against allegations of unscrupulous gains made by the Duke of Ragusa. He fully supported his father's political views. Like his father, he was an ardent Legitimist
Legitimists
Legitimists are royalists in France who adhere to the rights of dynastic succession of the descendants of the elder branch of the Bourbon dynasty, which was overthrown in the 1830 July Revolution. They reject the claim of the July Monarchy of 1830–1848, whose kings were members of the junior...
. He succeeded him as a premier gentilhomme de la chambre
Gentleman of the Bedchamber
A Gentleman of the Bedchamber was the holder of an important office in the royal household of the Kingdom of England from the 11th century, later used also in the Kingdom of Great Britain.-Description and functions:...
to the exiled Legitimist claimant, the duc d'Angoulême
Louis-Antoine, Duke of Angouleme
Louis Antoine of France, Duke of Angoulême was the eldest son of Charles X of France and, from 1824 to 1836, the last Dauphin of France...
. Blacas was a devoted follower of the duc d'Angoulême's successor, the comte de Chambord
Henri, comte de Chambord
Henri, comte de Chambord was disputedly King of France from 2 to 9 August 1830 as Henry V, although he was never officially proclaimed as such...
, whom he had known since childhood and whom he served all his life. His brother, Count Stanislas de Blacas d'Aulps, served the comte similarly. However, contrary to his father and to his own son (who later served as mayor and deputy), Blacas did not directly take part in the political life of the Second Empire
Second French Empire
The Second French Empire or French Empire was the Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870, between the Second Republic and the Third Republic, in France.-Rule of Napoleon III:...
. He died in Venice at the Palazzo Cavalli
Palazzo Cavalli-Franchetti
Palazzo Cavalli-Franchetti is a palace in Venice, Italy, not far from the Ponte dell'Accademia and next to the Palazzo Barbaro on the Grand Canal of Venice. Since 1999 it has been the seat of the Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere e Arti and frequently houses cultural events.The palace was...
, the residence of the comte de Chambord, after planning a study of Venetian coinage. His body was taken back to Aups where his funerals took place.
After the French government refused to pay for its acquisition, his collection was sold by his heirs to the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
for 1.200.000 francs
French franc
The franc was a currency of France. Along with the Spanish peseta, it was also a de facto currency used in Andorra . Between 1360 and 1641, it was the name of coins worth 1 livre tournois and it remained in common parlance as a term for this amount of money...
.
Marriages and issue
The duke was married twice. Both wives were from Legitimist families of the French high nobility. He married first at Paris on 17 September 1845 Marie-Paule de Pérusse des Cars (3 February 1827, Paris - 18 September 1855, Pau), daughter of Amédée-François-Régis de Pérusse, 2nd Count and 1st Duke des Cars, Peer of France. They had four children:- Casimir de Blacas d'Aulps, 3rd Duke of Blacas, 3rd Prince of Blacas (23 October 1847 – 26 July 1866, VelletriVelletriVelletri is an Italian town of 53,298 inhabitants. It is a comune in the province of Rome, on the Alban Hills, in Lazio - Italy. It is bounded by other communes of Rocca di Papa, Lariano, Cisterna di Latina, Artena, Aprilia, Nemi, Genzano di Roma, Lanuvio...
). His life was representative of the engagements of French Legitimists of the time. A devout Catholic, he enrolled at 18 in the Papal ZouavesPapal ZouavesThe Papal Zouaves were an infantry force formed in defence of the Papal States.-Origin:The Zouaves evolved out of a unit formed by Christophe Léon Louis Juchault de Lamoricière...
on 9 June 1866 to take part in the defense of the Papal StatesPapal StatesThe Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...
and went to Italy, but he died there from Typhoid the following month. He had been Duke only five months. - Louise-Henriette-Marie (7 July 1849, Abondant - 3 February 1934, Paris), married in Paris on 10 April 1872 with Count René Hurault de Vibraye (6 October 1842, Paris - 20 December 1907, Paris).
- Marie-Augustine-Yvonne de Blacas d’Aulps (1 January 1851 – 21 Octobre 1881, Aressel, Austria), married on 14 June 1870 in Paris to HSHSerene HighnessHis/Her Serene Highness is a style used today by the reigning families of Liechtenstein and Monaco. It also preceded the princely titles of members of some German ruling and mediatised dynasties as well as some non-ruling but princely German noble families until 1918...
Alexander, 4th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-SaynSayn-WittgensteinSayn-Wittgenstein was a county of mediæval Germany, located in the Sauerland of eastern North Rhine-Westphalia. Sayn-Wittgenstein was created when Count Salentin of Sayn-Homburg married the heiress Countess Adelaide of Wittgenstein in 1345...
(14 July 1847, Paris - 12 August 1940, Hachenburg). - Pierre de Blacas d'Aulps, 4th Duke of Blacas, 4th Prince of Blacas (27 May 1853, Paris – 13 December 1937 BeaupréauBeaupréauBeaupréau is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France....
), succeeded his brother as Duke. He married on 30 August 1884 Honorine de Durfort-Civrac (26 November 1855 Beaupréau - 1 June 1920 Beaupréau), daughter of Marie-Henri-Louis de Durfort, 2d Marquis of Civrac (a cadet branch of Dukes of Lorge) and had posterity.
On 28 July 1863, the Duke remarried with Alix-Laurence-Marie de Damas (1824–1879), daughter of Ange-Hyacinthe de Damas de Cormaillon, 1st Baron of Damas, Peer of France, who had been Minister of foreign affairs (1823–1828) and Minister of war (1823–1824) of Charles X. They had only one daughter:
- Marie-Thérèse de Blacas d'Aulps (22 July 1864, Verignon – 8 February 1959, Aups).