Louis Philippe, comte de Ségur
Encyclopedia
Louis Philippe, comte de Ségur (10 December 1753 - 27 August 1830) was a French
diplomat
and historian
.
, the son of Philippe Henri, marquis de Ségur
and Louise Anne Madeleine de Vernon.
He entered the army in 1769, served in the American War of Independence in 1781 as a colonel under Rochambeau
. In 1784 he was sent as minister plenipotentiary to Saint Petersburg, where he was received into the intimacy of the empress Catherine II
and wrote some comedies for her theatre. At Saint Petersburg he concluded (in January 1787) a commercial treaty which was exceedingly advantageous to France, and returned to Paris in 1789.
He took up a sympathetic attitude towards the Revolution
at its outset and in 1791 was sent on a mission to Berlin
, where he was badly received. After fighting a duel
he was forced to leave Berlin, and went into retirement until 1801 when, at Bonaparte's command, he was nominated by the senate to the Corps Législatif
.
Subsequently he became a member of the council of state, grand master of the ceremonies, and senator, 1813. In 1814 Ségur voted for the deposition of Napoleon and entered Louis XVIII
's Chamber of Peers. Deprived of his offices and functions in 1815 for joining Napoleon during the Hundred Days
, he was reinstated in 1819, supported the Revolution of 1830
, but died shortly afterwards in Paris.
He married on 30 April 1777 Antoinette Élisabeth d'Aguesseau, who also died in Paris, and had three sons and one daughter:
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
and historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
.
Life
He was born in ParisParis
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...
, the son of Philippe Henri, marquis de Ségur
Philippe Henri, marquis de Ségur
Philippe Henri, marquis de Ségur was a marshal of France.Born in Paris, son of Henri François, comte de Ségur, and his wife Philippe Angélique de Froissy, he was appointed to the command of an infantry regiment at eighteen, and served under his father in Italy and Bohemia...
and Louise Anne Madeleine de Vernon.
He entered the army in 1769, served in the American War of Independence in 1781 as a colonel under Rochambeau
Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau
Marshal of France Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau was a French nobleman and general who participated in the American Revolutionary War as the commander-in-chief of the French Expeditionary Force which came to help the American Continental Army...
. In 1784 he was sent as minister plenipotentiary to Saint Petersburg, where he was received into the intimacy of the empress Catherine II
Catherine II of Russia
Catherine II, also known as Catherine the Great , Empress of Russia, was born in Stettin, Pomerania, Prussia on as Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg...
and wrote some comedies for her theatre. At Saint Petersburg he concluded (in January 1787) a commercial treaty which was exceedingly advantageous to France, and returned to Paris in 1789.
He took up a sympathetic attitude towards the Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
at its outset and in 1791 was sent on a mission to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, where he was badly received. After fighting a duel
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
he was forced to leave Berlin, and went into retirement until 1801 when, at Bonaparte's command, he was nominated by the senate to the Corps Législatif
Corps législatif
The Corps législatif was a part of the French legislature during the French Revolution and beyond. It is also the generic French term used to refer to any legislative body.-History:The Constitution of the Year I foresaw the need for a corps législatif...
.
Subsequently he became a member of the council of state, grand master of the ceremonies, and senator, 1813. In 1814 Ségur voted for the deposition of Napoleon and entered Louis XVIII
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...
's Chamber of Peers. Deprived of his offices and functions in 1815 for joining Napoleon 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 reinstated in 1819, supported the Revolution of 1830
July Revolution
The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution or in French, saw the overthrow of King Charles X of France, the French Bourbon monarch, and the ascent of his cousin Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orléans, who himself, after 18 precarious years on the throne, would in turn be overthrown...
, but died shortly afterwards in Paris.
He married on 30 April 1777 Antoinette Élisabeth d'Aguesseau, who also died in Paris, and had three sons and one daughter:
- Octave-Henri Gabriel, comte de SégurOctave-Henri Gabriel, comte de SégurOctave-Henri Gabriel, comte de Ségur was a French soldier and famous suicide.He was born in Paris, the eldest son of Louis Philippe, comte de Ségur and Antoinette Élisabeth d'Aguesseau....
(Paris, 5 June 1779 - Paris, 15 August 1818), soldier and famous suicide - Philippe Paul, comte de SégurPhilippe Paul, comte de SégurPhilippe-Paul, comte de Ségur , French general and historian, son of Louis Philippe, comte de Ségur, was born in Paris.-Career:...
(Paris, 4 November 1780 - Paris, 25 February 1873), general and historian - Olivier Alexandre de Ségur (3 October 1790 - 4 May 1791)
- Laure Antoinette de Ségur (11 April 1778 - 15 July 1812), married Louis Auguste Vallet de La Touche, baron de Villeneuve, marquis du Blanc (Paris, 4 February 1779 - le Blanc, Indre, 24 December 1837), and had issue
Works
Among his writings may be mentioned:- Histoire des principaux évènements du règne de Fréderic-Guillaume II (1800)
- Pensées politiques (Paris, 1795)
- Histoire de France (n vols., 1824-1834)
- Histoire des juifs (1827)
- Mémoires (3 vols., 1824)
- Contes (1809)
- His Œuvres complètes were published in 34 volumes in 1824 et seq.