Louis Victor de Rochechouart de Mortemart
Encyclopedia
Louis Victor de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Duke of Mortemart (25 August 1636 – 15 December 1688) was a French nobleman and member of the ancient House of Rochechouart
House of Rochechouart
The House of Limoges-Rochechouart is the most ancient noble family in France after the royal family. This powerful dynasty of the Carolingian era dates back to Foucher, supporter of Charles the Bald, who became viscount of Limoges in 876...

. His father Gabriel de Rochechouart de Mortemart was a childhood friend of Louis XIII
Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1610 to 1643.Louis was only eight years old when he succeeded his father. His mother, Marie de Medici, acted as regent during Louis' minority...

. His older sister was Gabrielle de Rochechouart de Mortemart
Gabrielle de Rochechouart de Mortemart
Gabrielle de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marchioness of Thianges was a French noblewoman. A great beauty and wit, she was the older sister of Françoise de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Madame de Montespan.-Biography:...

, the celebrated beauty of the era; another sister was Madame de Montespan
Françoise-Athénaïs, marquise de Montespan
Françoise Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, marquise of Montespan , better known as Madame de Montespan, was the most celebrated maîtresse en titre of King Louis XIV of France, by whom she had seven children....

 herself the mistress of Louis XIV
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...

. He was Général des galères and Marshal of France
Marshal of France
The Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...

, Maréchal de Vivonne.

Biography

The only son of Gabriel de Rochechouart de Mortemart, he was a member of the ancient House of Rochechouart
House of Rochechouart
The House of Limoges-Rochechouart is the most ancient noble family in France after the royal family. This powerful dynasty of the Carolingian era dates back to Foucher, supporter of Charles the Bald, who became viscount of Limoges in 876...

 which were the most ancient noble family in France after the royal family. This powerful dynasty of the Carolingian
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family with origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD. The name "Carolingian", Medieval Latin karolingi, an altered form of an unattested Old High German *karling, kerling The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the...

 era dates back to Foucher, supporter of Charles the Bald
Charles the Bald
Charles the Bald , Holy Roman Emperor and King of West Francia , was the youngest son of the Emperor Louis the Pious by his second wife Judith.-Struggle against his brothers:He was born on 13 June 823 in Frankfurt, when his elder...

, who became viscount (vicomte) of Limoges
Limoges
Limoges |Limousin]] dialect of Occitan) is a city and commune, the capital of the Haute-Vienne department and the administrative capital of the Limousin région in west-central France....

 in 876. His descendants—Limoges, Rochechouart, Mortemart and de Brosse
Jean de Brosse
Jean de Brosse , Lord of Boussac, Sainte-Sévère, Huriel, and Perugia, was a councillor and chamberlain to Charles VII of France; he was made a Marshal of France in 1426.-Early life:...

—ruled over the area for several centuries. The family takes its name from their seat at Rochechouart
Rochechouart
Rochechouart is a commune in the Haute-Vienne department in the Limousin region in west-central France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department....

.

His siblings were famous in their own right; his eldest sister, Gabrielle de Rochechouart de Mortemart
Gabrielle de Rochechouart de Mortemart
Gabrielle de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marchioness of Thianges was a French noblewoman. A great beauty and wit, she was the older sister of Françoise de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Madame de Montespan.-Biography:...

 (1634–1693), was a celebrated beauty famed for her obsession with her own self-importance; the next sister, Françoise de Rochechouart de Mortemart
Françoise-Athénaïs, marquise de Montespan
Françoise Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, marquise of Montespan , better known as Madame de Montespan, was the most celebrated maîtresse en titre of King Louis XIV of France, by whom she had seven children....

 (1643–1707), was the future maîtresse en titre
Maîtresse-en-titre
The maîtresse-en-titre was the chief mistress of the king of France. It was a semi-official position which came with its own apartments. The title really came into use during the reign of Henry IV and continued until the reign of Louis XV....

of Louis XIV
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...

 from 1667 giving him seven children. His youngest, often called the most beautiful of the Mortemart daughters, was Marie Madeleine, who took a religious path in life later being nicknamed the reine des Abbesses, "Queen of Abbesses". She was the Abbess of Fontevraud, the ancient and wealthy convent in Anjou
Anjou
Anjou is a former county , duchy and province centred on the city of Angers in the lower Loire Valley of western France. It corresponds largely to the present-day département of Maine-et-Loire...

.

He was born at the Hôtel de Rochechouart, the family town house in Paris, on 25 August 1636 and was given the courtesy title of Count of Vivonne, one of the family's numerous titles. The county was later elevated to a duchy by which he is better known. He was an enfant d'honneur, a child which had the right to play with the infant Dauphin, the future Louis XIV. Later on, he was noted as one of the bravest and wittiest men at Louis XIV's court.

Louis Victor voluntarily entered the military in 1653 as the Captain of the Royal Guard under the command of Roger de Rabutin
Roger de Rabutin, Comte de Bussy
Roger de Rabutin, Comte de Bussy , commonly known as Bussy-Rabutin, was a French memoirist. He was the cousin and frequent correspondent of Madame de Sévigné....

, cousin of the famous Madame de Sévigné
Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de Sévigné
Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de Sévigné was a French aristocrat, remembered for her letter-writing. Most of her letters, celebrated for their wit and vividness, were addressed to her daughter.-Life:...

. He distinguished himself greatly in Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...

 and in Artois
Artois
Artois is a former province of northern France. Its territory has an area of around 4000 km² and a population of about one million. Its principal cities are Arras , Saint-Omer, Lens and Béthune.-Location:...

 under the command of Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne
Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne, Vicomte de Turenne
Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne, Vicomte de Turenne,often called simply Turenne was the most illustrious member of the La Tour d'Auvergne family. He achieved military fame and became a Marshal of France...

, Vicomte de Turenne. He was notable for his involvement in the sieges of Landrecies
Landrecies
Landrecies is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It is the site of a skirmish between the British I Corps under Douglas Haig and the German Fifth Army on 25 August 1914.-Heraldry:-People:...

, Condé-sur-l'Escaut
Condé-sur-l'Escaut
-Administration:Condé-sur-l'Escaut is the eastern member of the agglomerated Valenciennes metropolitan area, which together administers 35 communes.-References:...

 and Valenciennes
Valenciennes
Valenciennes is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It lies on the Scheldt river. Although the city and region had seen a steady decline between 1975 and 1990, it has since rebounded...

. Roger de Rabutin reported to his cousin the bravery of the young Louis Victor at Condé under his command.

Later Colonel of the Royal Etranger, he served in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 twice before demanding a place in the Marines. He worked with the Duke of Beaufort, and was later created the Grand Master of Navigation.

General of the Galleys

Captain of vessels and created a Peer of France in 1663, he embarked with the unfortunate Chevalier Paul
Chevalier Paul
Jean-Paul de Saumeur , often called Chevalier Paul was a French admiral who served in several Mediterranean campaigns.Saumeur began sailing at the age of twelve in the navy of the Order of Malta...

 on an expedition to Jijel
Jijel
Jijel is the capital of Jijel Province in northeastern Algeria. It is flanked by the Mediterranean Sea in the region of Corniche Jijelienne, and has an estimated population of 148,000 inhabitants .Jijel is the administrative and trade centre for a region specializing in cork processing, leather...

 in north eastern Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...

. When war had been declared with Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 in 1667, Louis Victor distinguished himself in Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...

 under the eyes of the king himself. When not on the field, Louis Victor was campaigning on the galleys becoming général des galères in March in 1669, partly due to the influence of his sister la Belle Montespan
Françoise-Athénaïs, marquise de Montespan
Françoise Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, marquise of Montespan , better known as Madame de Montespan, was the most celebrated maîtresse en titre of King Louis XIV of France, by whom she had seven children....

 who had been Louis XIV's mistress for about two years by then. Some time after his promotion he attacked the Turks who had invaded the Venetians at the siege of Candia
Siege of Candia
The Siege of Candia was a military conflict in which Ottoman forces besieged the Venetian-ruled city and were ultimately victorious. Lasting from 1648 to 1669, it was the longest siege in history.-Background:...

. After the death of Beaufort (25 June 1669) Louis Victor bought up the vessels and continued the fight.

Injured due to combat on 24 July, he was quick to realise that he could not force the Turks to retreat, withdrawing himself to Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....

. In 1671 he was given command of protecting the southern coast of France from barbary pirates. In 1672, in the French War with Holland
Franco-Dutch War
The Franco-Dutch War, often called simply the Dutch War was a war fought by France, Sweden, the Bishopric of Münster, the Archbishopric of Cologne and England against the United Netherlands, which were later joined by the Austrian Habsburg lands, Brandenburg and Spain to form a quadruple alliance...

, he took part in the famous crossing of the Rhine. His horse, Claud Le Blanc, tripped in the water, causing Louis Victor to fall into the river. At the same moment, he was shot in the arm and he had to be carried away in a sling but he was carried with the pride of the Mortemarts. In 1673 he signalled the siege of Maastricht
Maastricht
Maastricht is situated on both sides of the Meuse river in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands, on the Belgian border and near the German border...

. The next year he was named Governor of Champagne.

Viceroy of Sicily

The next year, 1675, Louis XIV sent him to Messina where there had been a revolt under Spanish control of Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...

. By 11 February he had sent relief to the town and on 2 August 1675 he was created a Marshal of France. He was known as the Maréchal de Vivonne. In August 1676, (22 Aug.) he was made the Viceroy of Sicily, where he sent navies to Duquesne
Abraham Duquesne
Other topics that could fall under Duquesne can be found at Marquis Duquesne Abraham Duquesne, marquis du Bouchet was a French naval officer, who also saw service as an admiral in the Royal Swedish Navy. He was born in Dieppe, a seaport, in 1610, and was a Huguenot...

  Tourville
Anne Hilarion de Tourville
Anne Hilarion de Costentin, comte de Tourville was a French naval commander who served under King Louis XIV. He was made Marshal of France in 1693.-Military career:...

 who were fighting with the Dutch in the Battles of Augusta (22 April 1676) and Palermo
Battle of Palermo
The naval Battle of Palermo took place on 2 June 1676 during the Franco-Dutch War, between a French force led by Abraham Duquesne and a Spanish force supported by a Dutch maritime expedition force. Largely because the Dutch and Spanish ships were at bay making repairs from earlier a battle, the...

 (2 June 1676). Louis Victor is known to have declared to the local people on behalf of the Sun King that there was held "nothing more at heart than the triumph of the victims against their oppressors" and that he would "take them definitively under his powerful and friendly protection".

Despite this, the king ordered Louis Victor to abandon the site in January, 1678, leaving Messina to defend itself. As time went on, French men who were left at the place were killed by Sicilians out of reaction to the French abandonment.

After the French evacuated Messina in April 1678, Louis Victor stopped working at sea.

First Gentleman of the King's Chamber

Returning to Paris having a very successful military career, he was created Premier gentilhomme de la Chambre du Roi
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:...

, "First Gentleman of the King's Bedchamber". He had returned to a court that was no longer dominated by his sisters influence. Despite this, he had an intriguing life at court and later became an intimate of the king himself. "Monsieur de Vivonne had infinite spirit and entertained it without fear; he pleased the king with a hundred stories" reported the duc de Saint-Simon
Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon
Louis de Rouvroy commonly known as Saint-Simon was a French soldier, diplomatist and writer of memoirs, was born in Paris...

.

Louis Victor was also close to the playwright Molière
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature...

, and Nicolas Boileau, whom, he himself presented to the king.

His only son, Louis died in April 1688; Louis Victor was greatly affected by the loss of his only son.

He died at Chaillot aged 52. He was succeeded by his grandson Louis de Rochechouart de Mortemart (1681–1740).

His daughter, Marie Élisabeth, comtesse de Castries, was a lady-in-waiting to her first cousin, the duchesse d'Orléans
Françoise-Marie de Bourbon
Françoise Marie de Bourbon, Légitimée de France was the youngest legitimised daughter of Louis XIV of France and his maîtresse-en-titre, Françoise-Athénaïs, marquise de Montespan. Originally known as the second Mademoiselle de Blois, that style eventually gave way to the name Françoise Marie de...

; the two were very close but when Madame de Castries suggested a marital union between the families, the Duchess of Orléans reprimanded her for the idea of an Orléans daughter marrying a mere nobleman.

He was outlived by his wife, Antoinette Louise who died in 1709.

Issue

Louis Victor married Antoinette Louise de Mesmes (1640–10 March 1709) at the Château de Beyne in September, 1655. The couple had six children, three of which would have progeny.
  • Gabrielle de Rochechouart de Mortemart (1658 – 24 October 1733) never married; Abbess of Beaumont-lès-Tours
    Beaumont-lès-Tours
    Beaumont-lès-Tours, in the Indre-et-Loire department of France, is a former commune in the Touraine, near the large town of Tours.It was famed for its large religious institution, the Benedictine Abbey of Beaumont-lès-Tours, once the home of Henriette Louise de Bourbon, Abbess of...

     like her second cousin Henriette Louise de Bourbon
    Henriette Louise de Bourbon
    Henriette Louise de Bourbon was a French Princess by birth and a member of the House of Bourbon...

    ;
  • Charlotte de Rochechouart de Mortemart  (1660 – 18 April 1729) married Henri, Duke of Elbeuf
    Henri, Duke of Elbeuf
    Henri de Lorraine was the Duke of Elbeuf and member of the House of Lorraine. He succeeded his father Charles de Lorraine to the Duchy-Peerage of Elbeuf...

     (son of Charles III, duc d'Elbeuf and Catherine Henriette de Bourbon
    Catherine Henriette de Bourbon
    Catherine Henriette de Bourbon, Légitimée de France was an illegitimate daughter of King Henri IV and his long-term maîtresse en titre Gabrielle d'Estrées. She married into the Princely House of Guise.-Early years:...

    ) and had issue;
  • Louis de Rochechouart de Mortemart (1663 – 3 April 1688) married Marie Anne Colbert, daughter of Jean Baptiste Colbert
    Jean-Baptiste Colbert
    Jean-Baptiste Colbert was a French politician who served as the Minister of Finances of France from 1665 to 1683 under the rule of King Louis XIV. His relentless hard work and thrift made him an esteemed minister. He achieved a reputation for his work of improving the state of French manufacturing...

     on 14 February 1679 and had issue; known as the prince de Tonnay-Charente; his descendants include the present Duke of Noailles
    Hélie de Noailles
    Hélie Marie Auguste Jacques Bertrand Philippe de Noailles, 10th Duke of Noailles , simply known as Hélie de Noailles, is a French nobleman, diplomat and trade representative...

     and the present Marquess of Lansdowne
    Charles Petty-FitzMaurice, 9th Marquess of Lansdowne
    Charles Maurice Petty-FitzMaurice, 9th Marquess of Lansdowne LVO DL , styled Earl of Shelburne between 1944 and 1997, is a British peer.-Early life:...

     through Émilie Jane de Flahault de Billarderie
    Emily Petty-Fitzmaurice, Marchioness of Lansdowne
    Emily Jane Mercer Elphinstone Petty-Fitzmaurice, Marchioness of Lansdowne and 8th Lady Nairne was a British peeress....

    ;
  • Marie Élisabeth de Rochechouart de Mortemart (1663 – 5 May 1718) married Joseph François de La Croix, Marquis of Castries on 19 May 1693 and had issue; she was a lady in waiting to her first cousin the Duchess of Orléans
    Françoise-Marie de Bourbon
    Françoise Marie de Bourbon, Légitimée de France was the youngest legitimised daughter of Louis XIV of France and his maîtresse-en-titre, Françoise-Athénaïs, marquise de Montespan. Originally known as the second Mademoiselle de Blois, that style eventually gave way to the name Françoise Marie de...

    ;
  • Louise Françoise de Rochechouart de Mortemart (1664 – 16 February 1742) never married; Abbess in Fontevrault; shared her name with her cousin the Duchess of Bourbon
    Louise-Françoise de Bourbon
    Louise Françoise de Bourbon, Légitimée de France was the eldest surviving legitimised daughter of Louis XIV of France and his maîtresse-en-titre, Madame de Montespan. She was said to have been named after her godmother, Louise de La Vallière, the woman that her mother had replaced as the king's...

     and Mademoiselle du Maine
    Louise-Françoise de Bourbon (1707–1743)
    Louise Françoise de Bourbon was a grand daughter of Louis XIV of France and his mistress Françoise Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, better known as Madame de Montespan...

    ;
  • Gabrielle Victoire de Rochechouart de Mortemart (1670 – 23 April 1740) married Alphonse de Créquy on 12 September 1702 and had no issue;

Titles and styles

  • 25 August 1636 – 26 December 1675 the Count then Duke of Vivonne
  • 26 December 1675 – 15 December 1688 the Duke of Mortemart
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK