Anne-Adrien-Pierre de Montmorency, 1st Duke of San Fernando Luis, 3rd Duke of Laval-Montmorency, GE (29 October 1768, in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

– 16 June 1837, in Paris), was a

peer of France The Peerage of France (french: Pairie de France) was a hereditary distinction within the French nobility which appeared in 1180 in the Middle Ages. The prestigious title and position of Peer of France (french: Pair de France, links=no) was ...

and of Spain. He was an heir of the noble families of Montmorency and of

Laval Laval means ''The Valley'' in old French and is the name of: People * House of Laval, a French noble family originating from the town of Laval, Mayenne * Laval (surname) Places Belgium * Laval, a village in the municipality of Sainte-Ode, Luxem ...

, styled ''Marquis de Laval'' then ''Prince de Montmorency-Laval'' before succeeding to his father's titles in 1817. He was additionally created a

grandee of Spain Grandee (; es, Grande de España, ) is an official aristocratic title conferred on some Spanish nobility. Holders of this dignity enjoyed similar privileges to those of the peerage of France during the , though in neither country did they ha ...

and

Duke of San Fernando Luis Duke of San Fernando Luis ( es, Duque de San Fernando Luis) is a hereditary title in the Peerage of Spain, accompanied by the dignity of Grandee and granted in 1816 by Ferdinand VII to Anne-Adrien-Pierre de Montmorency-Laval, for his efforts as ...

. Adrien de Montmorency-Laval was a French army officer, before serving as

French foreign minister The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs () is the ministry of the Government of France that handles France's foreign relations. Since 1855, its headquarters have been located at 37 Quai d'Orsay, close to the National Assembly. The term Qua ...

and as an ambassador during the

Bourbon Restoration Bourbon Restoration may refer to: France under the House of Bourbon: * Bourbon Restoration in France (1814, after the French revolution and Napoleonic era, until 1830; interrupted by the Hundred Days in 1815) Spain under the Spanish Bourbons: * ...

Early years

His father was Lieutenant-General Anne-Alexandre de Montmorency, 2nd Duc de Laval, and his mother was Marie-Louise de Montmorency-Luxembourg (1750–1829). Born in 1768 while his formidable great-grandfather,

Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...

Guy-André-Pierre de Montmorency, the 1st duke was alive, Adrien was sent to be raised under the tuition of his uncle Cardinal Louis-Joseph de Montmorency-Laval, Prince-Bishop of Metz and

Grand Almoner of France {{other uses, Almoner The Grand Almoner of France (french: Grand aumônier de France) was an officer of the French monarchy and a member of the ''Maison du Roi'' ("King's Household") during the ''Ancien Régime''. He directed the religious branch of ...

in preparation for taking holy orders. Shortly after starting at the

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

of the Saint-Sulpice in Paris, his elder brother Guy de Montmorency, ''marquis de Laval'', died unexpectedly in 1786; he had married Pauline-Renée-Sophie de Voyer de Paulmy d'Argenson in 1784. His brother's death, prompted him to leave church training and participate in

court life A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance w ...

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...

. Montmorency-Laval joined the

French army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed For ...

, being commissioned in the Alsace Cavalry Regiment, commanded by Charles, vicomte de Noailles (''later''

duc de Mouchy Duke of Mouchy ( es, Duque de Mouchy) was a hereditary title in the peerage of Spain, accompanied by the dignity of Grandee and granted in 1747 by Ferdinand VI to Philippe de Noailles, a French military officer. After failure of the 1st Duke's ...

) where he served alongside Marc-René de Voyer de Paulmy, marquis d'Argenson (1771–1842), his brother-in-law and lifelong friend.

Marriage and children

On 14 May 1788, he married his second cousin (their great-grandfather was Anne-Jacques de Bullion, marquis de Fervacques, Governor of

Marne Marne can refer to: Places France *Marne (river), a tributary of the Seine *Marne (department), a département in northeastern France named after the river * La Marne, a commune in western France *Marne, a legislative constituency (France) Nethe ...

),www.bnf.fr
/ref> Bonne-Charlotte-Renée-Adélaïde de Montmorency-Luxembourg (1773–1840), daughter of Anne-Charles-Sigismond, duc de Piney-Luxembourg (1737–1803) and head of the senior branch of the Montmorencys, by his wife Madeleine-Suzanne-Adélaïde de Voyer de Paulmy d'Argenson. The Duke and his wife had three children: * Guy-Anne-Marie-Louis-Henri-Adalric, ''prince de Laval'' (1796–1819), Huntmaster of

Morbihan Morbihan ( , ; br, Mor-Bihan ) is a department in the administrative region of Brittany, situated in the northwest of France. It is named after the Morbihan (''small sea'' in Breton), the enclosed sea that is the principal feature of the coastli ...

; * Charlotte-Adélaïde (1798–1872), '' 2nd Duchess of San Fernando Luis'', who married in 1817, Gustave de Lévis, marquis de Mirepoix: descendants include the historian,

Antoine de Lévis-Mirepoix Antoine Pierre Marie François Joseph de Lévis-Mirepoix, 5th Duke of San Fernando Luis, GE (1 August 1884 in Léran, Ariège – 16 July 1981, in Lavelanet) was a French historian, novelist and essayist. He was known as duke of Lévis-Mi ...

; * Marguerite-Emmanuelle-Pauline (1811–1861) married Aimé, marquis de Couronnel: ancestors of the Rarécourt family. Through his wife's family (the Colignys) their descendants inherited great wealth, as both her elder brothers died childless and in 1791 her younger sister Marie-Madeleine married Miguel Caetano Álvares Pereira de Melo, 5th Duque de Cadaval, emigrating to Portugal.

Diplomatic career

Upon the outbreak of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

, after locating remaining family members in Paris, Adrien de Laval fled to England. As a French ''

émigré An ''émigré'' () is a person who has emigrated, often with a connotation of political or social self-exile. The word is the past participle of the French ''émigrer'', "to emigrate". French Huguenots Many French Huguenots fled France followi ...

'' in London, the marquis became friendly with the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

and his circle. During the revolutionary wars his father appointed him as aide-de-camp and despatched him to Italy as a captain in the Montmorency Regiment being stationed at

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. After the ban on ''émigrés'' was lifted in 1800 he returned to France. Adrien de Laval was one of the first to congratulate

Louis XVIII Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. He spent twenty-three years in ...

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...

in 1814, and the king promoted him ''

maréchal de camp ''Maréchal de camp'' (sometimes incorrectly translated as field marshal) was a general officer rank used by the French Army until 1848. The rank originated from the older rank of sergeant major general ( French: ''sergent-major général''). Se ...

'' (major-general) and bestowed on him the style of ''Prince de Montmorency-Laval''; he succeeded to his father's dukedom in 1817. On 15 August 1814, he was appointed French ambassador to Spain. There he came into conflict with

Ceballos Ceballos is a Spanish toponymic surname. A variant is Cevallos (surname), Cevallos. Notable people with the name include: *Alberto Heredia Ceballos, Spanish footballer *Camilo Ceballos, Colombian footballer *Cedric Ceballos, American basketball ...

. But on receiving news of the return of Napoleon from

Elba Elba ( it, isola d'Elba, ; la, Ilva) is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano National ...

, a reconciliation was effected and Montmorency-Laval agreed to stay in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

, contrary to instructions from the French government. He successfully managed the somewhat tense relations between the Spanish Borbóns and the newly restored French

Bourbons The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a European dynasty of French origin, a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Spanish ...

, being honoured in 1815 as a

knight of the Golden Fleece This article contains a list of knights of the Order of the Golden Fleece. Knights of the Burgundian Golden Fleece 15th Century !Year of Induction!!Name!!Born!!Died!!Notes , - , rowspan=25, 1430, , Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, , 1396, , ...

and made

with the rank of

grandee Grandee (; es, Grande de España, ) is an official royal and noble ranks, aristocratic title conferred on some Spanish nobility. Holders of this dignity enjoyed similar privileges to those of the peerage of France during the , though in neith ...

. His next ambassadorial posting was to Rome, where he arrived just before the end of

Pius VII Pope Pius VII ( it, Pio VII; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. Chiaramonti was also a m ...

's reign and was present during the

conclave A papal conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a bishop of Rome, also known as the pope. Catholics consider the pope to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and the earthly head of the Catholic Church. Co ...

for the election of his successor as pope; he supported the efforts of

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

in favour of Cardinal Castiglioni's candidacy. However, Cardinal Annibale della Genga was elected as

Leo XII Leo or Léo may refer to: Acronyms * Law enforcement officer * Law enforcement organisation * ''Louisville Eccentric Observer'', a free weekly newspaper in Louisville, Kentucky * Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity Arts an ...

. On 20 March 1828, the Duc de Laval was appointed French ambassador to Austria. His name was also mooted as a candidate to be

king of Greece The Kingdom of Greece was ruled by the House of Wittelsbach between 1832 and 1862 and by the House of Glücksburg from 1863 to 1924, temporarily abolished during the Second Hellenic Republic, and from 1935 to 1973, when it was once more abolishe ...

, but he twice refused

King Charles X Charles X (born Charles Philippe, Count of Artois; 9 October 1757 – 6 November 1836) was King of France from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. An uncle of the uncrowned Louis XVII and younger brother to reigning kings Louis XVI and Loui ...

's proposals. He was then posted as Ambassador to the Court of St James's, returning to Paris just before

Charles X Charles X (born Charles Philippe, Count of Artois; 9 October 1757 – 6 November 1836) was King of France from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. An uncle of the uncrowned Louis XVII and younger brother to reigning kings Louis XVI and Loui ...

's exile. At Talleyrand's request, he dealt with unpleasant issues in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

caused by his relatives, Louis, duc de Valençay and his father Edmond, duca di Dino, who had become addicted to gambling. Declining to swear allegiance to

King Louis-Philippe Louis Philippe (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850) was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, and the penultimate monarch of France. As Louis Philippe, Duke of Chartres, he distinguished himself commanding troops during the Revolutionary Wa ...

, the Duke and Duchess retired to the chateau de Montigny, where they received visitors, including Talleyrand. The Duke died on 16 June 1837 and, having been predeceased by his son at

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

in 1819, his youngest brother Eugène succeeded to his French titles before they became extinct, whereas his Spanish ''ducado'' and ''grandeza'' devolved upon his elder daughter and her descendants.

Honours and titles

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

of France * Corona de Grande de España

Grandee Grandee (; es, Grande de España, ) is an official royal and noble ranks, aristocratic title conferred on some Spanish nobility. Holders of this dignity enjoyed similar privileges to those of the peerage of France during the , though in neith ...

of Spain * Rangkronen-Fig

Count of the Holy Roman Empire Imperial Count (german: Reichsgraf) was a title in the Holy Roman Empire. In the medieval era, it was used exclusively to designate the holder of an imperial county, that is, a fief held directly ( immediately) from the emperor, rather than from ...

Grand Cross Grand Cross is the highest class in many orders, and manifested in its insignia. Exceptionally, the highest class may be referred to as Grand Cordon or equivalent. In other cases, there may exist a rank even higher than Grand Cross, e.g. Grand ...

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

Knight,

Order of the Holy Spirit The Order of the Holy Spirit (french: Ordre du Saint-Esprit; sometimes translated into English as the Order of the Holy Ghost), is a French order of chivalry founded by Henry III of France in 1578. Today, it is a dynastic order under the House of ...

Ordre Royal et Militaire de Saint-Louis Chevalier ribbon

Grand Cross,

Order of Saint Louis The Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis (french: Ordre Royal et Militaire de Saint-Louis) is a dynastic order of chivalry founded 5 April 1693 by King Louis XIV, named after Saint Louis (King Louis IX of France). It was intended as a rewar ...

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...

Knight,

Order of the Golden Fleece The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece ( es, Insigne Orden del Toisón de Oro, german: Orden vom Goldenen Vlies) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in 1430, to celebrate his marriage ...

References

Citations Sources * * « Anne Adrien Pierre de Montmorency-Laval », in Louis-Gabriel Michaud, ''Biographie universelle ancienne et moderne: histoire par ordre alphabétique de la vie publique et privée de tous les hommes avec la collaboration de plus de 300 savants et littérateurs français ou étrangers'', 2e édition, 1843–1865 étail de l’édition* « Montmorency (Anne-Adrien-Pierre de) », in Pierre Larousse, ''Grand dictionnaire universel du XIXe siècle''
"Maison Montmorency", ''heraldique-europeenne.org''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montmorency-Laval, Anne Pierre Adrien, duc de 1768 births 1837 deaths Anne Pierre Adrien Politicians from Paris Ambassadors of France to Spain Dukes of Laval Dukes of Spain Grandees of Spain French generals Knights of Malta Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain 19th-century French nobility Ambassadors of France to the Austrian Empire Ambassadors of France to the United Kingdom Diplomats from Paris

Early years

Marriage and children

Diplomatic career

Honours and titles

See also

References