Undated portrait of Antoine de Gramont, Duke of Gramont by an unknown artist

Antoine V de Gramont (January 1672 – September 16, 1725), Duke of Guiche, was a

Marshal of France Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished ( ...

Early life

French military figure and member of the House of Gramont, he was the oldest child of

Antoine Charles IV de Gramont Antoine Charles IV de Gramont, ''comte de Guiche,'' 3rd ''Duke de Gramont,'' ''comte de Louvigny,'' ''Souverain de Bidache'' (1641 – 25 October 1720) was a French diplomat. Early life He was the youngest son of Antoine III de Gramont and Franç ...

and Marie Charlotte de Castelnau (1648 – 29 January 1694), daughter of Marshal Castelnau.

Biography

At the age of thirteen, he became a

musketeer A musketeer (french: mousquetaire) was a type of soldier equipped with a musket. Musketeers were an important part of early modern warfare particularly in Europe as they normally comprised the majority of their infantry. The musketeer was a pr ...

and by 1687 he had become head of his regiment. He participated in the

Siege of Philippsburg (1688) The siege of Philippsburg was a siege of the fortress of Philippsburg during the War of the League of Augsburg. It occurred between 27 September and 30 October 1688 and ended in a French victory over the Imperial Imperial is that which relat ...

and the

Battle of Landen The Battle of Landen, also known as Neerwinden, took place on 29 July 1693, during the Nine Years' War near Landen in modern Belgium. A French army under Marshal Luxembourg defeated an Allied force led by William III. By 1693, all combata ...

(1693). He was made

brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. ...

in 1694 and served in

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

. In 1696, he was serving under Marshal

Catinat Nicolas Catinat (, 1 September 1637 – 22 February 1712) was a French military commander and Marshal of France under Louis XIV. The son of a magistrate, Catinat was born in Paris on 1 September 1637. He entered the Gardes Françaises at an ...

and Marshal

Boufflers Boufflers is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Boufflers is situated on the D224 road, on the banks of the river Authie, the border with the Pas-de-Calais, some northeast of Abbeville. Popul ...

, and was himself made a

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 ...

(of Flanders) and

Colonel General Colonel general is a three- or four-star military rank used in some armies. It is particularly associated with Germany, where historically general officer ranks were one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, and was a ra ...

Dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat w ...

s in 1702. In 1704, he made lieutenant of the royal arms and on October 26, 1704,

of the French guards. He became envoy to

Philip V of Spain Philip V ( es, Felipe; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was King of Spain from 1 November 1700 to 14 January 1724, and again from 6 September 1724 to his death in 1746. His total reign of 45 years is the longest in the history of the Spanish mo ...

in 1705. He was wounded at the

Battle of Malplaquet The Battle of Malplaquet took place on 11 September 1709 during the War of the Spanish Succession and was fought between a French army commanded by the Duke of Villars and a Grand Alliance force under the Duke of Marlborough. In one of the blo ...

(1709). In 1712, he became Lieutenant General of

Bayonne Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine r ...

and Lieutenant General and

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Navarre Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...

and

Béarn The Béarn (; ; oc, Bearn or ''Biarn''; eu, Bearno or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three B ...

. In 1715, he became Counselor of Regents and War and in 1720, acquired the title of ''Duke of Gramont''. In 1724, he became

. He died a year later, evidently in his

palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

Personal life

He had married Marie Christine de Noailles (1672-1648), daughter of

Anne-Jules, 2nd duc de Noailles Anne Jules de Noailles, 2nd Duke of Noailles (5 February 16502 October 1708) was one of the chief generals of France towards the end of the reign of Louis XIV, and, after raising the regiment of Noailles in 1689, he commanded in Spain during bot ...

and his wife, Marie Françoise de Bournonville (1654-1748). They had 5 children. The second eldest child was: * Louis de Gramont, 6th Duke of Gramont

Notes

References

1672 births 1725 deaths Antoine 5 Dukes of Guiche 18th-century French diplomats Marshals of France 18th-century peers of France 17th-century French people People of the Regency of Philippe d'Orléans People of the Ancien Régime {{france-hist-stub