Esprit Victor Elisabeth Boniface de Castellane, ''comte de Castellane'' (21 March 178816 September 1862), was a French military officer and ultimately 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 (1 ...

Early life

He was a son of Boniface Louis André de Castellane (1758–1837) and Adélaïde Louise Guyonne de Rohan-Chabot (1761–1805), who was also known as Mademoiselle de

Jarnac Jarnac (; ; Saintongese: ''Jharnat'') is a commune in the Charente department, southwestern France.Alexandrine Charlotte de Rohan-Chabot Alexandrine Charlotte "Rosalie" de Rohan-Chabot (1763–1839), the '' duchesse de La Rochefoucauld'' was a French duchess and letter writer, known for the events of her life during the French Revolution. She witnessed the infamous Reign of Terro ...

(whose husband, Louis Alexandre, Duc de La Rochefoucauld, was killed during the

September Massacres The September Massacres were a series of killings of prisoners in Paris that occurred in 1792, from Sunday, 2 September until Thursday, 6 September, during the French Revolution. Between 1,176 and 1,614 people were killed by ''fédérés'', gua ...

of the

Reign of Terror The Reign of Terror (french: link=no, la Terreur) was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the First Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public executions took place in response to revolutionary fervour, ...

). His paternal grandparents were Esprit François Henry, Marquis de Castellane and Louise Charlotte Armande Charron de Ménars. His maternal grandparents were Charles Rosalie de Rohan-Chabot, Lord of Clion, Maroite and Brassac, joint-Lord of the castellanies of Montagrier and

Chapdeuil Chapdeuil (; oc, Lo Chapduelh) is a commune in the Dordogne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. Population See also *Communes of the Dordogne department The following is a list of the 503 communes of the Dordogne depa ...

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 ...

(a son of

Guy Auguste de Rohan-Chabot Guy Auguste de Rohan-Chabot known as the ''comte de Chabot'' (18 August 1683 – 13 September 1760), often referred to as Chevalier de Rohan, was a French nobleman most notable for an altercation with Voltaire. He was the son of Louis de Roh ...

) and the former Guyonne Hyacinthe de Pons Saint-Maurice. His maternal uncle, Major-General Louis Guy Charles Guillaume de Rohan-Chabot married Lady Isabella FitzGerald (the youngest daughter of

William FitzGerald, 2nd Duke of Leinster William Robert FitzGerald, 2nd Duke of Leinster, KP, PC (Ire) (12/13 March 1749 – 20 October 1804) was an Irish liberal politician and landowner. He was born in London. Career FitzGerald made his Grand Tour between 1768 and 1769. During th ...

) and were the parents of

Philippe de Rohan-Chabot Philippe-Ferdinand-Auguste de Rohan-Chabot (1815–1875), comte de Jarnac, was a French diplomat of aristocratic descent. Descended from the ancient Breton family currently represented by Josselin de Rohan, the 14th Duke. He was the only son of ...

, vicomte de Chabot and comte de Jarnac who served as the French Ambassador to the United Kingdom in 1871.

Career

Boniface de Castellane entered the French army on the day of the coronation of

Napoléon I of France Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

(December 2, 1804) as an enlisted soldier in the 5th Light Infantry Regiment. In February 1806 he was promoted to 2nd lieutenant in the 7th Dragoons. The same month he was transferred to the 24th Dragoons with whom he served in the

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was ...

. In 1808 de Castellane followed general

Georges Mouton Georges Mouton, comte de Lobau (21 February 1770 – 27 November 1838) was a French soldier and political figure who rose to the rank of Marshal of France. Biography Born in Phalsbourg, Lorraine, he enlisted in the French Revolutionary Army ...

into Spain as an '' aide-de-camp''. When Napoléon returned to Germany in 1809, de Castellane followed and he fought in that campaign at

Abensberg Abensberg () is a town in the Lower Bavarian district of Kelheim, in Bavaria, Germany, lying around southwest of Regensburg, east of Ingolstadt, northwest of Landshut and north of Munich. It is situated on the river Abens, a tributary of the ...

, Eckmühl,

Ratisbon Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the f ...

, Aspern-Essling and

Wagram Deutsch-Wagram (literally "German Wagram", ), often shortened to Wagram, is a village in the Gänserndorf District, in the states of Austria, state of Lower Austria, Austria. It is in the Morava (river), Marchfeld Basin, close to the Vienna city ...

. Promoted to captain in 1810, he further served Mouton, by now count of Lobau, as ''aide-de-camp'' and he accompanied him into Russia where he served at

Vitebsk Vitebsk or Viciebsk (russian: Витебск, ; be, Ві́цебск, ; , ''Vitebsk'', lt, Vitebskas, pl, Witebsk), is a city in Belarus. The capital of the Vitebsk Region, it has 366,299 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth-largest ci ...

Smolensk Smolensk ( rus, Смоленск, p=smɐˈlʲensk, a=smolensk_ru.ogg) is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest c ...

and

Borodino The Battle of Borodino (). took place near the village of Borodino on during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. The ' won the battle against the Imperial Russian Army but failed to gain a decisive victory and suffered tremendous losses. Napoleon ...

. In October 1812 he was made ''aide-de-camp'' of general

Narbonne Narbonne (, also , ; oc, Narbona ; la, Narbo ; Late Latin:) is a commune in France, commune in Southern France in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region. It lies from Paris in the Aude Departments of Franc ...

and was present at Krasnoi and the crossing of the Beresina. Promoted to major, he served in the personal protection detail of the emperor during the retreat. De Castellane was promoted to command of the 1st Regiment Garde d'Honneur in June 1813. During the German campaign he fought at

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

Restoration and July Monarchy

In 1822 de Castellane was given command of a regiment of hussars of the Royal Guard. In 1823 he was serving in Spain but he was recalled in 1827 for his opposition to

Ferdinand VII , house = Bourbon-Anjou , father = Charles IV of Spain , mother = Maria Luisa of Parma , birth_date = 14 October 1784 , birth_place = El Escorial, Spain , death_date = , death_place = Madrid, Spain , burial_plac ...

's politics of revenge. In 1824 he was made

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). In 1829 he was made an inspector-general of infantry. De Castellane was part of the French army sent to secure Belgium's new found independence. In this campaign he commanded the 1st brigade of the 2nd division. He served in the siege of Antwerp in 1832. In 1833 de Castellane was promoted lieutenant-general and given command of the division of the Pyrénées-Orientales and in 1835 of the 21st military division. Appointed 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 ...

in 1837, de Castellane was sent to

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

as inspector-general. In 1838 he returned to his old post in the Pyrenees.

Revolution, Republic and Second Empire

In February 1850, de Castellane was given command of the 42nd military division at

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...

. To this was added the 44th and 45th divisions centered at

Nantes Nantes (, , ; Gallo: or ; ) is a city in Loire-Atlantique on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, with a population of 314,138 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabita ...

and

Rennes Rennes (; br, Roazhon ; Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department ...

. Later that year, he was sent to the 6th military division at

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...

. In January 1852, he was named a senator and governor of Lyon. In December of that year, he was given the dignity of

Personal life

In 1813, he married Louise Cordélia Eucharis Greffulhe (1796–1847), the younger sister of French banker and politician

Jean-Henry-Louis Greffulhe Count Jean-Henry-Louis Greffulhe (May 21, 1774 – February 23, 1820) was a French banker and politician. He was the founder of a bank called Greffulhe Montz et Cie. He served as a member of the Chamber of Peers from 1814 to 1820. References ...

(father of

Henri Greffulhe Henri Greffulhe (29 July 1815 – 8 April 1879) was a French politician. He was made a Senator for life A senator for life is a member of the senate or equivalent upper chamber of a legislature who has life tenure. , six Italian senators out o ...

and

Louis-Charles Greffulhe Louis-Charles Greffulhe (9 February 1814 – 27 September 1888) was a French count and politician. He was the eldest son of Jean-Henry-Louis Greffulhe and his wife, Marie-Françoise-Célestine-Gabrielle de Vintimille du Luc. Célestine de Vi ...

). Together, they were the parents of: *

Henri de Castellane Henri Charles Louis Boniface, Marquis de Castellane (23 September 1814, Paris – 16 October 1847, château de Rochecotte) was a French politician and nobleman. Early life He was the eldest son of marshal Boniface de Castellane. Personal life H ...

(1814–1847), who married

Pauline de Talleyrand-Périgord Joséphine Pauline de Talleyrand-Périgord, Marquise de Castellane (29 December 1820 12 October 1890) was a French noblewoman. Early life Joséphine Pauline was born in Paris on 29 December 1820. She was the third legitimate child of the Edmon ...

(1820–1890), the third child of

Edmond de Talleyrand-Périgord Edmond de Talleyrand-Périgord, 2nd Duke of Talleyrand, 2nd Duke of Dino (1 August 1787 – 14 May 1872), was a French general of the Napoleonic Wars. Early life He was born in Paris, the son of Archambaud de Talleyrand-Périgord (1762–1838) an ...

and Princess Dorothea of Courland, in 1839. *

Sophie de Castellane Sophie is a version of the female given name Sophia, meaning "wise". People with the name Born in the Middle Ages * Sophie, Countess of Bar (c. 1004 or 1018–1093), sovereign Countess of Bar and lady of Mousson * Sophie of Thuringia, Duchess of ...

(1818–1904), who married Érasme Henri de Contades, Marquis de Contades (1814–1858), a descendant of

Louis Georges Érasme de Contades Louis Georges Érasme, marquis de Contades (1704–1795) was the 6th Marquis de Contades and Seigneur de Montgeoffroi. He was a Marshal of France and a major battlefield commander during the Seven Years' War. He notably commanded the French fo ...

in 1836. After his death, she married Victor de Beaulaincourt, Comte de Beaulaincourt de Marles (1820–1860) in 1859. * Rachel Elisabeth ''Pauline'' de Castellane (1823–1895), who married Maximilian Friedrich Karl Franz von Hatzfeldt zu Trachenberg (1813–1859), a son of

Franz Ludwig Franz Ludwig (1876–1927) was a German stage and film actor.Kasten p. 327 He became known for his portrayals of the German Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck. Selected filmography * '' Bismarck'' (1914) * '' Bismarck'' (1925) * ''Bismarck 1862–18 ...

von Hatzfeldt and sister of Sophie von Hatzfeldt, in 1844. After his death, she married

Louis de Talleyrand-Périgord Napoléon-Louis de Talleyrand-Périgord, duc de Valençay, 3rd duc de Talleyrand-Périgord (12 March 1811 – 21 March 1898) was a French aristocrat, soldier and politician. Early life He was born at Paris on 12 March 1811, the son of the general ...

, duc de Valençay, 3rd duc de Talleyrand-Périgord (1811–1898), in 1861. Louis, the older brother of

Henri Henri is an Estonian, Finnish, French, German and Luxembourgish form of the masculine given name Henry (given name), Henry. People with this given name ; French noblemen :'' See the 'List_of_rulers_named_Henry#France, List of rulers named Henry ...

's wife Pauline, was the father of

Boson de Talleyrand-Périgord Charles Guillaume Frédéric Boson de Talleyrand-Périgord (16 May 1832 – 21 February 1910), prince of Sagan (from 1845), duke of Sagan and duke of Talleyrand (from 1898) was a famous French dandy, and the grandson of Dorothea von Biron. Earl ...

from his first marriage to Anne Louise Charlotte de Montmorency. * Pierre de Castellane (1824–1883), who married Hedwige Sapia and traveled to

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

to be a soldier under

Patrice de MacMahon Marie Edme Patrice Maurice de MacMahon, marquis de MacMahon, duc de Magenta (; 13 June 1808 – 17 October 1893) was a French general and politician, with the distinction of Marshal of France. He served as Chief of State of France from 1873 to 1 ...

during the

French conquest of Algeria The French invasion of Algeria (; ) took place between 1830 and 1903. In 1827, an argument between Hussein Dey, the ruler of the Deylik of Algiers, and the French consul escalated into a blockade, following which the July Monarchy of France inva ...

. Marshal de Castellane died in Lyon on September 16, 1862.

Descendants

Through his eldest son, he was a grandfather of Marie Dorothée Élisabeth de Castellane (1840–1915), who married Prince Antoni Fryderyk Wilhelm Radziwiłł (a grandson of Prince

Antoni Radziwiłł Prince Antoni Henryk Radziwiłł (; 13 June 1775 – 7 April 1833) was a Polish and Prussian noble, aristocrat, musician, and politician. Initially an hereditary Duke of Nieśwież and Ołyka, as a scion of the Radziwiłł family he also hel ...

and

Princess Louise of Prussia Princess Louise Marie Elisabeth of Prussia (; 3 December 1838 – 23 April 1923) was Grand Duchess of Baden from 1856 to 1907 as the wife of Frederick I, Grand Duke of Baden, Grand Duke Frederick I. Princess Louise was the second child and on ...

) and Antoine de Castellane, Marquis de Castellane (1844–1917), who married Madeleine Le Clerc de Juigné. Through his youngest daughter Pauline's first marriage, he was a grandfather of Margarete von Hatzfeldt (1850–1923) (wife of

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

Anton Saurma von der Jeltsch), Louise von Hatzfeldt (1852–1909) (wife of Bernhard von Welczeck), Franz Ludwig Hermann Karl von Hatzfeldt, and Hélène Boniface Pauline Luise von Hatzfeldt (wife of Georg von Kanitz, ''aide de camp'' to Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia). Through her second marriage, he was posthumously a grandfather of Marie Dorothée Louise Valençay de Talleyrand-Périgord (1862–1948), who married

Karl Egon IV Karl may refer to: People * Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name * Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne * Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer * Karl of Austria, last Austria ...

, the Prince of Furstenberg (1852–1896) in 1881. After his death, she married her much older cousin

Antoine Antoine is a French given name (from the Latin ''Antonius'' meaning 'highly praise-worthy') that is a variant of Danton, Titouan, D'Anton and Antonin. The name is used in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, West Greenland, Haiti, French Guiana ...

's son,

Jean de Castellane Jean de Castellane (24 April 1868 – 13 September 1965) was a French politician and member of the house of Castellane. In 1898 he married Dorothée de Talleyrand-Périgord. He was born and died in Paris. Life He was the second son of Antoine ...

(1868–1965), in 1898.

References

;Notes ;Sources

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Castellane, Boniface de 1788 births 1862 deaths French military personnel of the Napoleonic Wars French Senators of the Second Empire Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur Marshals of France Members of the Chamber of Peers of the July Monarchy Peers of France

Boniface Boniface, OSB ( la, Bonifatius; 675 – 5 June 754) was an English Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of the Frankish Empire during the eighth century. He organised significant foundations of ...