Charles Alexandre Marc Marcelin de Hénin-Liétard d'Alsace (1744–1794), prince of Henin and count of Beaumont, was a

prince of the Holy Roman Empire Prince of the Holy Roman Empire ( la, princeps imperii, german: Reichsfürst, cf. ''Fürst'') was a title attributed to a hereditary ruler, nobleman or prelate recognised as such by the Holy Roman Emperor. Definition Originally, possessors o ...

who took French nationality. During 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 ...

he was executed by

guillotine A guillotine is an apparatus designed for efficiently carrying out executions by beheading. The device consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top. The condemned person is secured with stocks at th ...

on charges of counter-revolutionary conspiracy.

Family

Hénin was born in Brussels on the 17 June 1744, son of Alexandre Gabriel Joseph de Hénin-Liétard, Marquess of La Verre, and was baptised in

Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg nl, Sint-Jacob-op-Koudenbergkerk , native_name_lang = , image = Saint-Jacques-sur-Coudenberg during civil twilight (DSCF7448).jpg , imagesize = 250px , imagelink = , imagealt = , ...

. The Archbishop of Mechelen, Cardinal d'Alsace, was his uncle. On 29 September 1766 he married in France to Adélaïde Félicité Étiennette de Monconseil, daughter of Étienne Guinot, marquis de Monconseil (1750–1823). Adelaïde became a lady of Queen

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child a ...

's household. She was presented to the queen in Versailles after her marriage by her sister in law, the Princesse de Chimay.Hénin (Adélaïde-Félicité-Étiennette de Guinot de Monconseil, princesse d')
public database of the Centre de recherche du château de Versailles. Accessed 5 June 2017.

Court life

Hénin became captain of a company of the

Garde du Corps A ''Garde du Corps'' (French for lifeguard) is a military unit, formed of guards. A '' Garde du Corps'' was first established in France in 1445. From the 17th century onwards, the term was used in several German states and also, for example, in th ...

attached to the Count of Artois (the future

Charles X of France 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 Lou ...

). His relationship with the opera singer

Sophie Arnould Sophie Arnould (13 February 1740, in Paris – 18 October 1802, in Paris) was a French operatic soprano. Born Magdeleine Sophie Arnould, she studied in Paris with Marie Fel and La Clairon, and made her stage debut at the Opéra de Paris on 15 D ...

, while his wife was engaged in an affair with the chevalier de Coigny, caused a stir in French high society.''Mémoires de Mademoiselle Sophie Arnoult'', edited by Etienne-Léon baron de Lamothe-Langon (Paris, 1837), p. 104. Wits at court nicknamed Hénin ''le prince des nains'' (prince of dwarfs), in reference to his intellectual stature.

Death

During the Revolution he was incarcerated in the former

Luxembourg Palace The Luxembourg Palace (french: Palais du Luxembourg, ) is at 15 Rue de Vaugirard in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. It was originally built (1615–1645) to the designs of the French architect Salomon de Brosse to be the royal residence of the ...

, then in use as a prison. On 7 July 1794, in the final days 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, ...

, he was one of 59 suspects summarily tried by the

Revolutionary Tribunal The Revolutionary Tribunal (french: Tribunal révolutionnaire; unofficially Popular Tribunal) was a court instituted by the National Convention during the French Revolution for the trial of political offenders. It eventually became one of the ...

and executed as counter-revolutionary conspirators. The dowager princess survived the Revolution, dying without heirs in 1823.

Succession

As Hénin had been born a subject of the

Austrian Habsburgs The term Habsburg Austria may refer to the lands ruled by the Austrian branch of the Habsburgs, or the historical Austria. Depending on the context, it may be defined as: * The Duchy of Austria, after 1453 the Archduchy of Austria * The ''Erbland ...

, and died leaving a will whose sole beneficiary had predeceased him, the settlement of his estate – which could not take place until after 1814 – became a test case of French succession law.

Désiré Dalloz Désiré Dalloz (12 August 1795 – 12 January 1869) was a French jurist, politician and publisher. Life Born in Septmoncel, Jura, he pursued the profession of an advocate. He was admitted to the bar of the Cour royale in 1817, and practiced l ...

, ''Jurisprudence du XIXe siècle'', vol. 12 (Brussels, 1830), pp. 138-141.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Henin-Lietard d'Alsace, Charles-Alexandre de 1744 births 1794 deaths Hénin-Liétard People executed by guillotine during the French Revolution People from Versailles