Charles Juste de Beauvau, Prince of Craon (10 September 1720 – 21 May 1793), 2nd Prince of Craon (1754),

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 ( ...

(1783) was a French scholar, nobleman and general. The son of Marc de Beauvau, he was also brother of the famous Madame de Boufflers and through her uncle to the poet Stanislas de Boufflers.

Personal and public life

Charles Juste was born at the Hôtel de Craon in

Lunéville Lunéville ( ; German, obsolete: ''Lünstadt'' ) is a commune in the northeastern French department of Meurthe-et-Moselle. It is a subprefecture of the department and lies on the river Meurthe at its confluence with the Vezouze. History Lu ...

in the capital of the

Duchy of Lorraine The Duchy of Lorraine (french: Lorraine ; german: Lothringen ), originally Upper Lorraine, was a duchy now included in the larger present-day region of Lorraine in northeastern France. Its capital was Nancy. It was founded in 959 following th ...

Beauvau family Beauvau was a historic family originating in Anjou. The Beauvau du Rivau branch was rooted in Brittany and produced two bishops of Nantes, whilst the Craon (Prince of Craon) branch was established in Lorraine later enjoying great intimacy with th ...

was the most powerful family in Lorraine after the ruling

Duke of Lorraine The rulers of Lorraine have held different posts under different governments over different regions, since its creation as the kingdom of Lotharingia by the Treaty of Prüm, in 855. The first rulers of the newly established region were kings of ...

. His mother, Anne Marguerite de Ligneville, was the mistress of

Leopold, Duke of Lorraine Leopold the Good (11 September 1679 – 27 March 1729) was Duke of Lorraine and Bar from 1690 to his death. Through his son Francis Stephen, he is the direct male ancestor of all rulers of the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty, including all Emperors o ...

, husband of

Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans (13 September 1676 – 23 December 1744) was a ''petite-fille de France'', and Duchess of Lorraine and Bar by marriage to Leopold, Duke of Lorraine. She was regent of Lorraine and Bar during the minority (1729– ...

(niece of

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Ver ...

). He was the thirteenth of twenty children. He married twice; firstly on 3 April 1745 to

Marie Charlotte de La Tour d'Auvergne Marie Charlotte de La Tour d'Auvergne (Marie Sophie Charlotte; 20 December 1729, Paris – 6 September 1763), was a French noblewoman and member of the House of La Tour d'Auvergne. Married into the House of Beauvau, a powerful family originat ...

(20 December 1729 – 6 September 1763), daughter of Emmanuel Théodose de La Tour d'Auvergne and his last wife

Louise Henriette Françoise de Lorraine Louise Henriette Françoise de Lorraine (1707 – 31 March 1737) was a French noblewoman and member of the House of Guise, a cadet branch of the House of Lorraine. She was the last wife of Emmanuel Théodose de La Tour d'Auvergne (1668–1730) ...

. The couple had one child who married into the Noailles family. His first wife Marie Charlotte died of

Smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

aged 33. Marie Charlotte died in 1763. The next year, on 14 March, he married again; this time to Marie Charlotte Sylvie de Rohan-Chabot, a cousin of Charles, Prince of Soubise. The couple had no children Marie Charlotte Sylvie outliving her husband till 1807. He entered military service for France and was made a lieutenant of the Cavalry on 10 December 1738; colonel of the guard (Lorraine) on 1 May 1740 and distinguished himself under the leadership of the Duke of Belle-Isle at the

Siege of Prague The siege of Prague was an unsuccessful attempt by a Prussian army led by Frederick the Great to capture the Bohemian city of Prague during the Third Silesian War (Seven Years' War). It took place in May 1757 immediately after the Battle of Prag ...

in 1742. Created a Brigadier on 16 May 1746 he was later created a Field marshal on 10 May 1748. He was later elevated to

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

on 28 December 1758. He gained further distinction in 1762 while serving in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. He was named the Governor of

Languedoc The Province of Languedoc (; , ; oc, Lengadòc ) is a former province of France. Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately ...

on 12 June 1747, he was later created the governor of

Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...

. 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 ...

, first class from 11 May 1754, he became a Knight of the

Order of the Holy Spirit , status = Abolished in 1830 after the July RevolutionRecognised as a dynastic order of chivalry by the ICOC , founder = Henry III of France , head_title = Grand Master , head = Disputed: Louis Alphonse, Duke of AnjouJean, Count of Pari ...

, the highest decoration in

Ancien régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for "ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for ...

France (1 January 1757). He had dealings with the Académie française. He kept a fashionable salon, keeping company with the likes of Jean Devaines, the philosopher Jean-François Marmontel, the poet

Jean François de Saint-Lambert Jean François de Saint-Lambert (; 26 December 1716 – 9 February 1803) was a French poet, philosopher and military officer. Biography Saint-Lambert was born at Nancy and raised on his parents' estate at Affracourt, a village in Lorraine near ...

as well as his nephew Stanislas de Boufflers. He was created a Marshal of France in 1783. In 1789, he served in the Secretary of State for War for six months. A supporter of reforms, he was untroubled by 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 coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

and died in his bed at the height of the Reign of Terror. The ''maréchal de Beauvau'', died at the ''hôtel de Beauvau'', his Parisian residence on the

Place Beauvau Place Beauvau (English: Beauvau Square) is a public square in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, at the intersection of the Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, Avenue de Marigny, Rue des Saussaies and Rue de Miromesnil. It is located in the La Madelein ...

, named after him. The hôtel was built by the architect

Nicolas Le Camus de Mézières Nicolas Le Camus de Mézières (March 26, 1721 – July 27, 1793) was a French architect and theoretician. He was born and died in Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most ...

around 1770 for Charles Juste. The hôtel de Beauvau has housed the

Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministr ...

since 1861. He owned the Château du Val at

Saint-Germain-en-Laye Saint-Germain-en-Laye () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the centre of Paris. Inhabitants are called ''Saint-Germanois'' or ''Saint-Ge ...

, a property later acquired by

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...

. His nephew Marc Étienne Gabriel de Beauvau (1773–1849) became the next Prince of Beauvau. The present Noailles ''duc de Mouchy'' is a direct descendant of Charles Juste.

Issue

Anne Louise Marie de Beauvau, Mademoiselle de Beauvau (1 April 1750 – 20 November 1834) married Philippe Louis de Noailles and had issue.

References

External links

Biography on the site of the Académie française
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beauvau-Craon, Charles Juste De 1720 births 1793 deaths Members of the Académie Française Marshals of France Charles Governors of Provence Charles Juste Grandees of Spain People from Lunéville Noblemen of France Princes of Beauvau Members of the French Academy of Sciences Members of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres