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

Prince of Craon The Prince , princely title of Prince of Craon was a title used by the Beauvau family using their status as Prince of the Holy Roman Empire which was gained in 1722 which was later fully recognised by Louis XV of France in 1755 and was inherited ...

(1754), Marshal of France (1783) was a French scholar, nobleman and general. The son of

Marc de Beauvau François Vincent ''Marc'' de Beauvau, 1st Prince of Craon (2 April 1676 - 10 March 1754), was a Lorrainese nobleman who served as viceroy of Tuscany. History Born in Nancy, the capital of the Duchy of Lorraine, he was the son of Louis, Marqu ...

, he was also brother of the famous Madame de Boufflers and through her uncle to the poet

Stanislas de Boufflers Stanislas Jean, chevalier de Boufflers (31 May 1738, Nancy – 18 January 1815) was a French statesman and writer. Biography He was born near Nancy, Meurthe-et-Moselle, the son of Louis François, marquis de Boufflers. His mother, Marie Cathe ...

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 Lun ...

in the capital of the Duchy of Lorraine.

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 t ...

was the most powerful family in Lorraine after the ruling Duke of Lorraine. 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 of ...

, husband of Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans (niece of Louis XIV). 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 Emmanuel-Théodose de La Tour d'Auvergne, cardinal de Bouillon (24 August 1643 – 2 March 1715, Rome) was a French prelate and diplomat. Biography Originally known as the Duc d'Albret, he was the son of Frédéric Maurice de La Tour d'Auvergne ...

and his last wife Louise Henriette Françoise de Lorraine. The couple had one child who married into the Noailles family. His first wife Marie Charlotte died of Smallpox 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 Charles de Rohan (16 July 17151 July 1787), Prince of Soubise, Duke of Rohan-Rohan, Seigneur of Roberval, and Marshal of France from 1758, was a soldier, and minister to kings Louis XV and Louis XVI. He was the last male of his branch of the Hou ...

. 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 Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

on 10 May 1748. He was later elevated to Lieutenant General on 28 December 1758. He gained further distinction in 1762 while serving in Spain. He was named the Governor of Languedoc on 12 June 1747, he was later created the governor of Provence. A Grandee of Spain, first class from 11 May 1754, he became a Knight of the Order of the Holy Spirit, 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 {{disambig ...

France (1 January 1757). He had dealings with the

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

. He kept a fashionable salon, keeping company with the likes of

Jean Devaines Jean Devaines (c. 1735, Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more t ...

, the philosopher

Jean-François Marmontel Jean-François Marmontel (11 July 1723 – 31 December 1799) was a French historian, writer and a member of the Encyclopédistes movement. Biography He was born of poor parents at Bort, Limousin (today in Corrèze). After studying with th ...

, 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

. He was created a Marshal of France in 1783. In 1789, he served in the

Secretary of State for War The Secretary of State for War, commonly called War Secretary, was a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, which existed from 1794 to 1801 and from 1854 to 1964. The Secretary of State for War headed the War Office and ...

for six months. A supporter of reforms, he was untroubled by the French Revolution and died in his bed at the height 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, ...

. 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 since 1861. He owned the Château du Val at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, a property later acquired by Benjamin Franklin. 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 Philippe-Louis-Marc-Antoine, comte de Noailles, prince-duc de Poix, and 2nd Spanish and 1st French duc de Mouchy (21 November or 21 December 175217 February 1819), was a French soldier, and politician of the Revolution. Biography The son of Ph ...

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 Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...

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