Constant d'Aubigné (158531 August 1647) was a French

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteris ...

, son of Théodore-Agrippa d'Aubigné, the poet, soldier, propagandist and chronicler.

Life

Born into a

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

family, Constant led a less structured life, first embracing

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

and then the

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

causes, visiting England and then in 1626 betraying the Protestants by revealing English plans to take

La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. Wi ...

. As a result, he was disinherited by his father.

Final Days

Richelieu had d'Aubigné and his family imprisoned at

Niort Niort (; Poitevin: ''Niàu''; oc, Niòrt; la, Novioritum) is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department, western France. It is the prefecture of Deux-Sèvres. The population of Niort is 58,707 (2017) and more than 177,000 people live in the ...

in 1629 for correspondence with the English. Released in 1639 following the death of Richelieu, the family went to the French West Indies, where d'Aubigné had been made governor of

Marie-Galante Marie-Galante ( gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Mawigalant) is one of the islands that form Guadeloupe, an overseas department of France. Marie-Galante has a land area of . It had 11,528 inhabitants at the start of 2013, but by the start of 2018 ...

, though he and his family remained on

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in ...

. d'Aubigné returned around 1645, nearly destitute, and died in

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 ...

in 1647. His wife and children returned to France the same year.

Legacy

Constant was twice married. His first wife, Anne Marchant, left a son, Theodore. His second wife, Jeanne de Cardilhac, was the mother of Charles (father of

Françoise Charlotte d'Aubigné Françoise Charlotte Amable d'Aubigné, Duchess of Noailles (5 May 1684 – 6 October 1739) was a French aristocrat, the wife of Adrien Maurice de Noailles, 3rd Duke of Noailles. She was the niece of Françoise d'Aubigné, Madame de Maintenon, a ...

), Mme. de Maintenon and the Chevalier d'Aubigné; the latter was never married. The d'Aubigné line was continued through Anne Marchant's son, Theodore (1613–1670) .

Notes

Resources

* Haag, Eugéne & Émile. "La France Protestante". Paris, 1877. * Smedes, Susan Dabney. "A Southern Planter: Social Life in the Old South". Pott, 1887; p. 7,8 * Bellet, Jaquelin & Jaquelin. "Some Prominent Virginia Families". J.P. Bell company, 1907; pp. 87–93 1580s births 1647 deaths French knights Baron of Surimeau Constant {{France-noble-stub