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Charles Auguste Louis Joseph de Morny, 1er Duc de Morny () (15–16 September 1811, Switzerland10 March 1865, Paris) was a French
statesman A statesman or stateswoman typically is a politician who has had a long and respected political career at the national or international level. Statesman or Statesmen may also refer to: Newspapers United States * ''The Statesman'' (Oregon), a ...
.


Biography

Morny was born in Switzerland, and was the extra-marital son of Hortense de Beauharnais (the wife of
Louis Bonaparte Louis Napoléon Bonaparte (born Luigi Buonaparte; 2 September 1778 – 25 July 1846) was a younger brother of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French. He was a monarch in his own right from 1806 to 1810, ruling over the Kingdom of Holland (a French ...
and queen of Holland) and
Charles Joseph, Comte de Flahaut Auguste-Charles-Joseph de Flahaut de La Billarderie, comte de Flahaut (21 April 17851 September 1870) was a French general during the Napoleonic Wars, a statesman, and late in life French ambassador to the Court of St James's. Biography He was ...
, making him half-brother of Emperor Napoleon III and grandson of Talleyrand. His birth was duly registered in a misleading certificate, which made him the legitimate son of Auguste Jean Hyacinthe Demorny, and born in Paris on 23 October 1811, and described as a landowner of Saint-Domingue. M. Demorny was in fact an officer in the Prussian army and a native of St. Domingue (Modern day Haiti), though he owned no land there or elsewhere. Morny was educated by his grandmother, Adelaïde Filleul. After a brilliant school and college career the future duc de Morny received a commission in the army, and the next year he entered the staff college. The comte de Morny, as he was called by a polite fiction, served in
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in 1834–1835 (during the French conquest of Algeria) as aide-de-camp to General Camille Alphonse Trezel, whose life he saved under the walls of Constantine. When Morny returned to Paris in 1838, he secured a solid position in the business world by establishing a major beet-sugar industry at
Clermont-Ferrand Clermont-Ferrand (, ; ; oc, label= Auvergnat, Clarmont-Ferrand or Clharmou ; la, Augustonemetum) is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, with a population of 146,734 (2018). Its metropolitan area (''aire d'attract ...
in the
Auvergne Auvergne (; ; oc, label=Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Auver ...
and by writing a pamphlet ''Sur la question des sucres'' in 1838. In these and other lucrative speculations he was helped by his mistress Françoise Mosselman, the beautiful and wealthy wife of the Belgian
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 ...
,
Charles Aimé Joseph Le Hon, Comte Le Hon Count Charles Aimé Joseph Le Hon (10 January 1792 – 30 April 1868) was a Belgian liberal politician. Life Originally a lawyer and industrialist, he served as mayor of Tournai and was elected a deputy in the House of Representatives of the Ne ...
. Eventually there were few great commercial enterprises in Paris in which he did not have an interest. Although Morny sat as deputy for Clermont-Ferrand from 1842 onwards, he took at first no important part in party politics, but he was heard with respect on industrial and financial questions. He supported the government of Louis Philippe, because revolution threatened his commercial interests, but before the
Revolutions of 1848 The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europ ...
, by which he was temporarily ruined, he considered converting to the Bourbon legitimist cause represented by the
Comte de Chambord Henri, Count of Chambord and Duke of Bordeaux (french: Henri Charles Ferdinand Marie Dieudonné d'Artois, duc de Bordeaux, comte de Chambord; 29 September 1820 – 24 August 1883) was disputedly King of France from 2 to 9 August 1830 as Hen ...
. His attitude was expressed by the witticism with which he is said to have replied to a lady who asked what he would do if the Chamber were "swept out." "Range myself on the side of the broom handle," was his answer. Presently he was admitted to the intimate circle of his half-brother Louis Napoleon, and he helped to engineer the '' coup d'état'' of 2 December 1851 on the morrow of which he was appointed to head the ministry of the interior. After six months in office, during which Morny showed his political opponents moderation and tact, he resigned his portfolio, ostensibly because he disapproved of the confiscation of the Bourbon-Orléans property but really because Napoleon, influenced by Morny's rivals, resented his claim to a foremost place in the government as a member of the Bonaparte family. He then resumed his financial speculations. When in 1854 the Emperor appointed him president of the ''Corps Législatif'', a position which he filled for the rest of his life, he used his official rank to assist his schemes. In 1856, Morny was sent as special envoy to the coronation of
Alexander II of Russia Alexander II ( rus, Алекса́ндр II Никола́евич, Aleksándr II Nikoláyevich, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ftɐˈroj nʲɪkɐˈlajɪvʲɪtɕ; 29 April 181813 March 1881) was Emperor of Russia, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Finlan ...
and brought home a wife, Princess Sophie Troubetzkoi, who through her connections greatly strengthened his social position. Sophie was legally daughter of Prince Sergey Vasilyevich Trubetskoy, but may have been the illegitimate daughter of Nicholas I of Russia. In 1862, Morny was created a Duke. It is said that he aspired to the throne of Mexico, and that the French expedition sent to place Archduke Maximilian on the throne was prompted by Napoleon III's desire to thwart this ambition. In spite of occasional disagreements, Morny's influence with the emperor remained great, and the liberal policies which he advocated enabled him to serve the imperial cause through his influence with the leaders of the opposition, the most conspicuous of whom,
Émile Ollivier Olivier Émile Ollivier (; 2 July 182520 August 1913) was a French statesman. Starting as an avid republican opposed to Emperor Napoleon III, he pushed the Emperor toward liberal reforms and in turn came increasingly into Napoleon's grip. He en ...
, was detached from his colleagues by Morny's efforts. But while he was laying the foundations of the "Liberal Empire" his health deteriorated and was further injured by quack medicines. The emperor and the empress visited him just before his death in Paris on 10 March 1865. Morny's valuable collection of pictures, including
Jean-Honoré Fragonard Jean-Honoré Fragonard (; 5 April 1732 (birth/baptism certificate) – 22 August 1806) was a French painter and printmaker whose late Rococo manner was distinguished by remarkable facility, exuberance, and hedonism. One of the most prolific ...
's '' The Swing'', was sold after his death. In spite of his undoubted wit and social gifts, Morny failed to secure the distinction he desired as a dramatist, and none of his pieces, which appeared under the pseudonym of M. de St Rémy, including ''Sur la grande route'', ''
M. Choufleuri restera chez lui le . . . ''M. Choufleuri restera chez lui le... '' (''Mr. Cauliflower will be at home on... '') is an opéra bouffe, or operetta, in one act by Jacques Offenbach and the Duc de Morny (under the pseudonym "M. de St Rémy"). The French libretto is also cr ...
'', and the ''Les finesses du mari'', among others, met with success on the stage. M. de Chenneviėres, the director of the Beaux-Arts, admired Morny's taste in pictures as well as the man himself. Charles de Morny was, he opined,"the most perfectly polite, the most elegant, the best bred man of his time".


Thoroughbred horse racing

Morny played an important role in the development of the thoroughbred horse racing and
breeding Breeding is sexual reproduction that produces offspring, usually animals or plants. It can only occur between a male and a female animal or plant. Breeding may refer to: * Animal husbandry, through selected specimens such as dogs, horses, and rab ...
industry in France. In 1860, he purchased the English
Triple Crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Tr ...
champion West Australian and brought him to France for breeding purposes. In 1862 Morny built the Deauville-La Touques Race Course near
Deauville Deauville () is a commune in the Calvados department, Normandy, northwestern France. Major attractions include its harbour, race course, marinas, conference centre, villas, Grand Casino, and sumptuous hotels. The first Deauville Asian Film Fes ...
. The
Prix Morny The Prix Morny is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 1,200 metres (about 6 furlongs), and it is scheduled ...
is named in his honour.


Family

He had married at Saint Petersburg on 7 January 1857, Princess
Sofia Sergeyevna Trubetskaya Sofia Sergeyevna Trubetskaya or Sophie Troubetskoy, Duchess of Morny, later Sophie, Duchess of Sesto (25 March 1836, Moscow – 8 August 1898, Madrid) was a Russian princess. Life She was the daughter of Ekaterina Petrovna Mussina-Pushkina (1 F ...
(Moscow, 25 March 18368 August 1898), the only daughter of Prince Sergey Vasilyevich
Trubetskoy The House of Trubetskoy (English), Трубецкие (Russian), Трубяцкі (Belarusian), ''Trubecki'' (Polish), ''Trubetsky'' ( Ruthenian), Трубецький ( Ukrainian), ''Troubetzkoy'' (French), ''Trubic'' (Croatian), ''Trubetski'' ...
(181412 May (30 April Old Style), 1859) and his wife Ekaterina Petrovna Mussina-Pushkina (1 February 1816c. 1897). Their children included: * Marie Eugenie de Morny (1857–1883), who married a Spanish noble, José Ramón Gil Francisco de Borja Nicolás Osório y de Heredia, 9th Conde de La Corzana (1854–1919), in 1877 in Madrid, and had a son: ** José Osorio y de Morny (Madrid, 1878Madrid, 1905). He married María de la Purificación Dorticos-Marín y León, Marquesa de Marín (1878–1928), in 1902 in Madrid. He had children. * Auguste Charles Louis Valentin de Morny (1859–1920), who succeeded his father as the 2nd Duc de Morny. He married Carlota de Guzmán-Blanco y de Ybarra (
Caracas Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...
, 1869
Courbevoie Courbevoie () is a commune located in the Hauts-de-Seine Department of the Île-de-France region of France. It is in the suburbs of the city of Paris, from the center of Paris. The centre of Courbevoie is situated from the city limits of Pari ...
, 1939) in 1886 in Paris and had three children: ** Auguste de Morny, 3rd Duc de Morny (1889–1935), unmarried and without issue. ** Antoine de Morny, 4th Duc de Morny (1896–1943), unmarried and without issue. ** ** ** Anna Teresa de Morny (1890–1924), unmarried and without issue. * Serge de Morny (1861–1922), who died unmarried and without issue. * Sophie ''Mathilde'' (''Missy'') de Morny (1863–1944), who married Jacques Godart, 6th Marquis de Belbeuf (1850–1906) in 1881 in Madrid and divorced him in 1903; without issue. He also had a illegitament daughter by Fanny Mosselman * Louise le Hon (ca. 1840-1931) married polish prince Stanislas-Auguste Poniatowski and had children. Louise has living descendants.


Theatrical interests

De Morny was influential in the early career of Sarah Bernhardt. In her autobiography, ''My Double Life'', Bernhardt recounts that at a family conference which de Morny attended as a family friend, the purpose of which was to determine what Bernhardt was to do with her future life, de Morny suggested that she be sent to the Conservatoire. The family took him up on the suggestion and her life turned to the theatre.''My Double Life'', London: Heineman, 1907, p. 52-58


Notes


References

* * * * Attribution: *. Endnotes: ** H. Castille, M. de Morny (1859), an ''Arthur de la Guéronniére, Etudes et portraits politique''.; (1856). ** See the literature dealing with Napoleon III., and the article on Flahaut de la Billarderie; ** F. Loliée, ''Le Duc de Momy'', adapted by B. O'Donnell. A volume, ''Extraits des mémoires de Alamy: Une Ambassade eh Russie 1856'', was published in 1892. ** The figure of the duc de Morny appears in the novel ''Duc de Mora of Le Nabab'' by
Alphonse Daudet Alphonse Daudet (; 13 May 184016 December 1897) was a French novelist. He was the husband of Julia Daudet and father of Edmée, Léon and Lucien Daudet. Early life Daudet was born in Nîmes, France. His family, on both sides, belonged to the ...
(1877, English: ''The Nabob'', 1878) — Daudet had been one of Morny's secretaries.


Further reading

* * *, pp. 40–64


External links

*
Coat of arms
(in French) {{DEFAULTSORT:Morny, Duc de 1811 births 1865 deaths People from Saint-Maurice District Dukes of Morny Orléanists Bonapartists French interior ministers Members of the 6th Chamber of Deputies of the July Monarchy Members of the 7th Chamber of Deputies of the July Monarchy Members of the National Legislative Assembly of the French Second Republic Members of the 1st Corps législatif of the Second French Empire Members of the 2nd Corps législatif of the Second French Empire Members of the 3rd Corps législatif of the Second French Empire French racehorse owners and breeders French art collectors Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery