Portret van David Louis de Constant Rebecque (1722-1785),

David-Louis, Baron de Constant de Rebecque, seigneur d'

Hermenches Hermenches is a municipality in the district Broye-Vully in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. History Hermenches is first mentioned in 1254 as ''Ermenges''. Geography Hermenches has an area, , of . Of this area, or 65.0% is used for agricul ...

and

Villars-Mendraz Villars-Mendraz is a municipality in the district Gros-de-Vaud in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. The municipalities of Villars-Tiercelin, Montaubion-Chardonney, Sottens, Villars-Mendraz and Peney-le-Jorat merged on 1 July 2011 into the new ...

, a.k.a. David-Louis Constant d'Hermenches (17 November 1722 in

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR ...

– 25 February 1785 in

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 than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

) was a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

and

commandant Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...

of a Swiss regiment in the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...

and Maréchal de camp in French service with Swiss regiments. He is also known for his contact with

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his criticism of Christianity—es ...

and his correspondence with

Isabelle de Charrière Isabelle de Charrière (20 October 174027 December 1805), known as Belle van Zuylen in the Netherlands, née Isabella Agneta Elisabeth van Tuyll van Serooskerken, and adameIsabelle de Charrière (married name) elsewhere, was a Dutch and ...

Early life

He was the eldest son of Samuel Constant de Rebecque (1676–1756) and his wife, Rose Suzanne née de Saussure de Bercher (1698–1782). His father became member of the

Dutch States Army The Dutch States Army ( nl, Staatse leger) was the army of the Dutch Republic. It was usually called this, because it was formally the army of the States-General of the Netherlands, the sovereign power of that federal republic. This mercenary arm ...

in 1699. Later he started a small Swiss regiment in the Dutch States Army. He bought the seignories Hermenches in 1725 and Villars-Mendraz in 1753.

Career

Constant d'Hermenches started in the regiment of his father in 1738. They fought at the battle of Fontenoy, where Constant d'Hermenches was wounded. He covered the

scar A scar (or scar tissue) is an area of fibrous tissue that replaces normal skin after an injury. Scars result from the biological process of wound repair in the skin, as well as in other organs, and tissues of the body. Thus, scarring is a n ...

above his left eye with a black band across his forehead. He entered an arranged marriage in 1744 with the daughter of the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

of Lausanne Louise Anna Jeanne Françoise de Seigneux (1715–1772). In

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...

in 1750 they had a son Guillaume Anne de Constant Rebecque de Villars with as

godparent In infant baptism and denominations of Christianity, a godparent (also known as a sponsor, or '' gossiprede'') is someone who bears witness to a child's christening and later is willing to help in their catechesis, as well as their lifelon ...

William IV, Prince of Orange William IV (Willem Karel Hendrik Friso; 1 September 1711 – 22 October 1751) was Prince of Orange from birth and the first hereditary stadtholder of all the United Provinces of the Netherlands from 1747 until his death in 1751. During his whole ...

and his wife

Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange (12 January 1759) was the second child and eldest daughter of King George II of Great Britain and his consort Caroline of Ansbach. She was the wife of William IV, Prince of Orange, the first heredi ...

. He kept up a long correspondence (1760-1776) with Isabelle

van Tuyll van Serooskerken Tuyll is the name of a noble Dutch family, with familial and historical links to England, whose full name is Van Tuyll van Serooskerken. Several knights, members of various courts, literary figures, generals, ambassadors, statesmen and explorers ...

, the future

Family

David Louis de Constant Rebecque (1722-1785)

From his first marriage to Louise Anna Jeanne Françoise de Seigneux (1715-1772): *

Guillaume Anne de Constant Rebecque de Villars Guillaume may refer to: People * Guillaume (given name), the French equivalent of William * Guillaume (surname) Other uses * Guillaume (crater) See also * '' Chanson de Guillaume'', an 11th or 12th century poem * Guillaume affair, a Cold War espi ...

(The Hague, 24 April 1750 – The Hague, 12 August 1832): married to Constance Francine de Lynden. He was incorporated into the Dutch nobility. * Constance Louise de Constant de Rebecque (Lausanne, 16 August 1755 – Lausanne, 12 March 1825). In 1776 he remarried Marie Catherine Philippine de Préseau, née Taisnes de Rémonval (1743-1779). From this marriage: * Auguste de Constant de Rebecque (Aubonne, 1 November 1777 - Mézery, 14 February 1862). He had a daughter out of wedlock with Bénigne Buchet, his housekeeper/nursemaid: * Sophie Jeanne Louise Joly Dufey (Nernier, summer 1753 - Montheron, 10 January 1841): married

François Verdeil François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * Francis I of France, King of France (), known as "the Father and Restorer of Letters" * Francis II of France, King o ...

Works and correspondences

* * Isabelle de Charrière, ollected works:Œuvres complètes, Édition critique par J-D. Candaux, C.P. Courtney, Pierre and Simone Dubois, P. Thompson, J. Vercruysse, D.M. Wood. Amsterdam, G.A. van Oorschot, 1979-1984 10 volumes: Tomes 1-6, Correspondance; tome 10, Essais, Vers, Musique. ** **''Une liaison dangereuse : correspondance e Belle de Zuylenavec Constant d’Hermenches (1760-1776)'', éd. Isabelle et Jean-Louis Vissière, Paris, La Différence, 1991, ** ''Aru kiken-na kankei - Agnes to d'Hermenches'' ne liaison dangereuse - Agnès et d'Hermenches In: Omon Ronso, ulletin de la Faculté de droit, Nihon Université, Tokyo36 (1993), 40 (1995), 44 (1997), 45 (1997), 46 (1998), 48 (1998), 50 (2000), 52 (2001), 56 (2003), 57 (2003), 61 (2004), 67 (2006), 68 (2007), 70 (2008), 72 (2008). Translation Michikazu Tamai. ISSN 0288-1411 *** ''Aru kikenna kankei : Aniesu to derumanshu''. Translation Michikazu Tamai. Tokyo, Surugadai Shuppansha, 2011. 272 p. ** ''There are no letters like yours. The correspondence of Isabelle de Charrière and Constant d'Hermences''. Translated, with an introduction and annotations by Janet Whatley and Malcolm Whatley. Lincoln NE, University of Nebraska Press, 2000. xxxv, 549 p. * * * * Jérôme Vercruysse. ''La première d'"Olympie". Trois lettres de Mme Denis aux Constant d'Hermenches.'' Studies on Voltaire and the Eighteenth Century, 1977, 163/19, pp. 19–29 6 janvier 1762, 9 février 1762, 25 décembre 1773

Bibliography

* Dorette Berthoud, ''David-Louis Constant d'Hermenches et la conquête de la Corse''. Revue de la Fondation pour l'histoire des Suisses à l'étranger, 1961, 10, p. 13-18 * Pierre H. Dubois, ''Ambiguité comme forme de vie. La correspondance de Belle de Zuylen - Constant d'Hermenches''. Documentatieblad werkgroep Achttiende eeuw 1975, p. 73 – 88 * Yvette Went-Daoust, ''La correspondance Belle van Zuylen - Constant d'Hermenches. Enfermement et cosmopolitisme''. In: Expériences limites de l'épistolaire. Lettres d'exil, d'enfermement, de folie. Actes du colloque de Caen, 16-18 juin 1991. éd. André Magnan. Paris, Champion, 1993, p. 327-339. * Colette Martin Henriette, ''Isabelle de Charrière, femme de lettres, étude de la correspondence entre Belle de Zuylen/Isabelle de Charrière et David-Louis Constant d'Hermenches.'' Dissertation

University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

, 1994. * Isabelle Vissière, ''L'encre et le fiel ou La cruauté souriante de Constant d'Hermenches''. In: Une Européenne. Isabelle de Charrière en son siècle. Hauterive, Attinger, 1994. p. 229-243 * Isabelle Vissière, ''Un militaire philosophe: Constant d'Hermenches'', In: L'armée au XVIIIe siècle (1715-1789). Actes de colloque du C.A.E.R. XVIII, Aix-en-Provence, 13-14-15 juin 1996 éd. Geneviève Goubier-Robert. Aix-en-Provence, Publications de l'Université de Provence, 1999. p. 241-251 * Isabelle Vissière, ''Plaidoyer pour Constant d'Hermenches''. In: Annales Benjamin Constant, 22, 1999, p. 19-44. * Colette Henriette, ''How Belle de Zuylen's Correspondence with Constant d'Hermenches Shaped Isabelle de Charrière's Literary Works''. In: L'Esprit Créateur, Johns Hopkins University Press, 40, 4, 2000,p. 25-30 * Nathalie Marcoux, ''Les ruses du corps dans la correspondance d'Isabelle de Charrière (Belle de Zuylen) avec Constant d'Hermenches (1760-1776). La sphère privée''. In: Ecritures de la ruse. Publication de la SATOR - Société d'analyse de la topique romanesque, 13e colloque, mai 1999, Toronto / éd.: Elzbieta Grodek. Amsterdam, Rodopi, 2000, p. 125-134. * Monik Richard, ''Les ruses du corps dans la correspondance d'Isabelle de Charrière (Belle de Zuylen) avec Constant d'Hermenches (1760-1776). La sphère publique''. In: Ecritures de la ruse. Publication de la SATOR - Société d'analyse de la topique romanesque, 13e colloque, mai 1999, Toronto / éd.: Elzbieta Grodek. Amsterdam, Rodopi, 2000, p. 135-141. * Isabelle Vissière, ''Lausanne. Un laboratoire littéraire au 18e siècle'' héâtre au château 'Mon Repos' In: Vie des salons et activités littéraires, de Marguerite de Valois à Mme de Staël. Actes du colloque international de Nancy (6-8 octobre 1999), éd. Roger Marchal. Nancy, Presses Universitaires de Nancy, 2001, p. 233-241. * Manfred Hinz, ''Am Ursprung der ‘romantischen‘ Volkshelden. James Boswell, Belle de Zuylen, David-Louis Constant d’Hermenches, und die Korsische Frage''. In: Esprit civique und Engagement. Festschrift für Henning Krauß zum 60. Geburtstag. Hrsg. von Hanspeter Plocher. Tübingen, Stauffenburg-Verlag, 2003, p. 187–210 * Jürgen Siess, ''Inversion de rôles, différence des sexes. Isabelle de Charrière et les deux Constant''. In: Cahiers Isabelle de Charrière / Belle de Zuylen papers 3, 2008. p. 24-39 * Jürgen Siess, ''Isabelle de Zuylen-Charrière. Du désir d'indépendance au projet d'égalité avec les deux Constant''. In: Vers un nouveau mode de relations entre les sexes. Six correspondances de femmes des Lumières. �milie du Châtelet, Julie de Lespinasse, Marie-Jeanne Riccoboni, Marianne de La Tour, Isabelle de Charrière et Éléonore de Sabran Paris, Garnier, 2017. p. 109 - 130 ()

References

External links

Historical Dictionary of Switzerland
{{DEFAULTSORT:Constant de Rebecque, David-Louis Swiss mercenaries Swiss nobility 1722 births 1785 deaths People from Lausanne Swiss Protestants 18th-century Swiss military personnel David-Louis]