François Henri de Montmorency-Bouteville, Duke of Piney-Luxembourg, commonly known as Luxembourg (8 January 1628 – 4 January 1695), and nicknamed "The Upholsterer of Notre-Dame" (''Le Tapissier de Notre-Dame''), was a French general and
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 ( ...
. A comrade and successor of the
Great Condé
Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements
* Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size
* Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent
People
* List of people known as "the Great"
* Artel Great ( ...
, he was one of the most accomplished military commanders of the
early modern period and is particularly noted for his exploits in the
Franco-Dutch War
The Franco-Dutch War, also known as the Dutch War (french: Guerre de Hollande; nl, Hollandse Oorlog), was fought between France and the Dutch Republic, supported by its allies the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, Brandenburg-Prussia and Denmark-No ...
and
War of the Grand Alliance
The Nine Years' War (1688–1697), often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg, was a conflict between France and a European coalition which mainly included the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarc ...
. Not imposing physically, as he was a slight man and hunchbacked, Luxembourg was nonetheless one of France's greatest generals. He never lost a battle in which he held command.
Early years
François Henri de Montmorency was born in Paris. His father, the
François de Montmorency-Bouteville, had been executed six months before his birth for participating in a
duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules.
During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...
against the Marquis de Beuvron. His aunt,
Charlotte Marguerite de Montmorency,
Princess of Condé, took charge of him and educated him with her son, the
Duke of Enghien
Duke of Enghien (french: Duc d'Enghien, pronounced with a silent ''i'') was a noble title pertaining to the House of Condé. It was only associated with the town of Enghien for a short time.
Dukes of Enghien – first creation (1566–1569)
Th ...
. The young Montmorency (or Bouteville as he was then called) attached himself to his cousin, and shared his successes and reverses throughout the troubles of the
Fronde
The Fronde () was a series of civil wars in France between 1648 and 1653, occurring in the midst of the Franco-Spanish War, which had begun in 1635. King Louis XIV confronted the combined opposition of the princes, the nobility, the law cour ...
. He returned to France in 1659 and was pardoned, and Condé, then much attached to the
Duchess of Châtillon, Montmorency's sister, contrived the marriage of his adherent and cousin to the greatest heiress in France, Madeleine de Luxembourg, Princess of Tingry and heiress of the
Luxembourg dukedom (1661), after which he was created Duke of Luxembourg and
peer of France
The Peerage of France (french: Pairie de France) was a hereditary distinction within the French nobility which appeared in 1180 in the Middle Ages.
The prestigious title and position of Peer of France (french: Pair de France, links=no) was ...
.
Luxembourg as general
War of Devolution and the Franco-Dutch War
At the opening of the
War of Devolution (1667–68),
Condé, and consequently Luxembourg, had no command, but during the second campaign he served as Condé's lieutenant general in the conquest of
Franche-Comté
Franche-Comté (, ; ; Frainc-Comtou: ''Fraintche-Comtè''; frp, Franche-Comtât; also german: Freigrafschaft; es, Franco Condado; all ) is a cultural and historical region of eastern France. It is composed of the modern departments of Doubs, ...
. During the four years of peace which followed, Luxembourg cultivated the favour of
Louvois, and in 1672 held a high command against the Dutch during the
Franco-Dutch War
The Franco-Dutch War, also known as the Dutch War (french: Guerre de Hollande; nl, Hollandse Oorlog), was fought between France and the Dutch Republic, supported by its allies the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, Brandenburg-Prussia and Denmark-No ...
(1672–1678). He defeated a counterattack by the
Prince William III of Orange at
Woerden
Woerden () is a city and a municipality in central Netherlands. Due to its central location between Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht, and the fact that it has rail and road connections to those cities, it is a popular town for commu ...
but was blocked by the
Dutch Water Line. On 27 December the inundations were frozen over and he began to cross over the ice, but a sudden thaw cut his force in half. Retreating, de Luxembourg found the fortress town of
Bodegraven abandoned by its garrison and ordered the entire civilian population to be burned alive with their houses. The Dutch anti-French propaganda quickly exploited this massacre and when de Luxembourg bragged to Louis XIV that he had roasted any Dutchman he could find in the town, he was surprised to find that some at court considered such cruelties unnecessary. In 1673 he made his famous retreat from
Utrecht
Utrecht ( , , ) is the fourth-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, in the very centre of mainland Nethe ...
to
Maastricht
Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...
with only 20,000 men in face of 70,000, an exploit which placed him in the first rank of generals. In 1674 he was made captain of the
Garde du Corps, and in 1675
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 ( ...
.
On 10 March 1676 (N.S.) he was made commander of the
Army of the Rhine replacing Condé, who was in bad health. However, he could not relieve the
siege of Philippsburg. This fortress had been invested by Imperial troops under
Charles V, Duke of Lorraine on 1 May. Luxembourg could neither break through the defenses of Wissembourg established by the Imperials, nor draw them out to do battle. Philippsburg fell on 17 September. In 1677 he stormed
Valenciennes
Valenciennes (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France.
It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a ...
, defeated William of Orange again at
Cassel and in 1678, repulsed another of his assault at
Saint-Denis after the signature of the
Peace of Nijmegen. His reputation was now high and it is reputed that he quarrelled with Louvois, who managed to involve him in the "
Affair of the Poisons" and get him sent to the
Bastille.
Rousset in his ''Histoire de Louvois'' has shown that this quarrel is probably apocryphal. Luxembourg doubtlessly spent some months of 1680 in the Bastille, but on his release took up his post at court as ''capitaine des gardes''.
War of the Grand Alliance 1688-97
By 1690, during the
War of the Grand Alliance
The Nine Years' War (1688–1697), often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg, was a conflict between France and a European coalition which mainly included the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarc ...
, Luxembourg was entrusted with the command of King Louis' army in the
Spanish Netherlands
Spanish Netherlands ( Spanish: Países Bajos Españoles; Dutch: Spaanse Nederlanden; French: Pays-Bas espagnols; German: Spanische Niederlande.) (historically in Spanish: ''Flandes'', the name "Flanders" was used as a '' pars pro toto'') was the ...
, superseding
Louis de Crevant, Duke of Humières. On 1 July 1690, he won his greatest victory over William's allied commander, the
Prince of Waldeck, at
Fleurus
Fleurus (; wa, Fleuru) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It has been the site of four major battles.
The municipality consists of the following districts: Brye, Heppignies, Fleurus, Lambusart, ...
. In the following year he was again victorious at
Leuze on 18 September 1691.
In the next campaign he covered the king's
1692 Siege of Namur, and defeated
William
William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conq ...
at
Steenkerque
Steenkerque (French; nl, Steenkerke; in older English references also ''Steenkerke'', ''Steenkirk'', ''Steinkerque'', ''Steinkerke'' or ''Steinkirk''; wa, Stinkerke) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Braine-le-Comte ...
in 1692; and again on 29 July 1693, won the most famous of his battles over his eternal adversary at
Neerwinden
Neerwinden is a village in Belgium in the province of Flemish Brabant, a few miles southeast of Tienen. It is now part of the municipality of Landen.
The village gave its name to two great battles. The first battle was fought in 1693 between th ...
, after which he was called "Le Tapissier de Nôtre Dame" (The Upholsterer of Notre Dame) due to the number of captured enemy flags that he sent to the cathedral. He was received with enthusiasm at Paris by all but the king, who looked coldly on a relative and adherent of the Condés.
St-Simon describes in the first volume of his ''Memoirs'' how, instead of ranking as eighteenth peer of France according to his patent of 1661, he claimed through his wife to be duc de Piney of an old creation of 1571, which would place him second on the roll. The affair is described with St-Simon's usual interest in the peerage, and was chiefly checked through his assiduity.
In the campaign of 1694, Luxembourg did little in Flanders, except conducting a famous march from
Vignemont to
Tournai
Tournai or Tournay ( ; ; nl, Doornik ; pcd, Tornai; wa, Tornè ; la, Tornacum) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies southwest of Brussels on the river Scheldt. Tournai is part of Eu ...
in face of the enemy.
Death
On his return to
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...
for the winter he fell ill, and died. In his last moments he was attended by the famous
Jesuit priest Bourdaloue, who said on his death, "I have not lived his life, but I would wish to die his death." Luxembourg was considered immoral, even in those times, but as a general he was Condé's grandest pupil. Though slothful like Condé in the management of a campaign, at the moment of battle he seemed seized with happy inspirations, against which no ardour of William's and no steadiness of Dutch or English soldiers could stand. His death and
Catinat
Nicolas Catinat (, 1 September 1637 – 22 February 1712) was a French military commander and Marshal of France under Louis XIV. The son of a magistrate, Catinat was born in Paris on 1 September 1637. He entered the Gardes Françaises at an ...
's disgrace close the second period of the military history of the reign 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 Ve ...
.
Reputation
St-Simon said of Luxembourg:
...in his final calculations no one was ever more conscientious than M. de Luxembourg; no one more brilliant, prudent and far-sighted in the face of the enemy or in battle. He had daring and confidence, and at the same time a cool-headedness that allowed him to observe and foresee in the midst of the fiercest cannonade, in dangerously critical moments. That was when he was truly great. At all other times he was idleness itself; no exercise, except where absolutely necessary; gambling; conversing with intimates; every night a small supper party; nearly always with the same company, and, if they happened to be near a town, an agreeable mingling of the sexes.
He was distinguished for a pungent wit. One of his retorts referred to his deformity. "I never can beat that cursed humpback", William was reputed to have said of him. "How does he know I have a hump?" retorted Luxembourg, "he has never seen my back." He left four sons, the youngest of whom was a marshal of France as Marechal de Montmorency.
Marriage and children
On 17 March 1661 François-Henri de Montmorency married Madeleine de Clermont-Tonnerre, duchess of Luxembourg, princess of Tingry, comtess of Ligny, baroness of Dangu, and had 5 children:
* Charles Frédéric de Montmorency-Luxembourg (1662–1726), duc de Piney-Luxembourg, father of
Charles II Frédéric (1702–1764)
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 ( ...
(1757) ;
* Pierre Henri de Montmorency-Luxembourg (1663–1700), abbot of Saint-Michel d'Orcamp ;
* Paul Sigismond de Montmorency-Luxembourg (1664-?), duc de Châtillon, comte de Luxe and baron d'Apremont ;
* Angelique Cunegonde de Montmorency-Luxembourg (1666–1736), mademoiselle de Luxembourg ; married
Louis Henri de Bourbon, bâtard de Soissons'', illegitimate son of
Louis de Bourbon and had issue; had two children;
*
Christian Louis de Montmorency-Luxembourg
Christian de Montmorency-Luxembourg (9 February 1675 – 23 November 1746), prince of Tingry, count of Beaumont and count of Luxe, was a marshal of France (1734).
He was the 4th son of marshal François-Henri de Montmorency-Luxembourg, duke of ...
(1675–1746), prince de Tingry, comte de Luxe,
pair de France
The Peerage of France (french: Pairie de France) was a hereditary distinction within the French nobility which appeared in 1180 in the Middle Ages.
The prestigious title and position of Peer of France (french: Pair de France, links=no) was ...
,
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 ( ...
(1734).
Citations
References
*
* Beaurain's ''Histoire militaire du duc de Luxembourg'' (Hague and Paris, 1756)
* – Monteq to Riva
* Desormeaux's ''Histoire de la maison de Montmorency'' (1764), vols. iv. and v.
* Camille Rousset's ''Louvois''
* biography of Luxemburg by Count de Segur (1907)
* – 1691 to 1709
* – 1628 to 1668
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Luxembourg, Francois Henri De Montmorency-Bouteville, Duc De
1628 births
1695 deaths
1680 crimes
17th-century peers of France
Affair of the Poisons
Dukes of Piney
French military personnel of the Franco-Dutch War
French military personnel of the Nine Years' War
Francois Henri
Marshals of France
Military personnel from Paris
Nobility from Paris
Prisoners of the Bastille