Francesco Maria de Reggio, known in French as François Marie, Chevalier de Reggio (

Alba, Italy Alba ( pms, label=Piedmontese, Arba; la, Alba Pompeia) is a town and ''comune'' of Piedmont, Italy, in the Province of Cuneo. It is one of the main cities in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and M ...

, 1698 –

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, 1787) was an Italian

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 ...

who was a member of the

House of Este The House of Este ( , , ) is a European dynasty of North Italian origin whose members ruled parts of Italy and Germany for many centuries. The original House of Este's elder branch, which is known as the House of Welf, included dukes of Bavaria ...

. He was a distinguished commander in the

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession () was a European conflict that took place between 1740 and 1748. Fought primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic and Mediterranean, related conflicts included King George's ...

, and an influential government official in

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

Biography

François Marie was born in

Alba, Piedmont Alba ( pms, label= Piedmontese, Arba; la, Alba Pompeia) is a town and ''comune'' of Piedmont, Italy, in the Province of Cuneo. It is one of the main cities in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and ...

, in 1698. He was nephew to the reigning Duke of Modena and Reggio, Francesco III d'Este. His mother was Felicite De Canapan, and his father was Rinaldo de Reggio, Chevalier de Reggio, who was the brother of Duke Francesco, and son of Duke Rinaldo d'Este. When his father died, Francois himself became the Chevalier de Reggio. He ruled his lands strongly for many years, but fell victim to boredom. Looking for excitement, Francois moved to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, joined the

French army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed Force ...

, and fought in the

with his close friend, the

Duke of Richelieu Duke of Richelieu (french: duc de Richelieu) was a title of French nobility. It was created on 26 November 1629 for Armand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu (known as Cardinal Richelieu) who, as a Roman Catholic clergyman, had no issue to pass it down ...

. He proved to be an excellent soldier, and went on to distinguish himself greatly at the Siege of Bergen op Zoom. King

Louis XV of France Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reache ...

was so impressed by the Chevalier's valour during the siege, that he gave him a captaincy in the French army, and promoted him to the rank of

Captain general Captain general (and its literal equivalent in several languages) is a high military rank of general officer grade, and a gubernatorial title. History The term "Captain General" started to appear in the 14th century, with the meaning of Comma ...

. Soon after his promotion in 1747, the king sent Marie to

, which was a French colony at the time. François held the title of Captain-General of Louisiana until 1763, when the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...

took over the French colony. The Chevalier was well liked by the new Spanish officials, and was given a new title in the government of

Spanish Louisiana Spanish Louisiana ( es, link=no, la Luisiana) was a governorate and administrative district of the Viceroyalty of New Spain from 1762 to 1801 that consisted of a vast territory in the center of North America encompassing the western basin of t ...

: First Justiciary of the Estates and Property of the Crown. While holding this position, he met a young woman, by the name of Fleuriau. They married, and had many children. In his old age, Francois retired, and died in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, in 1787.

Famous descendants

Francois Marie, Chevalier de Reggio was the great-grandfather of Confederate General

P.G.T. Beauregard Pierre Gustave Toutant-Beauregard (May 28, 1818 - February 20, 1893) was a Confederate general officer of Louisiana Creole descent who started the American Civil War by leading the attack on Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. Today, he is common ...

, one of the most famous generals in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

.Old Families of Louisiana - Page 412 Stanley Clisby Arthur - 1999 "She married first Daniel Fagot de la Garcinière (q. v.), and at his death in 1776, married a second time Charles Antoine de Reggio, son of François Marie de Reggio and Helene Fleuriau" Among his descendants is also director

Godfrey Reggio Godfrey Reggio (born March 29, 1940) is an American director of experimental documentary films. Life Reggio was born in New Orleans, Louisiana to an old and distinguished Louisiana family descended from Francesco M. de Reggio, an Italian noblem ...

Notes

References

*Reggio Ancestor Report Page: kjunkutie.tripod.com/reggio.htm *files.usgwaracrchives.net/la/stbernard/bios/beaurega.txt *''The military operations of General Beauregard in the war between the states'' by Alfred Roman *http://www.lagenealogy.net/Pages/Beauregard.aspx {{DEFAULTSORT:Francois Marie, Chevalier De Reggio 1698 births 1787 deaths French Army officers House of Este Italian nobility