Claude-Louis-Raoul de La Châtre, otherwise known as ''Louis, duc de La Chastre'' (30 September 1745 – 13 July 1824) was an

aristocrat The aristocracy is historically associated with "hereditary" or "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the upper class of people (aristocrats) with hereditary rank and titles. In some, such as ancient Greece, ancient Ro ...

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

military commander,

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

and politician of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Career

The elder son of

Lieutenant-General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Charles-Louis,

marquis A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...

de La Châtre (1724-1793) by his wife Isabelle (1725-1794) daughter of Claude, marquis de Traînel, his relatives included Maria Antonia, Duchess of Bavaria and Electress of Saxony as well as Charles Edward Stuart (''The Young Pretender''). Styled comte de Nançay after 1734, he was commissioned as a Sous-lieutenant in the French Army in 1756, becoming a Lieutenant in the Régiment du Boulonnois in 1761,

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in 1764 and then in 1770 Lieutenant-Colonel in the Grenadiers. In 1771 he was seconded as Colonel of the Régiment de Royal-Vaisseaux, becoming a Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber to Prince Louis, comte de Provence and in 1774

Mestre-de-camp Mestre de camp or Maître de camp (; "camp-master") was a military rank in the Ancien Régime of France, equivalent to colonel. A mestre de camp commanded a regiment and was under the authority of a Colonel General, who commanded all the regiment ...

of the Régiment des dragons de Monsieur. He was promoted Brigadier in 1781, Maréchal-de-camp in 1788 and commanded the Guyenne Cavalry Regiment (1786–89). After being appointed Royal Bailiff of

Berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...

in 1788, he sat briefly as a deputy of the Estates-General in 1789. His father, the marquis, was guillotined by the Revolutionaries in 1793 (when he succeeded to his father's titles), but La Chastre managed to escape to England where he raised the Régiment Loyal-Émigrant. Having commanded his troops with distinction throughout the Low Countries, Quiberon and Portugal, he returned to London in 1807. He became the first French Ambassador to the

Court of St James's The Court of St James's is the royal court for the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. All ambassadors to the United Kingdom are formally received by the court. All ambassadors from the United Kingdom are formally accredited from the court – & ...

under the

Bourbon Restoration Bourbon Restoration may refer to: France under the House of Bourbon: * Bourbon Restoration in France (1814, after the French revolution and Napoleonic era, until 1830; interrupted by the Hundred Days in 1815) Spain under the Spanish Bourbons: * ...

. La Chastre was created a

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 ...

(1815) and duke (1816) by

King Louis XVIII Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. He spent twenty-three years in e ...

, in addition to receiving other honours. He was married to Marie Charlotte Louise Perrette Aglaé Bontemps from 1778 until their divorce in 1793.

Honours and titles

Duc de France *

Ordre Royal et Militaire de Saint-Louis Chevalier ribbon

Grand-croix,

Ordre de Saint-Louis The Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis (french: Ordre Royal et Militaire de Saint-Louis) is a dynastic order of chivalry founded 5 April 1693 by King Louis XIV, named after Saint Louis (King Louis IX of France). It was intended as a rewar ...

Chevalier,

Ordre de Malte A suite, in Western classical music and jazz, is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral/concert band pieces. It originated in the late 14th century as a pairing of dance tunes and grew in scope to comprise up to five dances, sometimes w ...

Chevalier, Ordres Royaux, Militaires et Hospitaliers de Notre-Dame du Mont-Carmel et de Saint-Lazare de Jérusalem Réunis * Ordre du Saint-Esprit Chevalier ribbon

Chevalier, Ordre du Saint-Esprit * Legion Honneur Officier ribbon

Officier, Légion d'honneur

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:La Chastre, Louis de 1745 births 1824 deaths Dukes of La Chastre Knights of Malta Knights of the Order of Saint Louis Ambassadors of France to the United Kingdom 19th-century French diplomats French generals Recipients of the Legion of Honour Members of the Chamber of Peers of the Bourbon Restoration Cavalry commanders State ministers of France

Career

Honours and titles

See also

References