Louis de Rohan-Chabot (3 November 1652 – 17 August 1727) was a member of the House of Rohan-Chabot and
Duke of Rohan. He married an heiress and acted as
Louis XIV's representative in
Brittany. He was styled as the Prince of Léon prior to becoming Duke of Rohan. His direct descendant is today's
Josselin de Rohan (born 5 June 1938), a member of the
Senate of France, representing the
Morbihan department.
Early life and family
Born at the Hôtel de la rue du Temple in Paris, to Henri Chabot and his wife
Marguerite de Rohan
Marguerite de Rohan (1617 – 9 April 1684) was a French noblewoman and ''suo jure'' Duchess of Rohan. She married Henri de Chabot for love and the couple produced four children. A great heiress, she inherited the Duchy (later principality) of ...
, Louis was the fifth of six children and their only surviving son. His parents' marriage had caused a scandal; his mother Marguerite was a
Foreign Princess as a member of the
House of Rohan
The House of Rohan ( br, Roc'han) is a Breton people, Breton family of viscounts, later dukes and princes in the French nobility, coming from the locality of Rohan (commune), Rohan in Brittany. Their line descends from the viscounts of Porhoët ...
, and her wedding plans had caused Louis XIV to issue a decree that she was permitted to marry Henri and still hold her high rank at court.
Henri's family were allowed to bear the name of Rohan-Chabot, the hyphenation of his maternal and paternal family names.
Around 1700, Louis was at Court. The
Guéméné branch of the House of Rohan wanted him to abandon the name and coat-of-arms of his mother's family. However, King Louis XIV confirmed his rights to the name, title and coat-of-arms, to which his father had been entitled since 19 September 1646, part of his parents' marriage contract.
Louis was close to his older sister
Anne de Rohan-Chabot
Anne de Rohan-Chabot (Anne Julie; 1648 – 4 February 1709) was a French noble. A member of the House of Rohan, she was wife of the Prince of Soubise. It was she who brought the lordship of Soubise into the junior line of the House of Rohan. S ...
, future
Princess of Soubise and mistress of
Louis XIV. His youngest sister, Jeanne Pelagie, married the Prince of Epinoy, the paternal grandfather of
Louis de Melun Louis may refer to:
* Louis (coin)
* Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name
* Louis (surname)
* Louis (singer), Serbian singer
* HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy
See also
Derived or associated terms
* Lewis (d ...
and
Anne Julie de Melun, a future Princess of Soubise.
Louis' nephews included
Hercule Mériadec, Duke of Rohan-Rohan and the
Cardinal de Soubise
François-Armand-Auguste de Rohan-Soubise, Prince of Tournon, Prince of Rohan (1 December 1717, Paris – 28 June 1756, Saverne) was a French prelate, Prince-Bishop of Strasbourg. His parents, Anne Julie de Melun and Jules, Prince de Soubise ...
. Louis' godparents were the infant Louis XIV and the infant's mother
Anne of Austria, Queen Regent.
Career
Louis was very rich, with an annual income of 50,000
ecus, but he was a miser and greedy. His greed caused him to fall out with his sister Anne, which led to bad relations with the king himself.
Military service
Louis campaigned in
Flanders in 1667, and in the same year he became head of the nobility in Brittany and was the king's representative there. He was also involved in sieges at
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 Euromet ...
,
Douai, and
Lille.
Personal life
He married Marie Élisabeth de Bec-Crespin de Grimaldi, marquise de Vardes, a granddaughter of
Jacqueline de Bueil
Jacqueline de Bueil (1588-1651), was a French noblewoman and Mistress (lover), mistress to Henry IV of France in 1604-1608.
Early life
She was born as daughter of Claude :fr:Famille de Bueil, de Bueil, Seigneur de Courcillon (1537-1596) and his w ...
, mistress of King
Henri IV. Louis and Marie Élisabeth were married on 18 July 1678 at the
Château de Saint-Cloud, residence of
Philippe de France, ''Monsieur'' (brother of Louis XIV) and his wife
Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, ''Madame''.
His wife brought a considerable dowry. She was the sole heiress of her father, François René du Bec-Crespin, marquis de Vardes, comte de Moret, and Catherine Nicolaï, marquise de Goussainville. Louis and Jacqueline had 11 children, of which two sons and a daughter would go on to have progeny. Their children were:
*
Louis Bretagne Alain de Rohan-Chabot, Duke Rohan, Prince of Léon (1679–1738), who married Françoise de Roquelaure (daughter of
Antoine Gaston de Roquelaure) and had issue.
* ''Marie Marguerite'' Françoise de Rohan-Chabot, Mademoiselle de Rohan (1680–1706), who married
Louis Pierre Engelbert de La Marck, Count of Schleiden.
* Anne Henriette Charlotte de Rohan-Chabot, Mademoiselle de Léon (1682–1751), who married
Alphonse Dominique François de Berghes, 2nd Prince of Grimberghen, no issue.
*
Guy Auguste de Rohan-Chabot, Count of Maillé-Seizploue (1683–1760), who married Yvonne Sylvie du Breil de Rays and had issue; married again to Mary Apolonia Scolastica Stafford-Howard, had no issue.
* Charlotte de Rohan-Chabot, Mademoiselle de Porhoëtt (–1710), who never married.
* Françoise Gabrielle de Rohan-Chabot (b. 1685), who never married.
* Charles Annibal de Rohan-Chabot, Count of Jarnac (1687–1762), who married Henriette Charlotte Chabot,
suo jure Countess of Jarnac, no issue.
* Julie Victoire de Rohan-Chabot (1688–1730), who never married.
* Constance Eléonore de Rohan-Chabot (1691–1733), who never married.
* Marie Armande de Rohan-Chabot (1692–1742), who never married.
* Marie Louise de Rohan-Chabot (b. 1697), who never married.
Louis died in Paris on 17 August 1727, aged 74. He was buried at the
Château de Blain. Marie Élisabeth survived him until 27 March 1743, when she, too, died in Paris, aged 81.
Ancestry
References and notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Louis, Duke Of Rohan
1652 births
1727 deaths
17th-century peers of France
18th-century peers of France
Louis
Louis
Misers
Nobility from Paris