Charles Chalmot de Saint-Ruhe
[Lecestre, L. (ed.) (1921). ''Memoires de Saint-Simon'', v. 19, Hachette et cie, p. 135] (c. 165012 July 1691) was a French cavalry officer, serving in the armies 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 Vers ...
.
Despite a long career, Saint-Ruhe is remembered largely for his brief service in
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
during the
Williamite War
The Williamite War in Ireland (1688–1691; ga, Cogadh an Dá Rí, "war of the two kings"), was a conflict between Jacobite supporters of deposed monarch James II and Williamite supporters of his successor, William III. It is also called th ...
, in which France provided military support to the
Jacobite forces of
James II. While in command of James's
Irish Army
The Irish Army, known simply as the Army ( ga, an tArm), is the land component of the Defence Forces of Ireland.The Defence Forces are made up of the Permanent Defence Forces – the standing branches – and the Reserve Defence Forces. The Ar ...
, he was killed at the
Battle of Aughrim
The Battle of Aughrim ( ga, Cath Eachroma) was the decisive battle of the Williamite War in Ireland. It was fought between the largely Irish Jacobite army loyal to James II and the forces of William III on 12 July 1691 (old style, equivalent ...
, a defeat that led to the collapse of the Jacobite cause.
Origins and family
Saint-Ruhe or Saint-Rhue was an estate in the parish of
Saint-Médard corresponding to the modern
hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
of
Sainte-Rue in the
commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
of
Celles-sur-Belle
Celles-sur-Belle () is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in western France. It is the site of an abbey dating from the 11th Century which was reconstructed between 1660 and 1685 on the orders of Louis XIV. ...
,
Deux-Sèvres
Deux-Sèvres () is a French department. ''Deux-Sèvres'' literally means "two Sèvres": the Sèvre Nantaise and the Sèvre Niortaise are two rivers which have their sources in the department. It had a population of 374,878 in 2019. .
[ The Chalmot family, of the minor nobility class, first appeared in records from ]Niort
Niort (; Poitevin: ''Niàu''; oc, Niòrt; la, Novioritum) is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department, western France. It is the prefecture of Deux-Sèvres.
The population of Niort is 58,707 (2017) and more than 177,000 people live in the u ...
in the 15th century, often serving as local administrators; many were Protestants, including at least one Protestant minister.[Chaix d'Est-Ange, G. ''Dictionnaire des Familles Francaises Anciennes ou Notables a la fin de XIXe siecle: Cas-Cha'', Charles Herrisey, pp. 228–9] Several members left France following the 1685 revocation of the Edict of Nantes
The Edict of Fontainebleau (22 October 1685) was an edict issued by French King Louis XIV and is also known as the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The Edict of Nantes (1598) had granted Huguenots the right to practice their religion without s ...
, including one, Jacques de Chalmot, who entered Dutch military service.[ The ]seigneur
''Seigneur'' is an originally feudal title in France before the Revolution, in New France and British North America until 1854, and in the Channel Islands to this day. A seigneur refers to the person or collective who owned a ''seigneurie'' (or ...
s of Saint-Ruhe appear to have been descended from Philippe Chalmot, seigneur de la Briaudière and alderman of Niort in the early 17th century.[
Little else is known of Saint-Ruhe's background or family. He married Marie de Cossé, widow of ]Charles de La Porte
Charles de La Porte (1602 in Paris – 8 February 1664 in Paris) was a French nobleman and general. He was marquis then duke of La Meilleraye, duke of Rethel and peer of France, baron of Parthenay and of Saint-Maixent, count of Secondigny, sei ...
, Duc de La Meilleraye
La Meilleraye-de-Bretagne (; br, Melereg-Breizh) is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Loire-Atlantique department
The following is a list of the 207 communes of the Loire ...
. Marie, born in 1622, was many years older and the marriage was childless; she lived until 1710. Although he is not known to have had any legitimate direct descendants, the Rev. Alexander Franklin of St. Mark's Church, Dublin
St. Mark's Church is Dublin-based, Pentecostal church belonging to Christian Churches Ireland, the Irish branch of the Assemblies of God denomination. It was previously a Church of Ireland parish church. It is on Pearse Street, east of Trini ...
, claimed to have met a great-grandson of Saint-Ruhe serving in the Fitzjames regiment of the Irish Brigade around the time of the French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
.[O' Callaghan, J. C. (1844) ''The Green Book'', James Duffy, p. 220]
Robert Parker, who fought against the Jacobites at Aughrim, described Saint-Ruhe as "a gallant, brave man, and a good officer".[Parker, R (1747) ''Memoirs of the Most Remarkable Military Transactions from the Year 1683 to 1718: Containing a More Particular Account, Than Any Ever Yet Published, of the Several Battles, Sieges, &c. in Ireland and Flanders, During the Reigns of K. William and Q. Anne'', Austen and Frederick, p. 36] The soldier and diplomat Saint-Simon, in his ''Memoirs'', painted a less flattering portrait. This should be treated with some caution as he was only sixteen when Saint-Ruhe died, though he did apparently meet him. He described him as a "gentleman in a small way", tall and well built but exceptionally ugly; a gallant soldier but notorious for domestic cruelty. According to Saint-Simon, Saint-Ruhe's treatment of his wife became so brutal that she eventually asked the King to intervene. Louis treated her with great sympathy and ordered her husband to stop, but when the ill-treatment continued the King began sending him on unnecessary missions to free his wife of his company.
Career in France
Charles Chalmot served as a lieutenant in the prestigious ''Garde du Corps
A ''Garde du Corps'' (French for lifeguard) is a military unit, formed of guards. A '' Garde du Corps'' was first established in France in 1445. From the 17th century onwards, the term was used in several German states and also, for example, in th ...
'', the king's household cavalry. He was recorded as holding the rank of captain of cavalry in 1670, ''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 ...
'' in 1672, and brigadier in 1677.[Mongredien, Georges (1979) ''Memoire de l'abbé de Choisy'', Mercure de France, p. 387] In 1686, he replaced Boufflers as commander in Guyenne
Guyenne or Guienne (, ; oc, Guiana ) was an old French province which corresponded roughly to the Roman province of '' Aquitania Secunda'' and the archdiocese of Bordeaux.
The name "Guyenne" comes from ''Aguyenne'', a popular transformation o ...
. A Catholic unlike many of his family, he is supposed to have taken part in Louis XIV's '' dragonnades'', in which dragoons were quartered on Protestant households to try and force their conversion.[Wauchope (1992) ''Patrick Sarsfield and the Williamite War'',
Irish Academic Press, p. 198] By 1688, he had been promoted to lieutenant-general.
In 1690, Chalmot was with the army besieging the town of Annecy and played a part in the victory at the Battle of Staffarda
The Battle of Staffarda took place on 18 August 1690 during the Nine Years' War in Piedmont, Northern Italy. The engagement was the first major battle of the Nine Years' War in Italy since Victor Amadeus II of Savoy joined the Grand Alliance ...
, among other engagements.En Tarentaise Vanoise – Conseil Général de Savoiee
/ref> His association with the Irish conflict began while still in France, when he received the command of a brigade of Irish troops under Mountcashel, originally sent to France in 1689 in exchange for French personnel.
Campaign in Ireland
In response to requests from James II and his viceroy Tyrconnell
Tyrconnell (), also spelled Tirconnell, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Donegal, which has sometimes been called ''County Tyrconnell''. At times it also included parts of County Fermanagh, Cou ...
, Louis sent Saint-Ruhe to replace James's illegitimate son Berwick as commander of the Irish Army. The decision was made in January although the Irish were not informed until April.[ Saint-Ruhe had secret instructions to assess the situation and help Louis make a decision on whether to send further military aid. With a temporary general's commission and accompanied by lieutenant-generals de Tessé and d'Usson, Saint-Ruhe arrived at Limerick on 9 May 1691, bringing sufficient arms, corn and meal to sustain the army until the autumn.
William's forces in Ireland were by this stage led by his subordinate, Dutch officer Godert de Ginkel. Ginkel was aware of the poor military situation facing William in the Netherlands; seeking a quick end to the war he had obtained William's permission to offer the Jacobites moderate terms of surrender. However, by late spring 1691, Ginkel was concerned that a French convoy could land further reinforcements at ]Galway
Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...
or Limerick, and began planning to enter the field as quickly as possible. During May, both sides began assembling their forces for a summer campaign, the Jacobites at Limerick and the Williamites at Mullingar
Mullingar ( ; ) is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. It is the third most populous town in the Midland Region, with a population of 20,928 in the 2016 census.
The Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act 1543 proclaimed Westmeat ...
.
On 16 June, Ginkel's cavalry reconnoitred from Ballymore towards the Jacobite garrison at Athlone. Saint-Ruhe had been unsure where Ginkel would attempt to cross the Shannon, but by 19 June he realised Athlone was the target and began concentrating his troops west of the town. Ginkel breached the Jacobite lines of defence and took Athlone on 30 June after a bloody siege; Saint-Ruhe was unable to relieve the town and fell back to the west, his army depleted by large-scale desertions.[Doherty, Richard. "The Battle of Aughrim", ''Early Modern History (1500–1700)'', Issue 3 (Autumn 1995), Vol. 3]
/ref>
Athlone was seen as a significant victory and likely to provoke the collapse of the Jacobite army. The Lords Justice in Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
issued a proclamation offering generous terms for Jacobites who surrendered, including a free pardon, restoration of forfeited estates, and the offer of similar or higher rank and pay if they wished to join William's army.
Aughrim
Unaware of the location of Saint-Ruhe's main army and assuming he was outnumbered, on 10 July Ginkel began a cautious advance through Ballinasloe
Ballinasloe ( ; ) is a town in the easternmost part of County Galway in Connacht. Located at an ancient crossing point on the River Suck, evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes a number of Bronze Age sites. Built around a 12th-ce ...
down the main Limerick and Galway
Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...
road.
Saint-Ruhe and Tyrconnell initially planned to fall back on Limerick and force Ginkel into another year of campaigning.[ Saint-Ruhe issued an order to disperse to Galway and Limerick and sent several of his subordinate commanders, including d'Usson, onward. However, as deserters began to rejoin the army at Ballinasloe, Saint-Ruhe revised his strategy. Wishing to redeem his humiliation at Athlone, he appears to have instead decided to force a decisive battle.][ He reinforced the morale of the rank and file by stressing the religious aspect of the conflict and by "creating a personality cult around himself with bloodthirsty promises of what the army would do to its foes".][
Ginkel found his way blocked by the Jacobite army at Aughrim on the early morning of 12 July 1691. Saint-Ruhe had chosen an extremely strong defensive position, his infantry occupying the slopes of a ridge known as Kilcommadan Hill, with its flanks protected by marshy ground.][ He left the Jacobite camp "standing with all their baggage ..not excepting his own"; Parker noted this obliged the Jacobite army to fight and suggested Saint-Ruhe's "resolution to conquer or die".][ Both armies began a preparatory cannonade at about 2p.m.; Ginkel ordered probing attacks on the Jacobite lines followed by a large-scale infantry assault under ]Mackay Mackay may refer to:
*Clan Mackay, the Scottish clan from which the surname "MacKay" derives
Mackay may also refer to:
Places Australia
* Mackay Region, a local government area
** Mackay, Queensland, a city in the above region
*** Mackay Airpor ...
.
The Jacobites repulsed Ginkel's attacks for several hours, while counter-attacks caused heavy losses in the Williamite army. Saint-Ruhe is reputed to have been confident of victory and organising a further attack when, at around eight o'clock, he was decapitated by a roundshot
A round shot (also called solid shot or simply ball) is a solid spherical projectile without explosive charge, launched from a gun. Its diameter is slightly less than the bore of the barrel from which it is shot. A round shot fired from a l ...
.[O'Callaghan (ed.) Macariae Excidium, Dublin: Irish Archaeological Society, p. 453] The loss of Saint-Ruhe was among several factors that precipitated a collapse in the Jacobite army; the battle ended in a rout, with several thousand Jacobites dead.[
According to the Jacobite author Nicholas Plunkett, Saint-Ruhe's body was carried off and brought to the town of ]Loughrea
Loughrea ( ; ) is a town in County Galway, Ireland. The town lies to the north of a range of wooded hills, the Slieve Aughty Mountains, and the lake from which it takes its name. The town's cathedral, St Brendan's, dominates the town's skyline ...
, where it was later interred privately at night at the Carmelite Abbey cemetery. Other accounts suggested that he was buried at Kilcommadan or that his remains were thrown into a bog or left on the field.
In folklore
The death of Saint-Ruhe gave rise to a great deal of folklore in Galway
Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...
; a well-known story is that a local sheep farmer and one of his shepherds, angry at having their flock taken by Jacobite soldiers, gave an artillery officer called Trench information enabling them to target the Jacobite general.[
At the spot where Saint-Ruhe supposedly fell a whitethorn grew, afterwards named "St Ruth's Bush"; a light was said to have been seen dancing around it at night, while visitors took away twigs from it as souvenirs.][Aughrim]
Irish Folklore Commission Collection, accessed 21-02-20 The site is still marked by a plaque near the Beara-Breifne Way
The Beara-Breifne Way is a long-distance walking and cycling trail being developed from the Beara Peninsula in County Cork, Ireland, to Blacklion in the area of Breifne in County Cavan. The trail follows closely the line of the historical march ...
. "St Ruth's Flag" was an irregular black stone in the old graveyard of Kilcommadan, reputed to have marked the place of his burial.[St Ruth's Flag]
Ordnance Survey Field Books, Galway Library
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
*
* Describes year 1710.
{{DEFAULTSORT:St Ruth, Charles Chalmont, marquis de
17th-century births
1691 deaths
17th-century French military personnel
Jacobite military personnel of the Williamite War in Ireland
French generals
French military personnel killed in action
Year of birth unknown