Nicolas Chalon du Blé,

marquis A marquess (; ) 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 with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or wido ...

d' Uxelles and

Cormatin Cormatin () is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. The village, on the river Grosne, is home to a castle. Geography The Grosne forms part of the commune's south-western bord ...

(24 January 1652 – 10 April 1730) was a French general and Foreign Minister. He was also created a knight and

Marshal of France Marshal of France (, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to General officer, generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1793–1804) ...

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

, and was a diplomat for

and

Philippe II, Duke of Orléans Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (Philippe Charles; 2 August 1674 – 2 December 1723), who was known as the Regent, was a French prince, soldier, and statesman who served as Regent of the Kingdom of France from 1715 to 1723. He is referred to i ...

Biography

Early years

du Blé was born at

Chalon-sur-Saône Chalon-sur-Saône (, literally ''Chalon on Saône'') is a city in the Saône-et-Loire Departments of France, department in the Regions of France, region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefectu ...

. His appearance was described as tall and ruddy, with a huge wig and a hat pulled down over his eyes. He tended to hide his military orders and decorations under a plain, tightly buttoned coat.''The Man Who Would Be King; The Life of Philippe d'Orléans, Regent of France'' by Christine Pevitt. Published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson in Great Britain, 1997. Second son of Louis Chalon du Blé, marquis of Uxelles (who died in 1658 at the siege of

Gravelines Gravelines ( , ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord departments of France, department in Northern France. It lies at the mouth of the river Aa (France), Aa southwest of Dunkirk, France, Dunkirk. It was form ...

), and of Marie Le Bailleul (1626–1712), Nicolas Chalon du Blé became marquis d'Uxelles on the death of his elder brother in 1669. He was a protégé of Camille le Tellier de Louvois.

Military career

He was granted military leadership in 1688, during the Nine Years' War; he served as

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank 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 battlefield, who was norma ...

at the siege of

Philippsburg Philippsburg () is a town in the district of Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. History Before 1623, Philippsburg was known as "Udenheim". The city was a possession of the Bishop of Speyer from 1316 to 1803. The town is named after P ...

, and was charged with holding the Place de Mayence fortress in

Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...

, when the French army was forced to retreat. He initially defended during the Siege of Mainz against the Grand Alliance, from 1 June to 8 September 1689, but had to surrender, and was publicly booed upon his return to Paris. He retained the favor of

François-Michel le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois François Michel Le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois (; 18 January 1641 – 16 July 1691) was the French Secretary of State for War during a significant part of the reign of Louis XIV. He is commonly referred to as "Louvois". Together with his father, ...

and

Louis XIV of France LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

, and was rewarded with the fief of Rougemont-le-Château (1696), and he received the baton of Marshal, in 1703.

Diplomatic career

He took part as a diplomat at the preliminary conferences of

Geertruidenberg Geertruidenberg () is a city and municipality in the province North Brabant in the south of the Netherlands. The city, named after Saint Gertrude of Nivelles, received city rights in 1213 from the count of Holland. The fortified city prospered u ...

on 9 March 1710, but the peace negotiations were broken by

at the end of the following June. Chalon du Blé again represented the king during the negotiation for the

Peace of Utrecht The Peace of Utrecht was a series of peace treaty, peace treaties signed by the belligerents in the War of the Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht between April 1713 and February 1715. The war involved three contenders for the vac ...

in 1713. He was one of the aristocratic architects of the polysynody system of government, and obtained the first presidency of the Council of Foreign Affairs, (1715–1718) when the

regency In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

of Philippe II began. This appointment was made against the better judgement of the

Regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

, who held different foreign policy aims than Blé, and who had been the target of scorn from Blé's social circle. The Regent made the decision primarily to keep his enemy in plain view rather than in subterfuge against the government. As president of the Council of Foreign Affairs, Blé tended to the popular, traditional French view of favoring Catholic Spain over Protestant Great Britain. This was in contradiction to the Regent, who admired Britain's

parliamentary system A parliamentary system, or parliamentary democracy, is a form of government where the head of government (chief executive) derives their Election, democratic legitimacy from their ability to command the support ("confidence") of a majority of t ...

and open economy. When the

Cellamare Conspiracy The Cellamare conspiracy of 1718 ( French: ''Conspiration de Cellamare'') was a conspiracy against the Regent of France, Philippe d'Orléans (1674–1723) that aimed to depose him of his position and place Philip V of Spain as the new regent of Fr ...

came to light in 1718, however, Blé gave up antagonizing the Regent and "became polite, agreeable, and ate from his hand" in the words of Saint-Simon. According to one source, the Regent even made Blé kiss the

Treaty of the Triple Alliance The Treaty of the Triple Alliance was a treaty that allied the Empire of Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay against Paraguay. Signed in 1865, after the outbreak of the Paraguayan War, its articles (plus a Protocol) prescribed the allies' actions bo ...

, which allied France with Britain and the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, commonly referred to in historiography as the Dutch Republic, was a confederation that existed from 1579 until the Batavian Revolution in 1795. It was a predecessor state of the present-day Netherlands ...

against Spain. Nicolas Chalon du Blé was one of the most notable

homosexuals Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" exc ...

of his age, known for his attraction to young valets as well as aspiring officers whom he "domesticated".Didier Godard, ''Le Goût de Monsieur. L'homosexualité masculine au XVIIe siècle'', editions H & O, Montblanc, 2002, page 171 He died in Paris in 1730.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chalon Du Ble, Nicolas 1652 births 1730 deaths People from Chalon-sur-Saône Marshals of France 18th-century French military personnel 17th-century French people 17th-century French LGBTQ people 18th-century French LGBTQ people People of the Regency of Philippe d'Orléans Marquesses of Uxelles Marquesses of Cormatin French military personnel of the Nine Years' War French military personnel of the War of the Spanish Succession 18th-century French diplomats LGBTQ nobility