Philippe Henri, Marquis de Ségur (20 January 1724 – 3 October 1801) was a grandson of

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

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 ...

Marshal of France Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished ( ...

, and Secretary of State for War under

Louis XV 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 reached ...

and later

Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...

Biography

Born in Paris, son of Henri François, comte de Ségur and his wife Philippe Angélique de Froissy, Philippe Henri was appointed to the command of an

infantry regiment Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

at eighteen, and served under his father in Italy and Bohemia. He was wounded at Roucoux in

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

in October 1746, and lost an arm at Lauffeld in 1747. In 1748 he succeeded his father as lieutenant-general of

Champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, ...

and

Brie Brie (; ) is a soft cow's-milk cheese named after Brie, the French region from which it originated (roughly corresponding to the modern ''département'' of Seine-et-Marne). It is pale in color with a slight grayish tinge under a rind of white mo ...

; he also received in 1753 the governorship of the county of

Foix Foix (; oc, Fois ; ca, Foix ) is a commune, the former capital of the County of Foix. It is the capital of the department of Ariège as it is the seat of the Préfecture of that department. Foix is located in the Occitanie region of south ...

. During the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (175 ...

he fought at Hastenbeck (1757),

Krefeld Krefeld ( , ; li, Krieëvel ), also spelled Crefeld until 1925 (though the spelling was still being used in British papers throughout the Second World War), is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, i ...

(1758) and Minden (1759). In 1760 he was taken prisoner at Kloster Kampen. The ability which he showed in the government of Franche-Comté in 1775 led in 1780 to his appointment as Minister for War under Necker. He created in 1783 the permanent general staff, and made admirable regulations with regard to barracks and military hospitals; and though he was officially responsible for the reactionary decree requiring four quarterings of nobility as a condition for the appointment of officers, the scheme is said not to have originated with him and to have been adopted under protest. On 13 June 1783 he became a marshal of France. He resigned from the ministry of war in 1787. During

the Terror The Reign of Terror (french: link=no, la Terreur) was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the First Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public executions took place in response to revolutionary fervour, ...

he was imprisoned in La Force, and after his release was reduced to considerable straits until in 1800 he received a pension from

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

. He died in Paris the next year.

Family

Ségur married in Paris on 3 February 1749 Louise Anne Madeleine de Vernon (Paris, 1729 – Paris, 12 March 1778), daughter of Alexandre de Vernon and Anne du Vivier, and had two sons: *

Louis Philippe, comte de Ségur Louis Philippe, comte de Ségur (10 December 175327 August 1830) was a French diplomat and historian. Biography Ségur was born in Paris, the son of Philippe Henri, marquis de Ségur and Louise Anne Madeleine de Vernon. He entered the army in ...

(Paris, 10 December 1753 – Paris, 27 August 1830), diplomat and historian * Joseph Alexandre Pierre de Ségur, Viscount of Ségur (Paris, 14 April 1756 – Bagnères-de-Bigorre, 27 July 1805), poet, songwriter and playwright; he was actually the son of his best friend Pierre Victor, baron de Besenval de Brünstatt

Titles & Decorations

Knight of the Holy Spirit effective 7 June 1767.

Footnotes

References

* A. de Ségur, ''Le Marechal de Ségur, 1724–1801'' (Paris, 1895). * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Henri, Philippe, Marquis De Segur Philippe Henri, marquis de Segur, Philippe Henri, marquis de Segur, Philippe Henri, marquis de Segur, Philippe Henri, marquis de Segur French military personnel of the Seven Years' War People from Paris