René de La Croix de Castries (; 1908 – 1986) was a French
historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...
and a member of the
House of Castries
The house of la Croix de Castries () is a French noble family from Languedoc. The city of Castries in the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia was named after one of its members.
History
Their heraldic shield is "Azure (heraldry), azure, on a cross, ...
.Académie française /ref> He was the sixteenth member elected to occupy seat 2 of the
Académie française
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...
in 1972. He wrote under the
pen name
A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name.
A pen na ...
''Duc de Castries'', a
courtesy title
A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but rather is used through custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title).
In some co ...
drawn from his family’s extinct dukedom.
Biography
Early life
René de la Croix de Castries was born on 6 August 1908 in
La Bastide-d'Engras
La Bastide-d'Engras is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Gard department
This is a list of the 351 communes of the Gard department of France.
The communes cooperate in the follow ...
,
Gard
Gard () is a department in Southern France, located in the region of Occitanie. It had a population of 748,437 as of 2019; He grew up in a castle in Gaujac, Gard, and attended school in
Nîmes
Nîmes ( , ; oc, Nimes ; Latin: ''Nemausus'') is the prefecture of the Gard department in the Occitanie region of Southern France. Located between the Mediterranean Sea and Cévennes, the commune of Nîmes has an estimated population of 148,5 ...
and
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...
. He studied Political Science and Public Finance.
Career
He served in the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. He was sent to
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
in 1939, and returned to France in 1940.
He served as Mayor of Castries from 1941 to 1950. He moved to
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
in 1951.
He gave lectures at the
Cercle de l'Union interalliée
The cercle de l'Union interalliée, also known as the Cercle interallié, is a private social and dining club established in 1917. The clubhouse is the Hôtel Perrinet de Jars at 33 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris, France. It adjoins the Br ...
, and served as Vice-President of the
Société des gens de lettres
Lactalis is a French multinational dairy products corporation, owned by the Besnier family and based in Laval, Mayenne, France. The company's former name was Besnier SA.
Lactalis is the largest dairy products group in the world, and is the sec ...
in 1964. He was appointed to the Académie française on 4 May 1972, becoming the 35th Duke to join the institution.INA /ref>
Personal life
Castries married Monique de Casagne in 1934. The following year, he bought the family castle,
Château de Castries
The Château de Castries is a château in Castries, Hérault, France.
, in
Castries, Hérault
Castries (; oc, Càstrias) is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France.
Population
Twin towns — sister cities
Castries is twinned with Volpiano, Italy since 2010.
Sights
* Château de Castries. There is also a stone aqued ...
, near
Montpellier
Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...
. In 1985, he gave the Château de Castries to the Académie française.Institut de France /ref> He died on 17 July 1986.
Bibliography
* ''Mademoiselle de Méthamis'' (
Calmann-Lévy
Calmann-Lévy is a French publishing house founded in 1836 by Michel Lévy as ''Michel Lévy frères''. His brother Kalmus Calmann Lévy joined in 1844, and the firm was renamed ''Calmann Lévy'' in 1875 after Michel's death.Jean Vigneau, 1947)
* ''Les Ténèbres extérieures'' ( Editions La Colombe, 1951)
* ''Le Maréchal de Castries'' (
Fayard
Fayard (complete name: ''Librairie Arthème Fayard'') is a French Paris-based publishing house established in 1857. Fayard is controlled by Hachette Livre.
In 1999, Éditions Pauvert became part of Fayard. Claude Durand was director of Fayard ...
, 1956)
* ''Languedoc méditerranéen'' (with André Chamson,
Hachette Hachette may refer to:
* Hachette (surname)
* Hachette (publisher), a French publisher, the imprint of Lagardère Publishing
** Hachette Book Group, the American subsidiary
** Hachette Distribution Services, the distribution arm
See also
* Hachett ...
, 1956)
* ''Le Château de Castries'' (André Barry, 1958)
* ''Le Testament de la Monarchie. Tome I : L’indépendance américaine'' (Fayard, 1958)
* ''Le Testament de la Monarchie. Tome II : L’Agonie de la Royauté'' (Fayard, 1959)
* ''Les Rencontres de Stanley'' (
Éditions France-Empire
France-Empire is an independent French publishing house, created in 1945 by .
History
In 1945, from the end of the Second World War, the Éditions France-Empire began their activity by publishing works concerning the period 1939-1945 then the ...
, 1960)
* ''Mirabeau ou l’échec du Destin'' (Fayard, 1960)
* ''Le Règne de Louis XVI'' (Club du livre, 1961)
* ''Le Testament de la Monarchie. Tome III : Les Émigrés'' (Fayard, 1962)
* ''Maurice de Saxe'' (Fayard, 1963)
* ''La Conspiration de Cadoudal'' (Del Duca, 1964)
* ''Les Guerres de Louis XIV et de Louis XV'' (Plon-Perrin, 1964)
* ''Le Testament de la Monarchie. Tome IV : De Louis XVIII à Louis-Philippe'' (Fayard, 1965)
* ''La Vie quotidienne des émigrés'' (Hachette, 1966)
* ''Orages sur l’Église'' (SPES, 1967)
* ''Madame du Barry'' (Hachette, 1967)
* ''Louis XVIII, portrait d’un roi'' (Hachette, 1969)
* ''Le Testament de la Monarchie. Tome V : Le Grand Refus du Comte de Chambord'' (Hachette, 1970)
* ''Henri IV, Roi de Cœur, Roi de France'' (
Éditions Larousse
Éditions Larousse is a French publishing house specialising in reference works such as dictionaries. It was founded by Pierre Larousse and its best-known work is the ''Petit Larousse''.
It was acquired from private owners by Compagnie Europée ...
, 1970)
* ''Histoire de France des origines à 1970'' (
Éditions Robert Laffont
Éditions Robert Laffont is a book publishing company in France founded in 1941 by Robert Laffont. Its publications are distributed in almost all francophone countries, but mainly in France, Canada and in Belgium.
It is considered one of the most ...
, 1971)
* ''Madame Récamier'' (Larousse, 1971)
* ''Figaro ou la vie de Beaumarchais'' (Hachette, 1972)
* ''La Fin des Rois. Tome I : Louis XVIII à la recherche de son Royaume (1789-1815)'' ( Librairie Jules Tallandier, 1972)
* ''La Fin des Rois. Tome II : La France de Louis XVIII (1815-1824)'' (Librairie Jules Tallandier, 1972)
* ''La Fin des Rois. Tome III : Charles X (1757-1836)'' (Librairie Jules Tallandier, 1972)
* ''La Fin des Rois. Tome IV : Louis-Philippe, Roi des Français (1830-1840)'' (Librairie Jules Tallandier, 1973)
* ''La Fin des Rois. Tome V : L’écroulement de la Monarchie (1840-1848)'' (Librairie Jules Tallandier, 1973)
* ''La Conquête de la Terre Sainte par les Croisés'' (
Éditions Albin Michel
Éditions Albin Michel is a French publisher. In January 2022, the new director is Anna Pavlowitch, the daughter of Paul Pavlowitch, Romain Gary and Jean Seberg's nephew.
History
It was founded in 1900 by Albin Michel. They published, first, Ro ...
, 1973)
* ''La Fayette, pionnier de la liberté'' (Hachette, 1974)
* ''La France et l’indépendance américaine'' (Éditions Perrin, 1975)
* ''Chateaubriand ou la puissance du songe'' (Éditions Perrin, 1976)
* ''Papiers de famille'' (France-Empire, 1977)
* ''L’Aube de la Révolution, réédition de l’Agonie de la royauté'' (Librairie Jules Tallandier, 1978)
* ''La Vieille Dame du quai Conti'' (Éditions Perrin, 1978)
* ''Rois et reines de France''(Librairie Jules Tallandier, 1979)
* ''Les Rendez-vous de l’Histoire'' (Éditions Perrin, 1979)
* ''Louis-Philippe''(Librairie Jules Tallandier, 1980)
* ''La Terreur blanche'' (Éditions Perrin, 1980)
* ''La Pompadour'' (1983)
* ''Monsieur Thiers'' (Éditions Perrin, 1983)
* ''La Reine Hortense'' (1984)
* ''Julie de Lespinasse'' (1985)
* ''La Scandaleuse Madame de Tencin'' (Éditions Perrin, 1986, posthumous