Armand de Vignerot du Plessis, Duke of Aiguillon (''Armand Désiré''; 31 October 1761 – 4 May 1800), was a French military officer and politician.

Life and career

He was the only son of Emmanuel-Armand de Vignerot du Plessis-Richelieu and his wife, Louise-Félicité de Bréhan. In 1788, he succeeded his father as

Duke of Aiguillon Duke of Aiguillon (French: ''duc d'Aiguillon'') was a title of French nobility in the peerage of France, first created in 1599 by Henry IV of France for Henry of Lorraine, son of Charles, Duke of Mayenne. The title takes its name from the town o ...

. In 1789, as a member of the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...

, he became one of the first to ally himself with the

Third Estate The estates of the realm, or three estates, were the broad orders of social hierarchy used in Christendom (Christian Europe) from the Middle Ages to early modern Europe. Different systems for dividing society members into estates developed and ...

and to renounce the privileges of the

nobility 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 character ...

. He became a general in the Republican Army, but had to flee during the Reign of Terror of 1793–1794. According to Michael Kelly in his ''Reminiscences'', the Duke of Aiguillon was, in 1796, in London with the revolutionaries

Charles Lameth Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was "f ...

and the orator Dupont. He states that the duke had been 'one of the twelve peers of France, who, in former days, had an immense fortune, was a great patron of the arts, and so theatrical that he had a box in every theatre in Paris. He was particularly fond of music, and had been a pupil of

Viotti Giovanni Battista Viotti (12 May 1755 – 3 March 1824) was an Italian violinist whose virtuosity was famed and whose work as a composer featured a prominent violin and an appealing lyrical tunefulness. He was also a director of French and Italia ...

(then leader of the Opera House orchestra, at which Kelly was stage manager).' Kelly introduced them to

Richard Brinsley Sheridan Richard Brinsley Butler Sheridan (30 October 17517 July 1816) was an Irish satirist, a politician, a playwright, poet, and long-term owner of the London Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. He is known for his plays such as '' The Rivals'', '' The ...

and other friends, though the

Duke of Queensberry The title Duke of Queensberry was created in the Peerage of Scotland on 3 February 1684 along with the subsidiary title Marquess of Dumfriesshire for the 1st Marquess of Queensberry. The Dukedom was held along with the Marquessate of Queensbe ...

refused to meet the Duke of Aiguillon. On learning that the Duke of Aiguillon's fortune was entirely lost or sequestered, Kelly arranged for him to make a little money by copying sheet-music, which he did secretly during the day, continuing to attend the theatre in the evening. Eventually, an order came from the Alien Office of the British Government that he and his friends must leave England in two days. The duke went to

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

, and was later condemned to be shot. 'They told me that he died like a hero,' wrote Kelly. The duke left his favourite Danish dog in Kelly's care, shedding many tears on parting from it: the animal outlived its master, but pined and died soon afterwards.M. Kelly, ed. H. van Thal, ''Solo Recital - The Reminiscences of Michael Kelly'' (Folio Society, London 1972), 208-210.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aiguillon, Armand II, duc d' 1761 births 1800 deaths Military personnel from Paris Dukes of Aiguillon Members of the National Constituent Assembly (France) French generals Politicians from Paris