Antoine de Gramont, 4th

Duke of Gramont The title of Duke of Gramont (''duc de Gramont'') is a French List of French dukedoms, dukedom and former List of French peerages, peerage. It was created in 1648 for French Marshal Antoine III de Gramont. History The family of Gramont was a Kin ...

(January 1672 – 16 September 1725), Duke of Guiche, was a

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) ...

Early life

French military figure and member of the House of Gramont, he was the oldest child of Antoine Charles IV de Gramont and Marie Charlotte de Castelnau (1648 – 29 January 1694), daughter of Marshal Castelnau.

Biography

At the age of thirteen, he became a

musketeer A musketeer ( ) was a type of soldier equipped with a musket. Musketeers were an important part of early modern warfare, particularly in Europe, as they normally comprised the majority of their infantry. The musketeer was a precursor to the rifl ...

and by 1687 he had become head of his regiment. He participated in the

Siege of Philippsburg (1688) The siege of Philippsburg was a siege of the fortress 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 posses ...

and the

Battle of Landen The Battle of Landen, also known as Battle of Neerwinden took place on 29 July 1693, during the Nine Years' War near Landen, then in the Spanish Netherlands, now part of Belgium. A Kingdom of France, French army under François-Henri de Montmor ...

(1693). He was made

brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

in 1694 and served in

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-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 culture, la ...

. In 1696, he was serving under Marshal Catinat and Marshal

Boufflers Boufflers is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Boufflers is situated on the D224 road, on the banks of the river Authie, the border with the Pas-de-Calais, some northeast of Abbeville. Popul ...

, and was himself made a

marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...

(of Flanders) and

Colonel General Colonel general is a military rank used in some armies. It is particularly associated with Germany, where historically General officer#Old European system, general officer ranks were one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, ...

Dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat wi ...

s in 1702. In 1704, he made lieutenant of the royal arms and, on 26 October 1704,

of the French guards. He became envoy to

Philip V of Spain Philip V (; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was List of Spanish monarchs, King of Spain from 1 November 1700 to 14 January 1724 and again from 6 September 1724 to his death in 1746. His total reign (45 years and 16 days) is the longest in the ...

in 1705. He was wounded at the

Battle of Malplaquet The Battle of Malplaquet took place on 11 September 1709 during the War of the Spanish Succession, near Taisnières-sur-Hon in modern France, then part of the Spanish Netherlands. A French army of around 75,000 men, commanded by the Duke of V ...

(1709). In 1712, he became Lieutenant General of

Bayonne Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...

and Lieutenant General and

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Navarre Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...

and

Béarn Béarn (; ; or ''Biarn''; or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in Southwestern France. Along with the three Northern Basque Country, ...

. In 1715, he became Counselor of Regents and War and in 1720, acquired the title of ''Duke of Gramont''. In 1724, he became

. He died a year later, evidently in his

palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

Personal life

He had married Marie Christine de Noailles (1672-1748), daughter of

Anne Jules de Noailles, 2nd Duke of Noailles Anne Jules de Noailles, 2nd Duke of Noailles (5 February 16502 October 1708) was one of the chief generals of France towards the end of the reign of Louis XIV, and, after raising the regiment of Noailles in 1689, he commanded in Spain during both ...

and his wife, Marie Françoise de Bournonville (1654-1748). They had 5 children : *

Antoine VI de Gramont Antoine is a French given name (from the Latin ''Antonius'' meaning 'highly praise-worthy') that is a variant of Danton, Titouan, D'Anton and Antonin. The name is most common in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, West Greenland, Haiti, Fren ...

(1688-1741), lieutenant-general, no surviving sons. * Louis de Gramont, 6th Duke of Gramont (1689-1745), colonel-general, had male issue. * Marie-Adélaïde de Gramont (1700-1740), married François Armand de Gontaut, son of

Charles Armand de Gontaut, Duke of Biron Charles Armand de Gontaut, 2nd Duke of Biron (5 August 1663 – 23 July 1756), great-grandson of Armand de Gontaut-Biron, was a French military leader who served with distinction under Louis XIV and Louis XV, and was made a Marshal of France by t ...

. * Catherine-Charlotte-Thérèse de Gramont (1707-1755), married Philippe-Alexandre, prince de Bournonville (died 1727) and Jacques Louis de Rouvroy, son of

Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon, Grandee of Spain, GE (; 16 January 16752 March 1755), was a French soldier, diplomat, and memoirist. He was born in Paris at the Hôtel Selvois, 6 rue Taranne (demolished in 1876 to make way for the Boulevard ...

. * Louis François de Gramont (1708-1714).

Notes

References

1672 births 1725 deaths Antoine 5 Dukes of Guiche Antoine 5 18th-century French diplomats Marshals of France 18th-century peers of France 17th-century French people People of the Regency of Philippe d'Orléans Ambassadors of France to Spain {{france-hist-stub