Casimir-Louis-Victurnien de Rochechouart, 11th Duke of Mortemart (20 March 1787, Paris – 1 January 1875, Neauphle-le-Vieux), prince of Tonnay-Charente, then Baron of Mortemart and of the Empire, 11th duke of Mortemart and peer of France (1814), was a French soldier, diplomat and politician. In 1830

Charles X of France Charles X (Charles Philippe; 9 October 1757 – 6 November 1836) was King of France from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. An uncle of the uncrowned Louis XVII and younger brother of reigning kings Louis XVI and Louis XVIII, he supported th ...

made him president of the Conseil des ministres.

Biography

He was the son of Victurnien-Jean-Baptiste de Rochechouart, 10th Duke of Mortemart (1752–1812), and his second wife, and Adélaïde de Cossé (1765–1820), only daughter of Louis-Hercule-Timoléon de Cossé, duc de Brissac (1734–92), and Adélaïde-Diane-Hortense-Délie Mancini (herself daughter of the duc de Nivernais). He and his family left France in 1791 and Casimir grew up in England, returning to France with his mother in 1801. Despite belonging to one of the old noble families of France, he backed the

First French Empire The First French Empire or French Empire (; ), also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Europe at the beginning of the 19th century. It lasted from ...

, joining the ''gendarmes d'ordonnance'' (commanded by the count of Ségur) in September 1803. He moved to the 1st Dragoon Regiment on 10 February 1806 and took part in the campaigns in Prussia (1806), Poland (1807), Austria (1809) and

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(1812), fighting at Golymin (1806), Pułtusk (1806), Heilsberg and Friedland, where he proved his sang-froid and firmness under fire by beating off Russian attacks. He was made a member of the Légion d'Honneur on 1 October 1807, a lieutenant in the 25th Dragoon Regiment and '' aide-de-camp'' to general Nansouty on 2 and 10 March 1809. He finally became a captain in the 25th Dragoon Regiment on the following 26 July. He fought at Ratisbonne, Essling and

Wagram Deutsch-Wagram (literally "German Wagram", ), often shortened to Wagram, is a village in the Gänserndorf District, in the state of Lower Austria, Austria. It is in the Marchfeld Basin, close to the Vienna city limits, about 15 km (9 mi) north ...

and was made an officer of the ordinance on 12 February 1811 and put in charge of inspecting the coasts of Holland and Denmark. After his success there he rejoined Napoleon at Posen and took part in the 1812 campaign into Russia, during which he received the title of baron of the empire and a donation of 2,000 francs of revenue from Belgium. Surviving the disasters of the retreat from Moscow, the baron of Mortemart returned to France with his health ruined – he was thus unable to take part in the last events of the following campaign. He fought at

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

and Hanau – his conduct at the latter gained him promotion to officer of the Légion d'honneur on 30 November 1813. He returned to France with the army. In the 1814 campaign in France he was put in charge of presenting

Marie Louise Marie Louise or Marie-Louise is a French feminine given name, compound given name. In other languages, it may take one of several alternate forms: * Maria Luiza (Bulgarian, Portuguese) * Maria Luisa (Italian, Spanish) * Maria Luise (German) * Mari ...

with the allied colours captured at Champ-Aubert, Nangis and Montereau. He was one of the first to fall out with Napoleon I. After the first

Bourbon Restoration Bourbon Restoration may refer to: France under the House of Bourbon: * Bourbon Restoration in France (1814, after the French revolution and Napoleonic era, until 1830; interrupted by the Hundred Days in 1815) Spain under the Spanish Bourbons: * Ab ...

Louis XVIII made de Mortemart a peer of France on 4 June 1814 and captain-colonel of the

Cent-Suisses The Cent-Suisses (, ''Hundred Swiss'') were an elite infantry company of Swiss mercenaries that served the French kings from 1471 to 1792 and from 1814 to 1830. History The unit was created in 1471 by King Louis XI. Originally, the company was ...

de la Garde, a position also held by his maternal grandfather at the time of the French Revolution. He was also made a knight of the Order of Saint Louis on 25 August 1814. On 20 March 1815, after Napoleon's return from Elba, de Mortemart escorted the princes as far as Béthune, where the king's military household was licensed. Shortly afterwards he rejoined Louis XVIII at Ghent and returned to France with the king in July.
He became Major-General of the National Guard of Paris in October 1815, Marshal-de-camp in November 1815, Grand Officer of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

in 1822, and Knight of the Holy Spirit in 1825. In April 1828, he was sent as ambassador to Saint Petersburg to replace le comte de La Ferronays, was promoted to lieutenant-general on the following 24 December and returned to France at the beginning of 1830. When the July 1830 Revolution broke out, King Charles X thought he could stop it by making the concession to form a new government on 29 July led by de Mortemart, but his government was disposed the same day. Having taken the oath to the government of July, de Mortemart continued to sit in senate. He was again appointed ambassadeur extraordinaire to Saint Petersburg in 1833 and commander of the 19th military Division at

Bourges Bourges ( ; ; ''Borges'' in Berrichon) is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre (Cher), Yèvre. It is the capital of the Departments of France, department of Cher (department), Cher, and also was the capital city of the former provin ...

between 1852 and 1855.

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rochechouart de Mortemart, Casimir-Louis-Victurnien 1787 births 1875 deaths French barons 19th-century French diplomats French military personnel of the Napoleonic Wars Casimir-Louis-Victurnien Members of the Chamber of Peers of the Bourbon Restoration Members of the Chamber of Peers of the July Monarchy Politicians from Paris Officers of the Legion of Honour 8 Ambassadors of France to the Russian Empire