Charles Alexandre Marc Marcelin de Hénin-Liétard d'Alsace (1744–1794), prince of Henin and count of Beaumont, was a

prince of the Holy Roman Empire Prince of the Holy Roman Empire (, , cf. ''Fürst'') was a title attributed to a hereditary ruler, nobleman or prelate recognised by the Holy Roman Emperor. Definition Originally, possessors of the princely title bore it as immediate vassal ...

who took French nationality. During the French Revolution he was executed by

guillotine A guillotine ( ) is an apparatus designed for effectively carrying out executions by Decapitation, beheading. The device consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top. The condemned person is secur ...

on charges of counter-revolutionary conspiracy.

Family

Hénin was born in Brussels on the 17 June 1744, son of Alexandre Gabriel Joseph de Hénin-Liétard, Marquess of La Verre, and was baptised in the Church of St. James on Coudenberg. The Archbishop of Mechelen, Cardinal d'Alsace, was his uncle. On 29 September 1766 he married in France to Adélaïde Félicité Étiennette de Monconseil, daughter of Étienne Guinot, marquis de Monconseil (1750–1823). Adelaïde became a lady of Queen

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette (; ; Maria Antonia Josefa Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last List of French royal consorts, queen of France before the French Revolution and the establishment of the French First Republic. She was the ...

's household. She was presented to the queen in Versailles after her marriage by her sister in law, the

Princesse de Chimay Prince of Chimay is a title of Belgian and Dutch nobility associated with the town of Chimay in what is now Belgium. The title is currently held by Philippe de Caraman-Chimay, 22nd Prince de Chimay (b. 1948). The main residence of the princely f ...

.Hénin (Adélaïde-Félicité-Étiennette de Guinot de Monconseil, princesse d')
public database of the Centre de recherche du château de Versailles. Accessed 5 June 2017.

Court life

Hénin became captain of a company of the

Garde du Corps A ''Garde du Corps'' (French for lifeguard (military), lifeguard) is a military unit formed of Royal Guard, guards. A ''Garde du corps du roi, Garde du Corps'' was first established in France in 1445. From the 17th century onwards, the term was us ...

attached to the Count of Artois (the future

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 ...

). His relationship with the opera singer

Sophie Arnould Sophie Arnould (13 February 1740, in Paris, France – 18 October 1802, in Paris, France) was a French operatic soprano. Biography Born Magdeleine Sophie Arnould, she studied in Paris with Marie Fel and La Clairon, and made her stage debut a ...

, while his wife was engaged in an affair with the chevalier de Coigny, caused a stir in French high society.''Mémoires de Mademoiselle Sophie Arnoult'', edited by Etienne-Léon baron de Lamothe-Langon (Paris, 1837), p. 104. Wits at court nicknamed Hénin ''le prince des nains'' (prince of dwarfs), in reference to his intellectual stature.

Death

During the Revolution he was incarcerated in the former

Luxembourg Palace The Luxembourg Palace (, ) is at 15 Rue de Vaugirard in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was originally built (1615–1645) to the designs of the French architect Salomon de Brosse to be the royal residence of the regent Marie de' Med ...

, then in use as a prison. On 7 July 1794, in the final days of the

Reign of Terror The Reign of Terror (French: ''La Terreur'', literally "The Terror") was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the French First Republic, First Republic, a series of massacres and Capital punishment in France, nu ...

, he was one of 59 suspects summarily tried by the

Revolutionary Tribunal The Revolutionary Tribunal (; unofficially Popular Tribunal) was a court instituted by the National Convention during the French Revolution for the trial of political offenders. In October 1793, it became one of the most powerful engines of ...

and executed as counter-revolutionary conspirators. The dowager princess survived the Revolution, dying without heirs in 1823.

Succession

As Hénin had been born a subject of the Austrian Habsburgs, and died leaving a will whose sole beneficiary had predeceased him, the settlement of his estate – which could not take place until after 1814 – became a test case of French succession law.

Désiré Dalloz Désiré Dalloz (12 August 1795 – 12 January 1869) was a French jurist, politician and publisher. Life Born in Septmoncel, Jura (département), Jura, he pursued the profession of an advocate. He was admitted to the Bar association, bar of the ...

, ''Jurisprudence du XIXe siècle'', vol. 12 (Brussels, 1830), pp. 138-141.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Henin-Lietard d'Alsace, Charles-Alexandre de 1744 births 1794 deaths House of Hénin People executed by guillotine during the French Revolution People from Versailles