Anne-Louis-Fernand de Rohan-Chabot, 9th Duke of Rohan (14 October 1789 – 20 September 1869), Prince of Léon from 1820 to 1833, was a

Peer of France The Peerage of France () was a hereditary distinction within the French nobility which appeared in 1180 during the Middle Ages. The prestigious title and position of Peer of France () was held by the greatest, highest-ranking members of the Fr ...

who served as '' aide-de-camp'' to the

Duke of Berry Duke of Berry () or Duchess of Berry () was a title in the Peerage of France. The Duchy of Berry, centred on Bourges, was originally created as an appanage for junior members of the French royal family and was frequently granted to female royal ...

, then squire of the Duke of Bordeaux, before he himself was made

Maréchal de camp ''Maréchal de camp'' (sometimes incorrectly translated as field marshal) was a general officer rank used by the French Army until 1848. The rank originated from the older rank of sergeant major general ( French: ''sergent-major général'') ...

. He was awarded as a

Commander 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. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

, Knight of Saint-Louis and of the Military Merit Order of

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

Early life

Rohan-Chabot was born in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

on 14 October 1789. He was the second son of

Alexandre-Louis-Auguste de Rohan-Chabot Alexandre Louis Auguste de Rohan-Chabot (3 December 1761 – 8 February 1816), Count of Chabot, then Viscounty of Léon, Prince of Leon, 7th Duke of Rohan, Count of Porhoët, was Colonel of the Régiment Royal of the County of Artois, Lieutenant-Ge ...

and Anne Louise Élisabeth de Montmorency (1771–1828). His elder brother was

Louis-François de Rohan-Chabot Louis-François-Auguste de Rohan-Chabot (29 February 17888 February 1833) was a French nobility, French aristocrat and Catholic prelate who served as Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Auch, Archbishop of Auch and then later as Roman Catholic Archdioc ...

. Among his younger siblings were Adélaïde de Rohan-Chabot (who married Aimé Charles de Gontaut-Biron, Marquis de

Saint-Blancard Saint-Blancard (; Gascon dialect, Gascon: Sent Blancat) is a former Communes of France, commune in the Gers Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region in southwestern France. It ...

), Marie-Charlotte-Léontine de Rohan-Chabot (who married Antoine de Lambertye, Marquis of Gerbéviller), Anne-Louise-Emma-Zoë-Clementine de Rohan-Chabot (who married Count Joseph d'Estourmel), and Louis Charles Philippe Henri de Rohan-Chabot (who married Marie-Caroline de Biencourt). His paternal grandparents were Louis Antoine de Rohan-Chabot and his first wife, Élisabeth Louise de La Rochefoucauld. His maternal grandparents were

Anne Léon de Montmorency Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie and Ana. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in t ...

Duke of Montmorency Duke of Montmorency was a title of French nobility that was created several times for members of the Montmorency family, who were lords of Montmorency, near Paris. History The first creation was in 1551 for Anne de Montmorency, Constable of ...

and Charlotte-Françoise de Montmorency-Luxembourg, ''

suo jure ''Suo jure'' is a Latin phrase, used in English to mean 'in his own right' or 'in her own right'. In most nobility-related contexts, it means 'in her own right', since in those situations the phrase is normally used of women; in practice, especi ...

'' 4th Duchess of Montmorency (granddaughter of Charles II de Montmorency-Luxembourg). His grandmother was sister to

Anne Charles François de Montmorency Anne Charles François de Montmorency, 5th Duke of Montmorency (13 July 1768 – 25 May 1846) was a French soldier and politician. Early life Montmorency was born at the Hôtel de Montmorency at 10 rue Saint-Marc in Paris on 13 July 1768. He was ...

, 5th Duke of Montmorency. As a child during the French Revolution, Fernand and his parents left to emigrate in 1790 and did not return to France until 1800.

Career

Rohan entered the

French Imperial Army French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), a ...

in 1809 as a second lieutenant of

Cuirassier A cuirassier ( ; ; ) was a cavalryman equipped with a cuirass, sword, and pistols. Cuirassiers first appeared in mid-to-late 16th century Europe as a result of armoured cavalry, such as man-at-arms, men-at-arms and demi-lancers discarding their ...

s. He fought in the campaign against Austria in 1809, then the campaign against Russia in 1812, where he was '' aide-de-camp'' to General

Narbonne Narbonne ( , , ; ; ; Late Latin:) is a commune in Southern France in the Occitanie region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It is located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and was ...

, himself ''aide-de-camp'' to Emperor

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

. In 1813, he took part in the

Battle of Dresden The Battle of Dresden (26–27 August 1813) was a major engagement of the Napoleonic Wars. The battle took place around the city of Dresden in modern-day Germany. With the recent addition of Austria, the Sixth Coalition felt emboldened in t ...

. Taken prisoner on the

Elbe The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Ge ...

in 1814, he was released, joined the

French army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

and was promoted to

Squadron leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr or S/L) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Squadron leader is immediatel ...

. Having joined the Restoration in the spring of 1814, he was made a Staff colonel and Knight of the

Order of Saint Louis The Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis () is a dynastic order of chivalry founded 5 April 1693 by King Louis XIV, named after Saint Louis (King Louis IX of France). It was intended as a reward for exceptional officers, notable as the fi ...

. He then served as ''aide-de-camp'' to the

, whom he accompanied to

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

during the

Hundred Days The Hundred Days ( ), also known as the War of the Seventh Coalition (), marked the period between Napoleon's return from eleven months of exile on the island of Elba to Paris on20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII o ...

. In 1820, he became first ''aide-de-camp'' and gentleman-in-waiting to the Duke of Berry's son, Henri, Duke of Bordeaux. In 1824, he was made Colonel of the

Hussars A hussar, ; ; ; ; . was a member of a class of light cavalry, originally from the Kingdom of Hungary during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely adopted by light cavalry ...

of the Guard, first

equerry An equerry (; from French language, French 'stable', and related to 'squire') is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attend ...

of the Duke of Bordeaux. In 1828, he was made

. During the

July Revolution The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution (), Second French Revolution, or ("Three Glorious ays), was a second French Revolution after French Revolution, the first of 1789–99. It led to the overthrow of King Cha ...

of 1830, he refused, out of loyalty to the elder branch of the

Bourbons The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a dynasty that originated in the Kingdom of France as a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century. A branch descended from ...

, to swear an oath to

Louis-Philippe Louis Philippe I (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850), nicknamed the Citizen King, was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, the penultimate monarch of France, and the last French monarch to bear the title "King". He abdicated from his throne ...

, then remaining, with his wife, in opposition to the

July Monarchy The July Monarchy (), officially the ''Kingdom of France'' (), was a liberalism, liberal constitutional monarchy in France under , starting on 9 August 1830, after the revolutionary victory of the July Revolution of 1830, and ending 26 Februar ...

Duke of Rohan

His elder brother,

, had married Marie Georgine Armandine de Sérent, granddaughter of the Duke of Sérent, in 1808. After her death from a fire in 1815, he devoted himself to the church, becoming a Catholic

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

, serving as Archbishop of Auch, then

Archbishop of Besançon In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...

and

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

before his death on 8 February 1833. When his brother entered religious orders, Fernand took the title, Prince of Léon. Louis-François, who had succeeded their father as

Duke of Rohan Duke of Rohan is a title of French nobility, associated with the Breton region of Rohan, Morbihan, Rohan. Duke of Rohan House of Rohan House of Chabot House of Rohan-Chabot ''The title ''prince de Léon'' is used a courtesy title until the ...

in 1816, died without issue in 1833, therefore, Fernand succeeded as the 9th Duke of Rohan and inherited the family seat, the Château de Josselin, which had been damaged during the

Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...

but restored by his elder brother in 1822 upon the insistence of Caroline, Duchess of Berry.

Personal life

On 19 May 1817, he married Joséphine Françoise de Gontaut-Biron de

(1796–1844), a daughter of

Lieutenant-General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was normall ...

Charles Michel de Gontaut, Viscount of Gontaut-Biron-Saint-Blancard, and Marie-Louise-Joséphine de Montault de Navailles, governess of the Children of France. Before her death in 1844, they were the parents of seven children: * ''Charles''-Louis-Josselin de Rohan-Chabot (1819–1893), who married Octavie Rouillé de Boissy, daughter of Hilaire-Etienne-Octave Rouillé, Marquis of Boissy, in 1843. * Louise-Joséphine-Isabelle de Rohan-Chabot (1822–1844), who married Marie Alfred Charles Gaston de Béthisy, Marquis of Mézières, in 1841. * Louise-Anne-Françoise de Rohan-Chabot (1824–1868), who married Austrian ambassador Georg Alexander Esterházy von Galantha, Count of Esterházy, in 1846. * Charles-Guy-Fernand de Rohan-Chabot (1828–1908), who married Marie-Augusta Baudon de Mony, in 1858. * Alexandrine-Amélie-Marie de Rohan-Chabot (1831–1907), who married Henri Charles Louis de Beurges, Count of Beurges, in 1851. * Henri-Raoul-Léonor de Rohan-Chabot (1835–1922), who married Adélaïde Berthe de Chabrol- Tournoël, in 1860. * Jeanne-Charlotte-Clémentine de Rohan-Chabot (1839–1929), who married Arthur d'Anthoine, Baron of Saint-Joseph (a great-grandson of

François Clary François Clary (24 February 1725 – 20 January 1794) was an Irish-French merchant who made a fortune in import and export business. He is an ancestor of many members of European royalty via his daughters Julie Clary, Queen of Spain and Naples, ...

), in 1865. The Duke died at the Château de Reuil-en-Brie on 20 September 1869, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fernand, Duke Of Rohan 1789 births 1869 deaths Fernand Fernand Nobility from Paris