Captain François-Marie Renaud d'Avène des Méloizes (; 1655 – April 22, 1699) was a French

Cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

officer who came to

New France New France (, ) was the territory colonized by Kingdom of France, France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Kingdom of Great Br ...

in 1685 in command of the Troupes de Marine and led the successful expedition against the

Senecas The Seneca ( ; ) are a group of Indigenous Iroquoian-speaking people who historically lived south of Lake Ontario, one of the five Great Lakes in North America. Their nation was the farthest to the west within the Six Nations or Iroquois Leag ...

. The

Comte de Frontenac ''Comte'' is the French, Catalan and Occitan form of the word "count" (Latin: ''comes''); ''comté'' is the Gallo-Romance form of the word "county" (Latin: ''comitatus''). Comte or Comté may refer to: * ''Comte'', French for a count (i.e. the nob ...

considered him "one of the best and wisest officers" in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. He is buried in the vaults of Notre-Dame Basilica-Cathedral,

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

Early life

Born at Château des Aubues,

Lormes Lormes () is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France. The mystic Simon Ganneau (1805–1851) was born in Lormes, as was the writer Henri Bachelin (1879–1941), winner of the 1918 Prix Femina for ''Le Serviteur''. Demographics ...

Bourgogne Burgundy ( ; ; Burgundian: ''Bregogne'') is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. T ...

; the ancestral home of his mother's family since the early fifteenth century. He was the son of Edmé Renaud d’Avène,

Seigneur A seigneur () or lord is an originally feudal title in France before the Revolution, in New France and British North America until 1854, and in the Channel Islands to this day. The seigneur owned a seigneurie, seigneury, or lordship—a form of ...

des Méloizes et de Berges. His mother, Adrienne de Montsaulnin, was the daughter of Colonel Adrien de Montsaulnin of Château des Aubues; Seigneur de Montal, Aubues and Sancy; by his wife Gabrielle de Bussy-Rabutin of

Château de Bussy-Rabutin The Château de Bussy-Rabutin, also known as Château de Bussy-le-Grand, is a ''château'' which developed from a 12th-century castle, located in the commune of Bussy-le-Grand, in the Côte-d'Or departments of France, department, Bourgogne, easte ...

; Dame de Chantal and Montal. Renaud was a first cousin of Louis de Montsaulnin (d.1686), 1st

Marquis A marquess (; ) is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German-language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or wido ...

de Montsaulnin; and the uncle of General Louis de Montsaulnin (1688-1743), a godson of

Louis XIV of France LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

and later Governor of

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

etc.

Military career

His uncle, Charles de Montsaulnin (1621-1696), was a close friend of

Louis, Grand Condé Louis II de Bourbon, Prince of Condé (8 September 1621 – 11 December 1686), known as (), was a French military commander. A tactician and strategist, he is regarded as one of France's greatest generals, particularly celebrated for his ...

and in 1668 Méloizes was commissioned into Condé's regiment. Four years later, he was a

Standard-bearer A standard-bearer, also known as a colour-bearer or flag-bearer, is a person who bears an emblem known as a standard or military colours, i.e. either a type of flag or an inflexible but mobile image, which is used (and often honoured) as ...

in the

Dragoons 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 ...

and the following year he held the same position in the

of the

French Royal Army The French Royal Army () was the principal land force of the Kingdom of France. It served the Bourbon dynasty from the reign of Louis XIV in the mid-17th century to that of Charles X in the 19th, with an interlude from 1792 to 1814 and another du ...

. In 1685, he acquired a company in the Troupes de Marine and by August of that year he arrived with his regiment at

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

. In 1687, he accompanied Jacques-René de Brisay de Denonville, Marquis de Denonville, on his expedition against the

, and signed the document recording the taking of their country.

Louis de Buade de Frontenac Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS Louis, HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy Se ...

held him in high esteem, considering him to be "one of the best and wisest officers" in

. At the time of his marriage his wife's grandfather gave him the

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

of La Cloutièrerie, within the

Seigneury A seigneur () or lord is an originally feudal system, feudal title in Ancien Régime, France before the French Revolution, Revolution, in New France and British North America until 1854, and in the Channel Islands to this day. The seigneur owne ...

of Beauport, selling it in 1693. He also owned some property in the Upper Town of

. Renaud d’Avène des Méloizes died 22 April 1699 at Quebec and was buried in the vaults of the Notre-Dame Basilica-Cathedral.

Family

In May, 1687, at

, Renaud d’Avène des Méloizes married Françoise-Thérèse (1670-1698), daughter of Nicholas Dupont de Neuville (1632-1716),

de Neuville and member of the

Sovereign Council of New France The Sovereign Council of New France (, ), or simply Sovereign Council (), was a governing body in New France. It served as both Supreme Court for the colony of New France, as well as a policy-making body, though this latter role diminished over ti ...

. They were the parents of nine children. Six survived them and they were brought up by their maternal grandparents after their parents died in 1698, *Louise-Thérèse Renaud d’Avène des Méloizes (1690-1759), became ''La Soeur de la Sainte-Vierge'' at the

Hôtel-Dieu de Québec The Hotel-Dieu de Québec () is a teaching hospital located in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, and affiliated with Université Laval's medical school. It is part of the Centre hospitalier universitaire de Québec (CHUQ), a network of five teaching ...

. *Marie-Thérèse Renaud d’Avène des Méloizes (1692-1711), became ''La Soeur de Saint-Gabriel'' at the

. *Marie-Françoise Renaud d'Avène des Meloizes (1693-1723). In 1711, at

, she married

Eustache Chartier de Lotbinière Louis-Eustache Chartier de Lotbinière (; December 14, 1688 – February 12, 1749), Seigneurial system of New France, Seigneur de Lotbinière Regional County Municipality, Lotbinière; Member of the Sovereign Council of New France; Keeper of th ...

. They were the parents of Michel Chartier de Lotbinière, 1st Marquis de Lotbinière. *Marie-Jeanne Renaud d'Avène des Meloizes (1694-1766). Educated by the

Ursulines of Quebec The Ursuline Monastery of Quebec City () was founded by a missionary group of Ursuline nuns in 1639 under the leadership of Mother Marie of the Incarnation, O.S.U. It is the oldest institution of learning for women in North America. Today, the ...

. In 1711, with a

dowry A dowry is a payment such as land, property, money, livestock, or a commercial asset that is paid by the bride's (woman's) family to the groom (man) or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price ...

of 10,000 ''

Livres Livre may refer to: Currency * French livre, one of a number of obsolete units of currency of France * Livre tournois, one particular obsolete unit of currency of France * Livre parisis, another particular obsolete unit of currency of France * F ...

'', her grandfather arranged for her to marry Jean-Francois Martin de Lino de Chalmette,

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

. She refused the marriage and Chalmette instead married her uncle's sister (and later her aunt) Angelique Chariter de Lotbinière (1692-1772), the following year. Marie-Jeanne died unmarried at

. *Nicholas-Marie Renaud d'Avène des Meloizes (1696-1743), Comte des Meloizes and

Chevalier de St 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 firs ...

. In 1722, he married Angelique Chartier de Lotbinière (1692-1772), daughter of

René-Louis Chartier de Lotbinière René-Louis Chartier de Lotbinière (; 1641–1709) was a French-Canadian Poet, 1st Seigneur de Lotbinière in New France (1672), Judge of the Provost and Admiralty Courts and Chief Councillor of the Sovereign Council of New France. Birth Baptis ...

and the sister of his brother-in-law, Eustache. Their son, Nicolas Renaud d'Avene des Meloizes-Fresnoy (1729-1803), sold the

of Neuville for 45,000 ''

'' and moved to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

where he became the Marquis de Fresnoy through his marriage to the heiress Agathe-Louise de Fresnoy, a descendant of

Gaspard II de Coligny Gaspard de Coligny, seigneur de Châtillon (; 16 February 1519 – 24 August 1572), was a French nobleman, Admiral of France, and Huguenot leader during the French Wars of Religion. He served under kings Francis I and Henry II during the ...

, at Château de Fresnoy. Their daughter, Angelique-Genevieve d'Avene des Meloizes (1722-1779) is the subject of Nadine Grelet's book, ''La Belle Angelique'' (2003) and one of the two central figures in ''

The Golden Dog ''The Golden Dog'' (''Le Chien d'Or'') was a novel by William Kirby (1817–1906) that was written between April 1869 and 1872, with further revisions being up through 1876. After being rejected by several publishers, the work was finally arrang ...

'' (1873). She was married to Michel-Jean-Hugues de Pean, but was better known for her affair with

François Bigot François Bigot (; 1703 – 12 January 1778) was a French government official. He served as the Financial Commissary on Île Royale (nowadays Cape Breton Island), commissary general of the ill-fated Duc d'Anville expedition and finally as the ' ...

. *Catherine-Madeleine Renaud d'Avène des Meloizes (1697-1725), was a society beauty who appears in William Kirby's book, ''

'' with her niece, Angelique-Genevieve d'Avene des Meloizes. She died unmarried.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meloizes, Francois-Marie Renaud Davene Des 1655 births 1699 deaths French people of the French and Indian War Canadian nobility (French)