François d'Aubusson de La Feuillade, known as 6th duc de Roannais (1631–1691) was a French military officer and noble who served in the wars of

Louis XIV 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 became 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) ...

. He was also responsible for initiating the design and construction of the

Place des Victoires The Place des Victoires (; English: Victory Square, 'Square of Victories') is a circular Town square, square in central Paris, located a short distance northeast of the Palais-Royal and straddling the border between the 1st arrondissement of Pari ...

, one of modern Paris' most famous landmarks.

Personal details

François d'Aubusson de La Feuillade was born on 21 April 1631 at Courpalay in the

Île-de-France The Île-de-France (; ; ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centered on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the cou ...

near Paris, fifth and last son of François II, Comte de La Feuillade (ca 1590 to 1632) and Isabeau Brachet de Pérusse. The d'Aubussons were a prominent and well connected family;

Pierre d'Aubusson Pierre d'Aubusson (1423 – 3 July 1503) was a List of Grand Masters of the Knights Hospitaller, Grand Master of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, and a zealous opponent of the Ottoman Empire. Pierre probably joined the Knights of Saint John ...

(1423–1503), was

Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller This is a list of grand masters of the Knights Hospitaller, including its continuation as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta after 1798. It also includes unrecognized "anti-grand masters" and lieutenants or stewards during vacancies. In lists ...

and his elder brother Antoine an advisor to both Charles VII and

Louis XI Louis XI (3 July 1423 – 30 August 1483), called "Louis the Prudent" (), was King of France from 1461 to 1483. He succeeded his father, Charles VII. Louis entered into open rebellion against his father in a short-lived revolt known as the ...

. François' father and eldest brother Leon (? to 1648) were senior aides to

Gaston, Duke of Orléans ''Monsieur'' Gaston, Duke of Orléans (Gaston Jean Baptiste; 24 April 1608 – 2 February 1660), was the third son of King Henry IV of France and his second wife, Marie de' Medici. As a son of the king, he was born a . He later acquired the title ...

, heir to the French throne until the birth of

in 1638. He had another three brothers, Georges (1609–1697), later

Bishop of Metz This is a list of bishops of the Roman Catholic diocese of Metz, which now lies in eastern France. To 500 * Clement of Metz (c. 280–300) * Celestius * Felix I * Patient * Victor I 344–346 * Victor II * Simeon * Sambace * Rufus of Metz * Ad ...

, Gabriel-Bratchet (? to 1638) and Paul (1622–1646). Of his five sisters, Elizabeth (1624–1704) became

Abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa'') is the female superior of a community of nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic, Lutheran and Anglican abbeys, the mod ...

of Sainte-Marie de la Règle in 1679; little is known of the others, who all appear to have become nuns. In April 1667, Artus de Gouffier (1627–1696), 5th duke of Roannais, assigned his titles and property to La Feuillade in return for a payment of 400,000

French livre The livre (abbreviation: Pound sign, £ or Livre tournois, ₶., French language, French for (pound)) was the currency of Kingdom of France and its predecessor states of Francia and West Francia from 781 to 1794. Several different livres exist ...

s, and marriage to his sister Charlotte (? – 1683). He and Charlotte had three children before her death in 1683; Louis-Joseph-George (1670–1680), Marie-Theresa (1671–1692) and Louis d'Aubusson de La Feuillade (1673–1725). After renouncing his titles, de Gouffier entered a monastery and during his lifetime, François was officially known as 'leur-dit 6th duke of Roannais'; since he survived until 1696, it was only then that his son Louis officially assumed the title.

Career

The first half of the 17th century in France was a period of intense civil strife; the 1590

Edict of Nantes The Edict of Nantes () was an edict signed in April 1598 by Henry IV of France, King Henry IV and granted the minority Calvinism, Calvinist Protestants of France, also known as Huguenots, substantial rights in the nation, which was predominantl ...

ended the

French Wars of Religion The French Wars of Religion were a series of civil wars between French Catholic Church, Catholics and Protestantism, Protestants (called Huguenots) from 1562 to 1598. Between two and four million people died from violence, famine or disease di ...

but continued state persecution caused a series of

Huguenot rebellions The Huguenot rebellions, sometimes called the Rohan Wars after the Huguenot leader Henri, Duke of Rohan, Henri de Rohan, were a series of rebellions of the 1620s in which French people, French Calvinist Protestants (Huguenots), mainly located in ...

in the 1620s. This was followed by the

Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659) The Franco-Spanish War , May 1635 to November 1659, was fought between Kingdom of France, France and Habsburg Spain, Spain, each supported by various allies at different points. The first phase, beginning in May 1635 and ending with the 1648 Peac ...

, accompanied by a struggle for power during the minority of Louis XIV that led to the 1648–1653 civil wars known as the

Fronde The Fronde () was a series of civil wars in the Kingdom of France between 1648 and 1653, occurring in the midst of the Franco-Spanish War, which had begun in 1635. The government of the young King Louis XIV confronted the combined opposition ...

. Their impact can be seen in the history of de La Feuillade's immediate family; his father was killed in 1632 at

Castelnaudary Castelnaudary (; ) is a commune in the Aude department in the Occitanie region of southern France. It is located in the former province of the Lauragais and famous for cassoulet of which it claims to be the world capital, and of which it ...

and three of his brothers died in battle, Leon at Lens in 1648, Gabriel-Brachet at Saint-Omer in 1638 and Paul at

Mardyck Mardyck ( Dutch: ''Mardijk'', ) is a former commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is an associated commune with Dunkirk since it joined the latter in January 1980.Fronde des nobles, he and his brother Georges remained loyal to the party led by Louis XIV's mother,

Anne of Austria Anne of Austria (; ; born Ana María Mauricia; 22 September 1601 – 20 January 1666) was Queen of France from 1615 to 1643 by marriage to King Louis XIII. She was also Queen of Navarre until the kingdom's annexation into the French crown ...

and

Cardinal Mazarin Jules Mazarin (born Giulio Raimondo Mazzarino or Mazarini; 14 July 1602 – 9 March 1661), from 1641 known as Cardinal Mazarin, was an Italian Catholic prelate, diplomat and politician who served as the chief minister to the Kings of France Lou ...

. He was wounded in the Royalist victories of Rethel in December 1650 and the

Battle of the Faubourg St Antoine The Battle of the Faubourg Saint Antoine occurred on 2 July 1652 during the Fronde rebellion in France. It is named after the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, a district near the Bastille in the east of Paris, where the battle took place. Details During t ...

in July 1652, which ended the Fronde as a serious military threat, although Condé and a few supporters fought on in alliance with the Spanish. The Spanish took advantage of the Fronde to recover some of the territory lost after their defeat at

Rocroi Rocroi () is a Communes of France, commune in the Ardennes (département), Ardennes Departments of France, department in northern France. The central area is a notable surviving example of a bastion fort. Population History Rocroi was forti ...

in 1643 and the Franco-Spanish War now resumed. De la Feuillade participated in a number of actions, including

Arras Arras ( , ; ; historical ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department, which forms part of the region of Hauts-de-France; before the reorganization of 2014 it was in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The historic centre of the Artois region, with a ...

in 1654; he was wounded and captured at

Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; ; or ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced ...

, a French defeat by a Spanish army under Condé. When the war ended with the 1659

Treaty of the Pyrenees The Treaty of the Pyrenees(; ; ) was signed on 7 November 1659 and ended the Franco-Spanish War that had begun in 1635. Negotiations were conducted and the treaty was signed on Pheasant Island, situated in the middle of the Bidasoa River on ...

, de la Feuillade was Governor of Crozet, near the modern Swiss border. He joined the French contingent under Jean de Coligny sent by Louis to support Austria in the 1663–1664 Austro-Turkish War and fought in the August 1664 victory of Saint Gotthard. During the 1667–1668

War of Devolution The War of Devolution took place from May 1667 to May 1668. In the course of the war, Kingdom of France, France occupied large parts of the Spanish Netherlands and County of Burgundy, Franche-Comté, both then provinces of the Holy Roman Empire ...

with Spain, de la Feuillade was in the army under de Rochebaron that captured the towns of

Bergues Bergues (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department in northern France. It is situated to the south of Dunkirk and from the Belgium, Belgian border. Locally it is referred to ...

Veurne Veurne (; , ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality in the Belgium, Belgian Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the town of Veurne proper and the settlements of , , ...

and Courtrai/Kortrijk between June and July. When it ended, he was part of a French expeditionary force sent to the Venetian-occupied island of

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

, which had been besieged by the Ottomans since 1648; French troops were withdrawn in August 1669, shortly before the island surrendered in September. He was appointed Colonel of the Gardes Francaises when the

Franco-Dutch War The Franco-Dutch War, 1672 to 1678, was primarily fought by Kingdom of France, France and the Dutch Republic, with both sides backed at different times by a variety of allies. Related conflicts include the 1672 to 1674 Third Anglo-Dutch War and ...

began in 1672, he fought in the Netherlands and various other theatres, including

Franche-Comté Franche-Comté (, ; ; Frainc-Comtou dialect, Frainc-Comtou: ''Fraintche-Comtè''; ; also ; ; all ) is a cultural and Provinces of France, historical region of eastern France. It is composed of the modern departments of France, departments of Doub ...

in 1674, when he led an assault during the Siege of Besançon and took

Salins-les-Bains Salins-les-Bains (), commonly referred to simply as Salins, is a commune in the Jura department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Eastern France. It is located on the departmental border with Doubs, 34.8 km (21.6 mi) to the s ...

on 22 June. He was rewarded by being made

in 1675 and military Governor of Dole, regional capital of Franche-Comté until it moved to Besançon in 1676. In 1675, he was appointed

in 1675 and military Governor of Dole, regional capital of Franche-Comté until it moved to Besançon in 1676. On 28 February 1678, he replaced Vivonne as French Viceroy in Messina, Sicily, whose 1674

revolt Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

against their Spanish rulers had been backed by Louis XIV. By the end of 1677, increasing pressure on resources elsewhere meant he decided to withdraw troops from Messina, a process completed by de la Feuillade on 13 March. On returning to France, he took these troops to

Roussillon Roussillon ( , , ; , ; ) was a historical province of France that largely corresponded to the County of Roussillon and French Cerdagne, part of the County of Cerdagne of the former Principality of Catalonia. It is part of the region of ' ...

, in support of the siege of

Puigcerdà Puigcerdà (; , ) is the capital city, capital of the Catalan ''comarques of Catalonia, comarca'' of Cerdanya (comarca), Cerdanya, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, northern Spain, near the Segre River and on the border with France (it abuts ...

. The 1678-1679

Treaties of Nijmegen The Treaties or Peace of Nijmegen (; ; ) were a series of treaties signed in the Dutch city of Nijmegen between August 1678 and October 1679. The treaties ended various interconnected wars among France, the Dutch Republic, Spain, Brandenburg, Sw ...

ended the Franco-Dutch War and de la Feuillade's military career, although he retained his position as Colonel of the Gardes Francaises. Following the death of the duc de Lesdiguières in May 1681, he was appointed Governor of the

Dauphiné The Dauphiné ( , , ; or ; or ), formerly known in English as Dauphiny, is a former province in southeastern France, whose area roughly corresponded to that of the present departments of Isère, Drôme and Hautes-Alpes. The Dauphiné was ...

but apart from this, he devoted the rest of his life to building the

. The square formed the centre of an ambitious building project, which included a number of private residences, among them the Hôtel de La Feuillade; he was ruined by the enormous cost, estimated at over seven million livres, and the work was not completed until 1696, five years after his death. He died on 19 September 1691 and was buried at Saint-Eustache, one of the cemeteries whose contents were later transferred to the

Catacombs of Paris The Catacombs of Paris (, ) are underground ossuaries in Paris, France, which hold the remains of more than six million people. Built to consolidate Paris's ancient stone quarries, they extend south from the ("Gate of Hell") former city gate. ...

in 1787.

Legacy

To celebrate the end of the Franco-Dutch War, de la Feuillade funded the design and construction of the

, which was completed in 1686 by

Jules Hardouin-Mansart Jules Hardouin-Mansart (; 16 April 1646 – 11 May 1708) was a French Baroque architect and builder whose major work included the Place des Victoires (1684–1690); Place Vendôme (1690); the domed chapel of Les Invalides (1690), and the Gra ...

, Superintendent of Royal Buildings, also responsible for

Les Invalides The Hôtel des Invalides (; ), commonly called (; ), is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and an old soldi ...

and the

Place Vendôme The Place Vendôme (), earlier known as the Place Louis-le-Grand, and also as the Place Internationale, is a square in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France, located to the north of the Tuileries Gardens and east of the Église de la Madelein ...

. The centre of the square contained a statue of Louis XIV, with a much smaller one of de la Feuillade himself elsewhere; both were destroyed in 1792 during the French Revolution, the current monument being a replacement installed in 1828. He also resurrected a scheme originally proposed by the 15th century merchant

Jacques Cœur Jacques Cœur (, ; in Bourges – 25 November 1456 in Chios) was a French government official and state-sponsored merchant whose personal fortune became legendary and led to his eventual disgrace. He initiated regular trade routes between Fran ...

to make the River

Loire The Loire ( , , ; ; ; ; ) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône. It rises in the so ...

navigable from

Roanne Roanne (; ; ) is a commune in the Loire department, central France. It is located northwest of Lyon on the river Loire. It has an important Museum, the ''Musée des Beaux-arts et d'Archéologie Joseph-Déchelette'' (French), with many Egypt ...

to its exit point into the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

) at

Saint-Nazaire Saint-Nazaire (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Loire-Atlantique Departments of France, department in western France, in traditional Brittany. The town has a major harbour on the right bank of the Loire estuary, near the Atlantic Oc ...

. Until the advent of railways, goods and supplies were largely transported by water; the scheme would enhance the economy of Roanne, which had been damaged by the expulsion of the Huguenots following the 1685

Edict of Fontainebleau The Edict of Fontainebleau (18 October 1685, published 22 October 1685) was an edict issued by French King Louis XIV and is also known as the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The Edict of Nantes (1598) had granted Huguenots the right to prac ...

and towns along the route and provide an alternative to export routes along the

Scheldt The Scheldt ( ; ; ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of Netherlands, the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to Old Englis ...

then dominated by the Dutch. In his ''Mémoires'' written in the 1720s, Saint-Simon (1675–1755) dismisses François as someone who gained their status through flattery and subservience. The accuracy of this is hard to assess; Saint-Simon was 16 when François died in 1691 and uniformly hostile to Louis XIV and his supporters, the majority of whom he dismissed as commoners.

References

Sources

* ; * * * * * * * * * * * *

External links

* ; * ; {{DEFAULTSORT:De La Feuillade, Francois D'Aubusson Marshals of France 1631 births 1691 deaths Dukes of Roannais 17th-century French military personnel People of the War of Devolution