François De Créquy
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François de Blanchefort de Créquy, later Marquis de Marines (2 October 1629 – 3 February 1687), was a 17th-century French noble and soldier, who served in the wars 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 ...
. He came from a powerful and well-connected family, his grandfather Charles I de Blanchefort (1578–1638) being 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) ...
. Rewarded for supporting the Royalists during
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 (1635–1659), Franco-Spanish War, which had begun in 1635. The government of the young King Louis XIV c ...
(1648–1653), his elder brother
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 ''* ...
(1623–1687) was a senior advisor to Louis while François had a successful military career. Promoted to Marshall in 1668, like other French soldiers of his generation he was over shadowed by Condé and Turenne. He fell from favour in April 1672 and although subsequently reinstated failed to regain his former prestige. He retired from service in 1684 and died 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 ...
in 1687.


Life

François de Blanchefort de Créquy was born in
Poix-de-Picardie Poix-de-Picardie (, literally ''Poix of Picardy''; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Somme (department), Somme Departments of France, department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography The commune is situated at the junction of t ...
on 2 October 1629, youngest of three sons of Charles de Blanchefort (ca 1598–1630) and Anne Grimoard du Roure (c. 1601–1686). The family originated in Créquy,
Artois Artois ( , ; ; Picard: ''Artoé;'' English adjective: ''Artesian'') is a region of northern France. Its territory covers an area of about 4,000 km2 and it has a population of about one million. Its principal cities include Arras (Dutch: ...
, part of the
Spanish Netherlands The Spanish Netherlands (; ; ; ) (historically in Spanish: , the name "Flanders" was used as a '' pars pro toto'') was the Habsburg Netherlands ruled by the Spanish branch of the Habsburgs from 1556 to 1714. They were a collection of States of t ...
until annexed by France in 1659; branches were distributed throughout Northern France, including Bernieulles, Auffay and Heilly, while 'de Créquis' served in the armies of the
Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, commonly referred to in historiography as the Dutch Republic, was a confederation that existed from 1579 until the Batavian Revolution in 1795. It was a predecessor state of the present-day Netherlands ...
and
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
. His grandfather, Charles I de Blanchefort (1578–1638), was a trusted advisor to
Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown. ...
and 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) ...
, who commanded French troops at the 1636 victory of Tornavento; his father died at the siege of
Chambéry Chambéry (, , ; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Chambèri'') is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Savoie Departments of France, department in the southeastern ...
in 1630. His eldest brother
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 ''* ...
(1623–1687) was one 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 ...
's closest counsellors, whose wife served as chief
Lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a Royal court, court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking nobility, noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was o ...
to Queen
Maria Theresa of Spain Maria Theresa of Spain (; ; 10 September 1638 – 30 July 1683) was Queen consort of France, Queen of France from 1660 to 1683 as the wife of King Louis XIV. She was born an Infante, Infanta of Spain and Portugal as the daughter of King Philip IV ...
. Their middle brother Alphonse (1628–1711) inherited the title of ''duc de Lesdiguières in 1703'' but in general had a less distinguished career than his siblings. In 1657, de Créquy married Catherine de Rougé (1641–1713); they had two children, François Joseph (1662–1702), killed at
Luzzara Luzzara ( Guastallese: ) is a ''comune'' in the province of Reggio Emilia, in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. It is located at the northern end of the province, on the right bank of the river Po. Luzzara is the birthplace of the composer Maurizio Cazza ...
, and Nicolas Charles (1669–1696) who died of disease at
Tournai Tournai ( , ; ; ; , sometimes Anglicisation (linguistics), anglicised in older sources as "Tournay") is a city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Hainaut Province, Province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies by ...
. He became the ''Marquis de Marines'' after purchasing the
lordship A lordship is a territory held by a lord. It was a landed estate that served as the lowest administrative and judicial unit in rural areas. It originated as a unit under the feudal system during the Middle Ages. In a lordship, the functions of eco ...
of
Marines, Val-d'Oise Marines () is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department in Île-de-France in northern France. Population Twinning Marines has been twinned with the town of Kington in England since 1979. The two places are of a similar population. In Marines th ...
in 1659.


Career

The first half of the 17th century in France was a period of intense internal and external conflict. 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 ...
broke out in the 1620s, while French support for the Dutch rebellion against
Habsburg Spain Habsburg Spain refers to Spain and the Hispanic Monarchy (political entity), Hispanic Monarchy, also known as the Rex Catholicissimus, Catholic Monarchy, in the period from 1516 to 1700 when it was ruled by kings from the House of Habsburg. In t ...
led to 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 ...
. The internal tensions that resulted culminated in 1648 with 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 ...
, a struggle for control between regional magnates like Condé, and a Court party headed by
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 ...
, mother of the 8 year old
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
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 ...
. It was largely suppressed by 1652, but the war with Spain continued. Like his elder brother, de Créquy supported the Royalists during the ''Fronde'' and by 1658 he was a
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 ...
. He commanded the French right under Turenne at The Dunes in June, a decisive victory that led to the 1659 Treaty of the Pyrenees. Shortly afterwards, de Créquy purchased the ''Chateau of Marines'', adding formal gardens by
André Le Nôtre André Le Nôtre (; 12 March 1613 – 15 September 1700), originally rendered as André Le Nostre, was a French landscape architect and the principal gardener of King Louis XIV of France. He was the landscape architect who designed Gardens ...
, the leading landscape designer of the period; it remained in the family until 1714 and was painted by
Paul Cézanne Paul Cézanne ( , , ; ; ; 19 January 1839 – 22 October 1906) was a French Post-Impressionism, Post-Impressionist painter whose work introduced new modes of representation, influenced avant-garde artistic movements of the early 20th century a ...
in 1890. In September 1667 during the
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 ...
, a French army captured the strategic town of
Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...
; the Spanish relief force arrived too late and Turenne detached cavalry under Bellefonds and de Créquy to cut off their retreat. Supported by Humières, they inflicted nearly 2,000 casualties and in the excitement of victory, Louis impulsively promoted all three
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) ...
. Despite capturing large areas of the Spanish Netherlands, a Dutch-led coalition forced France to return most of their gains in the
Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1668) __NOTOC__ The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle or Aachen ended the War of Devolution between France and Spain. It was signed on 2 May 1668 in Aachen (). Spain acceded on 7 May 1669. Terms of the treaty The treaty was mediated and guaranteed by the ...
and Louis began plans to attack the Republic directly. As part of this process, de Créquy commanded an army that occupied the strategic
Duchy of Lorraine The Duchy of Lorraine was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire which existed from the 10th century until 1766 when it was annexed by the kingdom of France. It gave its name to the larger present-day region of Lorraine in northeastern France ...
in August 1670. By early 1672, French preparations were complete but the problems caused by Louis' promotions now became apparent. Since Marshals were subordinate only to the king, they could not serve under another and as their numbers were always greater than the positions available, it led to bitter arguments over status. When Turenne was appointed commander of the invasion force in April 1672, Bellefonds, Humières and de Créquy refused to serve under him; all three were sentenced to internal exile and de Créquy retired to Marines. 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 May and the French initially seemed to have achieved an overwhelming victory. However, by late July the Dutch had stabilised their position, with support from Emperor Leopold and
Charles II of Spain Charles II (6 November 1661 – 1 November 1700) was King of Spain from 1665 to 1700. The last monarch from the House of Habsburg, which had ruled Spain since 1516, he died without an heir, leading to a European Great Power conflict over the succ ...
opening new fronts in Spain and the
Rhineland The Rhineland ( ; ; ; ) is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly Middle Rhine, its middle section. It is the main industrial heartland of Germany because of its many factories, and it has historic ties to the Holy ...
. With the expansion of the war, de Créquy returned to service in 1673 but an attempt to relieve
Trier Trier ( , ; ), formerly and traditionally known in English as Trèves ( , ) and Triers (see also Names of Trier in different languages, names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle (river), Moselle in Germany. It lies in a v ...
was defeated at Konzer Brücke in August 1675. Despite fighting his way through enemy lines to reach the town and organise the defence, in September the unpaid and starving garrison mutinied and forced him to surrender. A relatively minor setback, this defeat clearly rankled and was specifically mentioned in the eulogy delivered at Louis' funeral in 1715. Although it damaged his standing, the death of Turenne at Salzbach in July 1675 and Condé's retirement meant de Créquy was given a new command in early 1678. With negotiations near completion at
Nijmegen Nijmegen ( , ; Nijmeegs: ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and the ninth largest of the Netherlands as a whole. Located on the Waal River close to the German border, Nijmegen is one of the oldest cities in the ...
, Louis planned a short campaign to strengthen his position in the
Spanish Netherlands The Spanish Netherlands (; ; ; ) (historically in Spanish: , the name "Flanders" was used as a '' pars pro toto'') was the Habsburg Netherlands ruled by the Spanish branch of the Habsburgs from 1556 to 1714. They were a collection of States of t ...
and remaining on the defensive elsewhere. De Créquy was instructed to avoid battle and ensure the retention of
Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau or simply Freiburg is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fourth-largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim and Karlsruhe. Its built-up area has a population of abou ...
, which he had taken by surprise in November 1677 and was now threatened by an Imperial army of 30,000 under Charles V, Duke of Lorraine. He won two quick victories over Charles at Rheinfelden and Ortenbach, forcing him back into the
Electoral Palatinate The Electoral Palatinate was a constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire until it was annexed by the Electorate of Baden in 1803. From the end of the 13th century, its ruler was one of the Prince-electors who elected the Holy Roman Empero ...
, then captured
Kehl Kehl (; ) is a city with around 38,000 inhabitants in the southwestern Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg. It lies in the region of Baden on the Rhine River, at the confluence with the smaller Kinzig (Rhine), Kinzig River, directly oppo ...
and its bridge over the Rhine. This success partially restored his reputation and in 1681 he supervised the siege of the
Fortress of Luxembourg The Fortress of Luxembourg (Luxembourgish: ''Festung Lëtzebuerg''; French: ''Forteresse de Luxembourg''; German: ''Festung Luxemburg'') is the former fortifications of Luxembourg City, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, which were ...
, withdrawing after France annexed Strasbourg before capturing it during the War of the Reunions in 1684. This was his final military action; he died in Paris on 3 February 1687, ten days before his brother Charles on 13th. De Créquy and his wife were buried in the church attached to the convent of Saint-Honoré in Paris, demolished in 1816. Their memorial was designed by
Charles Le Brun Charles Le Brun (; baptised 24 February 1619 – 12 February 1690) was a French Painting, painter, Physiognomy, physiognomist, Aesthetics, art theorist, and a director of several art schools of his time. He served as a court painter to Louis XIV, ...
and executed by
Antoine Coysevox Charles Antoine Coysevox ( or ; 29 September 164010 October 1720), was a French sculptor in the Baroque and Louis XIV style, best known for his sculpture decorating the gardens and Palace of Versailles and his portrait busts. Biography Coysev ...
; when the
Jacobin The Society of the Friends of the Constitution (), renamed the Society of the Jacobins, Friends of Freedom and Equality () after 1792 and commonly known as the Jacobin Club () or simply the Jacobins (; ), was the most influential political cl ...
club took over the church during the French Revolution, this was moved to the Church of Saint-Roch, where it can be seen today. De Créquy is referenced by the English playwright
John Dryden John Dryden (; – ) was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration (En ...
in his 1678 work Mr. Limberman or the Kind Keeper.


References


Sources

* * ; * ; * ; * ; * ; * ; * * * * ; {{DEFAULTSORT:Crequy, Francois de Francois de Crequy Marshals of France French knights 1629 births 1687 deaths Burials at Saint-Roch, Paris 17th-century French military personnel Order of the Holy Spirit French military personnel of the Franco-Dutch War Military personnel of the Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659) People of the War of Devolution People of the War of the Reunions