François Marie de Lorraine (4 Apr 1624 – 19 January 1694) was a French nobleman and member of the

House of Lorraine The House of Lorraine () originated as a cadet branch of the House of Metz. It inherited the Duchy of Lorraine in 1473 after the death without a male heir of Nicholas I, Duke of Lorraine. By the marriage of Francis of Lorraine to Maria Ther ...

. He was known as the ''prince de Lillebonne''. He was also the Duke of Joyeuse.

Biography

François Marie was born to Charles de Lorraine, Duke of Elbeuf, and his wife Catherine Henriette de Bourbon, ''Légitimée de France'', legitimised daughter of

Henry IV of France Henry IV (; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry (''le Bon Roi Henri'') or Henry the Great (''Henri le Grand''), was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 16 ...

and

Gabrielle d'Estrées Gabrielle d'Estrées, Duchess of Beaufort and Verneuil, Marchioness of Monceaux (; 157310 April 1599) was a mistress, confidante and adviser of Henry IV of France. She is noted for her role in ending the religious civil wars that plagued France ...

. He was the couple's fourth and youngest son. In his youth, he was styled as the Count of Lillebonne, later styling himself as Prince. He was only sold the County of Lillebonne in 1692 by his nephew

Henri, Duke of Elbeuf Henri de Lorraine (7 August 1661–17 May 1748) was Duke of Elbeuf and member of the House of Lorraine. He succeeded his father Charles de Lorraine to the Duchy-Peerage of Elbeuf. He was also a Peer of France. Biography Born to Charles III, Duk ...

, who had recently lost his father

Charles III, Duke of Elbeuf Charles III (1620 – 4 May 1692) was the third Duke of Elbeuf and member of the House of Lorraine. He succeeded his father Charles II, Duke of Elbeuf, to the Duchy-Peerage of Elbeuf. His mother was an illegitimate daughter of Henry IV of France ...

. A member of the ''House of Guise'' founded by

Claude, Duke of Guise Claude de Lorraine, Duke of Guise (20 October 1496 – 12 April 1550) was a French aristocrat and general. He became the first Duke of Guise in 1528. He was a highly effective general for the French crown. His children and grandchildren were to ...

, he was a ''Prince of Lorraine'' as a male line descendant of

René II, Duke of Lorraine René II (2 May 1451 – 10 December 1508) was Count of Vaudémont from 1470, Duke of Lorraine from 1473, and Duke of Bar from 1483 to 1508. He claimed the crown of the Kingdom of Naples and the County of Provence as the Duke of Calabria ...

. At court, he, like members of his Lorraine family, held the rank of ''

Foreign Prince Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * United S ...

'', a rank which was below that of the immediate

Royal Family A royal family is the immediate family of monarchs and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term papal family describes the family of a pope, while th ...

and Princes of the Blood. His paternal first cousins included the Chevalier de Lorraine (lover of

Philippe I, Duke of Orléans ''Monsieur'' Philippe I, Duke of Orléans (21 September 1640 – 9 June 1701) was the younger son of King Louis XIII of France and Anne of Austria, and the younger brother of King Louis XIV. He was the founder of the House of Orléans, a ...

) and the

Count of Armagnac The following is a list of rulers of the County of Armagnac: House d'Armagnac, House of Armagnac *William of Fesenzac, William Count of Fézensac and Armagnac ?–960 *Bernard the Suspicious, first count privative of Armagnac 960–? *Gerald ...

; his maternal cousins included

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'' the above-mentioned Duke of Orléans. He was a captain of cavalry in a regiment of

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 served in the

Thirty Years War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine, or disease, whil ...

taking part in the Siege of Lleida in 1644 and, the following year in the Battle of Nördlingen in which he was injured (his brother

, also served in this battle). A good military man, he later fought against Spain prior to the marriage between

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 Maria Teresa of Austria, which cemented peace between the two nations. He married twice, first on 3 September 1658 to Christine d'Estrées (d. 1658), daughter of

François Annibal d'Estrées François-Annibal d'Estrées, duc d'Estrées (1573 – 5 May 1670) was a French diplomat, soldier and Marshal of France. Biography François-Annibal d'Estrées was born in 1573, to Antoine d'Estrées and Françoise Babou de La Bourdaisière, ...

. The couple had no issue. Christine died in December 1658 having had no children. He married again on 7 October 1660, this time his cousin Anne of

Lorraine Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of ...

(1639-1720), daughter of

Charles IV, Duke of Lorraine Charles IV (5 April 1604 – 18 September 1675) was Duke of Lorraine from 1624 until his death in 1675, with a brief interruption in 1634, when he abdicated under French pressure in favor of his younger brother, Nicholas Francis. Life He came ...

. As a wedding gift, the Duke of Lorraine gave his daughter the ''Hôtel de Beauvau'' later renamed the ''Hôtel de Lillebonne'', in Nancy. They were married at the ''Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Montmartre''. His brother in law was Charles Henri de Lorraine, ''prince de Vaudémont'', son of

, and his secret spouse, Béatrix de Cusance. His eldest son, the Prince of Commercy, died in battle in 1702; his eldest daughter, Béatrice Hiéronyme, was the

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 the prestigious abbey at

Remiremont Abbey Remiremont Abbey was an abbey that was founded as a house of nuns near Remiremont, Vosges, France. It later became a community of secular canonesses. History It was founded about 620 by Romaric (580–653), a lord at the court of Chlothar II, w ...

. His other surviving daughter, Élisabeth,She was the Duchess of Luxembourg-Saint-Pôl, the title being inherited by her son Louis de Melun who disappeared under mysterious circumstances in 1724 married the Prince of Epinoy; Élisabeth was the mother of Anne Julie Adélaïde de Melun, mother of Charles de Rohan. Charles de Rohan was the father of '' princesse de Condé'', grandmother of

duc d'Enghien Duke of Enghien (, pronounced with a silent ''i'') was a noble title pertaining to the House of Condé. It was only associated with the town of Enghien for a short time. Dukes of Enghien – first creation (1566–1569) The title was first confe ...

, who was executed in the moat of the

Château de Vincennes The Château de Vincennes () is a former fortress and royal residence next to the town of Vincennes, on the eastern edge of Paris, alongside the Bois de Vincennes. It was largely built between 1361 and 1369, and was a preferred residence, after ...

in March 1804. François Marie de Lorraine died in Paris at the age of sixty-nine, his wife outliving him by twenty-six years.

Issue

# Charles François de Lorraine, Prince of Commercy (11 July 1661 – 15 August 1702), never married, died during the

Battle of Luzzara The Battle of Luzzara took place in Lombardy on 15 August 1702 during the War of the Spanish Succession, between a combined French and Savoyard army under Louis Joseph, duc de Vendôme, and an Imperial force under Prince Eugene. Conflict in ...

in Cremona; #

Béatrice Hiéronyme de Lorraine Béatrice Hiéronyme de Lorraine (1 July 1662 – 9 February 1738) was a member of the House of Lorraine and was the Abbess of Remiremont. She was a member of the household of '' Le Grand Dauphin'' and was the supposed wife of her cousin the ...

, ''Mademoiselle de Lillebonne'', Abbess of Remiremont (1 July 1662 – 9 February 1738), never married, no issue; # Thérèse de Lorraine (12 May 1663 – 17 September 1671) died in childhood; # Marie Françoise de Lorraine (28 May 1666 – 10 May 1669) died in childhood; #

Élisabeth Thérèse de Lorraine Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Empress Elisabeth (disambiguation), lists various empresses named ''Elisabeth'' or ''Elizabeth'' * Princess Elizabeth ( ...

, ''Mademoiselle de Commercy'' (5 April 1664 – 7 March 1748), married Louis de Melun, parents of Louis de Melun, Prince of Epinoy, and Anne Julie de Melun, '' princesse de Soubise''; # Sebastienne de Lorraine (19 April 1667 – 15 August 1669) died in infancy; # Jeanne Françoise de Lorraine (6 September 1668 – 1680) died in childhood; # Henri Louis de Lorraine (26 October 1669 – 17 March 1670) died in infancy; # Jean Paul de Lorraine (10 June 1672 – 29 July 1693) died in the

Battle of Landen The Battle of Landen, also known as Battle of Neerwinden took place on 29 July 1693, during the Nine Years' War near Landen, then in the Spanish Netherlands, now part of Belgium. A Kingdom of France, French army under François-Henri de Montmor ...

, no issue.

Ancestry

References and notes

Sources

*Georges Poull, ''La maison ducale de Lorraine'', 1991 {{DEFAULTSORT:Francois Marie, Prince Of Lillebonne 1624 births 1694 deaths House of Guise House of Lorraine Nobility from Paris 17th-century French nobility Francois Marie Princes of Lorraine