François Marie de Broglie, 1st Duke of Broglie (11 January 167122 May 1745) was a

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 ...

officer and diplomat.

Biography

Early years

François-Marie de Broglie was the third son of

Victor-Maurice, comte de Broglie Victor-Maurice, comte de Broglie (12 March 16474 August 1727) was a French Royal Army officer. Victor-Maurice de Broglie was born in the De Broglie house, a noble family originally from Piedmont. He was the son of François-Marie, comte de ...

, named for his grandfather, François Marie. He entered the army at an early age, and had a varied career of active service before he was made, at the age of twenty-three, lieutenant-colonel of the king's regiment of

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 ...

Career

He served continuously in the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish E ...

and was present at Malplaquet. He was made lieutenant-general in 1710, and served with Villars in the last campaign of the war and at the

Battle of Denain The Battle of Denain was fought on 24 July 1712 as part of the War of the Spanish Succession. It resulted in a French victory, under Marshal Villars, against Dutch and Austrian forces, under Prince Eugene of Savoy. It was the war's last ba ...

. During the peace he continued in military employment, and in 1719 he was made director-general of cavalry and

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 ...

. He was also employed in diplomatic missions and was

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

in 1724. The war in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

called him into the field again in 1733, and in the following year he was made

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) ...

. In the campaign of 1734 he was one of the chief commanders on the French side, and he fought the Battles of

Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...

and

Guastalla Guastalla ( Guastallese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Reggio Emilia in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Geography Guastalla is situated in the Po Valley, and lies on the banks of the Po River. Guastalla is located at around from the citi ...

. A famous episode was his narrow personal escape when his quarters on the

Secchia The Secchia (; ; called by Pliny )''Naturalis Historia'', Book 3, chap. xvi. is an Italian river. One of the main right bank tributaries of the Po, it flows through the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is long, and has a drainage b ...

(battle of Quistello) were raided by the enemy on the night of 14 September 1734. In 1735 he directed a war of positions with credit, but he was soon replaced by Marshal de Noailles. He was governor-general of

Alsace Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...

when

Frederick the Great Frederick II (; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled ''King in Prussia'', declaring himself ''King of Prussia'' after annexing Royal Prussia ...

paid a secret visit to

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

in 1740. In 1742, during the

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...

, Broglie was appointed to command the French army in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, but the only success obtained was in the action of Sahay (25 May 1742), for which he was created

duc de Broglie The House of Broglie (, also ; , or ) is a distinguished French noble family, originally Piedmontese, who migrated to France in the year 1643. Members of this family bore the title of Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, granted to them in 1759 by ...

and made 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 ...

. He returned to France in 1743, and died two years later.

Issue

Victor François de Broglie, 2nd Duke of Broglie Victor François de Broglie, 2nd Duke of Broglie (19 October 171830 March 1804) was a French army officer. He served with his father, François Marie de Broglie, 1st Duke of Broglie, at Parma and Guastalla, and in 1734 obtained a colonelcy. ...

# Charles François de Broglie, Marquis of Ruffec.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Broglie, Francois-Marie, 1st Duc De 1671 births 1745 deaths Marshals of France Francois-Marie French military personnel of the War of the Spanish Succession French military personnel of the War of the Polish Succession French military personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession Peers of France 18th-century French diplomats