Henri de Saint-Nectaire, 1st Duke of La Ferté-Senneterre (1599 – 27 September 1681) was 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) ...
and governor 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 ...
.
Life
The son of
Henri I de La Ferté-Senneterre, a minister from an old knightly family in the
Auvergne
Auvergne (; ; or ) is a cultural region in central France.
As of 2016 Auvergne is no longer an administrative division of France. It is generally regarded as conterminous with the land area of the historical Province of Auvergne, which was dis ...
, Henri II was destined for a military career and fought for the first time under
Maurice of Nassau
Maurice of Orange (; 14 November 1567 – 23 April 1625) was ''stadtholder'' of all the provinces of the Dutch Republic except for Friesland from 1585 at the earliest until his death on 23 April 1625. Before he became Prince of Orange upo ...
, leader of the
Dutch Revolt
The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt (; 1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Reformation, centralisation, exc ...
against Spain. On returning to France, he distinguished himself (as a captain in a regiment paid for by his father) in the siege of the Calvinist city of
La Rochelle
La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle'') is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime Departments of France, department. Wi ...
, begun in 1627–28 by
Richelieu to put the rebel city back under the French king's control. In 1632 the French army invaded Lorraine and Henri II found himself before
Nancy in 1633. On 25 September
Louis XIII of France
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 Richelieu broke into Nancy and its 16,000 inhabitants were evacuated by the marquis de Mouis and his Lorrainian garrison. Becoming ''mestre de camp'' (equivalent to the modern rank of
colonel
Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
), Henri II gained glory fighting the Spaniards at
Hesdin on 29 June 1639 and, as a reward, Louis XIII made him ''
maréchal de camp
''Maréchal de camp'' (sometimes incorrectly translated as field marshal) was a general officer rank used by the French Army until 1848.
The rank originated from the older rank of sergeant major general ( French: ''sergent-major général'') ...
''.
On 19 May 1643, five days after Louis XIII's death, Henri II fought in the victory 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 ...
against the Spaniards, as second in command of the French left wing, being wounded four times. Henri II's father was a favourite of queen
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 ...
(regent of the kingdom of France on Louis XIII's death) and so Henri II was made governor of the
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 1643 to replace Lenoncourt. In 1644, he led to Nancy 23 infantry companies, a Swiss old guard, seven new city infantry companies and cavalry. He became lieutenant general in 1648 and marshal on 5 January 1651, remaining faithful to Anne and
Mazarin 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, which had begun in 1635. The government of the young King Louis XIV confronted the combined opposition ...
.
Despite his brutal interventions to reestablish discipline among his troops (ever eager to plunder), he was not so disciplined with himself and lived off the country. Taken prisoner at the
Battle of Valenciennes (1656), he was ransomed by
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 ...
. In reward for his good and loyal services, the
marquisate of La Ferté-Senneterre was promoted to a
duché-pairie by Louis XIV in November 1665.
Henri II de la Ferté-Senneterre died on 27 September 1681.
Marriage and children
He first married Charlotte de Bauves, daughter of Henri des Boves, baron de Contenant and councilor of state.
In his second marriage, he married on 25 April 1655, Madeleine d'Angennes (1629-1714), daughter of Charles d'Angennes.
Together they had:
#Henri de de Saint-Nectaire (1655-1658)
#Henri François de Saint-Nectaire (1657-1703), Duke of La Ferté-Senneterre, Lieutenant-General, married
Marie de La Mothe-Houdancourt ;
#Louis de Saint-Nectaire (1659-1732), Lord of La Loupe, Jesuit priest;
#Catherine Henriette de Saint-Nectaire (1662), wife of François de Bullion, Marquis de Longchesnes;
# Hannibal Jules de Saint-Nectaire (1665-1702), abbot of Saint-Jean-d'Angély;
#Cécile Adélaïde de Saint-Nectaire (1673-1720), wife of Louis César, Marquis of Rabodanges.
Man8rove
/ref>
Madeleine had also an illegitimate son in 1670 by Charles Paris d'Orléans, Duke of Longueville.
See also
* Madame de Saint-Baslemont
Sources
*Manuel Bazaille : "1643 : Le retour d'Attila"; ''La Revue Lorraine Populaire''; n°180; October 2004.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferte
1599 births
1681 deaths
Marshals of France
17th-century peers of France
Peers created by Louis XIV
Military personnel of the Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659)