Jacques d'Étampes, 1st Marquis of La Ferté-Imbault and Mauny (1590 – 20 May 1668), was a French soldier created

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) ...

during the reign of King

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 ...

. He also served as the French Ambassador to England from 1641 to 1643.

Early life

Étampes was born in 1590 at Mont-Saint-Sulpice. He was the eldest son of Claude d'Estampes (1526–1591), Baron of La Ferté-Imbault, and Jeanne de Hautemer, Lady of Mauny. His father, a captain in the king's service, was killed in combat. He was a grandson of , better known as the Maréchal de Fervaques, Count of Châteauvillain, Count ''then'' Duke of Grancey, and

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 ...

, Lord of Fervacques and Baron of Mauny, and Lieutenant-General of the

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

Career

In 1610, he began his military career as an ensign of the company of 200 Gendarmes of

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 ...

, seeing action in the Siege of Jülich, part of the

War of the Jülich Succession The War of the Jülich Succession, also known as the Jülich War or the Jülich-Cleves Succession Crises (German language, German: ''Jülich-Klevischer Erbfolgestreit''), was a war of succession in the United Duchies of Jülich-Cleves-Berg. The fi ...

. In 1617, he was at the Sieges of

Soissons Soissons () is a commune in the northern French department of Aisne, in the region of Hauts-de-France. Located on the river Aisne, about northeast of Paris, it is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital ...

Château-Porcien Château-Porcien () is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France. Population See also *Communes of the Ardennes department The following is a list of the 447 communes of the Ardennes department of France France, o ...

Rethel Rethel () is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture and third-most important city and economic center in the department. It is situated on the river Aisne, near the northern border of Champagne and 37 ...

and

Sainte-Menehould Sainte-Menehould (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Marne (department), Marne Departments of France, department in north-eastern France. The 18th-century French playwright Charles-Georges Fenouillot de Falbaire de Quingey (1727–1800) ...

. In 1620, as second lieutenant of the Gendarmes of the Duke of Orléans, he was at the Battle of Ponts-de-Cé at the end July 1620, in the victorious army, commanded by the Marquis de Créquy and the Count of Bassompierre. That same year, he followed the king on the voyage to

Béarn Béarn (; ; or ''Biarn''; or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in Southwestern France. Along with the three Northern Basque Country, ...

. He took part in all of

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. ...

's campaigns against the Protestants, from 1620 to 1630. He took part in the Sieges of

Saint-Jean-d'Angély Saint-Jean-d'Angély (; Saintongeais dialect, Saintongeais: ''Sént-Jhan-d'Anjhéli'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Charente-Maritime Departments of France, department in southwestern France. The commune has its historical origins i ...

Nérac Nérac (; , ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Lot-et-Garonne Departments of France, department, Southwestern France. The composer and organist Louis Raffy was born in Nérac, as was the former Arsenal F.C., Arsenal and FC Girondins de Bo ...

Tonneins Tonneins (; ) is a town in the Lot-et-Garonne Departments of France, department of south-western France. It stands above the river Garonne, between Marmande to the west and Agen to the east, and is the first major town below the confluence of t ...

, Clérac (from July to August as ''

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'') ...

''),

Royan Royan (; in the Saintongeais dialect; ) is a commune and town in the south-west of France, in the Departments of France, department of Charente-Maritime in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Capital of the Côte de Beauté, Royan is one of the mai ...

, and

Montauban Montauban (, ; ) is a commune in the southern French department of Tarn-et-Garonne. It is the capital of the department and lies north of Toulouse. Montauban is the most populated town in Tarn-et-Garonne, and the sixth most populated of Oc ...

(from October to November 1621). He was ''maréchal de camp'' in the Army commanded by the

Duke of Nevers The counts of Nevers were the rulers of the County of Nevers, in France, The territory became a duchy in the peerage of France in 1539 under the dukes of Nevers. History The history of the County of Nevers is closely connected to the Duchy of Bu ...

, sent to

Champagne Champagne (; ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...

to oppose the

Count of Mansfeld Peter Ernst, Graf von Mansfeld (; 158029 November 1626), or simply Ernst von Mansfeld, was a German military commander; despite being a Catholic, he fought for the Protestants during the early years of the Thirty Years' War. He was one of the l ...

in 1622. He does not appear to have fought in the

Valtellina War The Valtellina War (1620–1626) was an episode of the Thirty Years' War arising out of competition to control the Valtelline, an Alpine valley forming a key part of the Spanish Road. Background Valtelline, in Northern Italy, was vitally impor ...

, which ended on 5 March 1626. In 1626 he was appointed

Captain lieutenant Captain lieutenant or captain-lieutenant is a military rank, used in a number of navies worldwide and formerly in the British Army. Northern Europe Denmark, Norway and Finland The same rank is used in the navies of Denmark (), Norway () and Fin ...

of the Company of 200 Gendarmes of the Duke of Orléans, governor of the city and

Duchy of Orléans The Duchy of Orléanais () is a former royal duchy, which was created during reign of Hugh Capet by elevating the former County of Orléans. In 1498, as part of a centralisation of France under Louis XII, the duchy was dissolved and replaced by ...

, advisor and chamberlain of

. He served at the

Siege of La Rochelle The siege of La Rochelle (, or sometimes ) was a result of a war between the French royal forces of Louis XIII of France and the Huguenots of La Rochelle in 1627–1628. The siege marked the height of Huguenot rebellions, the struggle between ...

as ''maréchal de camp'' from 1627 to 1628. Having gone to Italy, he served there under the

Duke of Guise Count of Guise and Duke of Guise ( , ) were titles in the French nobility. Originally a Fiefdom, seigneurie, in 1417 Guise was erected into a county for René I of Naples, René, a younger son of Louis II of Anjou. While disputed by the House of ...

, as ''

Mestre de camp Mestre de camp or Maître de camp (; "camp-master") was a military rank in the Ancien Régime of France, equivalent to colonel. A mestre de camp commanded a regiment and was under the authority of a Colonel General, who commanded all the regiments ...

'' Général of the Light Cavalry, then served in the same capacity at the

Siege of Privas The siege of Privas was undertaken by Louis XIII of France from 14 May 1629, and the city of Privas was captured on 28 May 1629. It was one of the last events of the Huguenot rebellions (1621-1629). Context The siege of Privas followed the Sie ...

in 1629. In 1630, he distinguished himself during the Piedmont campaign (a part of

War of the Mantuan Succession The War of the Mantuan Succession, from 1628 to 1631, was caused by the death in December 1627 of Vincenzo II, last male heir from the House of Gonzaga, long-time rulers of Mantua and Montferrat. Their strategic importance led to a proxy war b ...

) against the

Duke of Savoy The titles of the count of Savoy, and then duke of Savoy, are titles of nobility attached to the historical territory of Savoy. Since its creation, in the 11th century, the House of Savoy held the county. Several of these rulers ruled as kings at ...

, to help the

Duke of Mantua During its Timeline of Mantua, history as independent entity, Mantua had different rulers who governed on the city and the lands of Mantua from the Middle Ages to the early modern period. From 970 to 1115, the Counts of Mantua were members of ...

. He fought at the Battle of Veillane, where at the head of his only company of two hundred men, he charged three thousand enemies, killed nine hundred, took three hundred prisoners and captured fourteen flags. He then fought in the second relief of Cazals (or Casal), the same year. In 1635 he served in the Netherlands and distinguished himself at the

Battle of Les Avins The Battle of Les Avins took place on 20 May 1635, outside the town of Les Avins, near Huy in modern Belgium, then part of the Bishopric of Liège. It was the first major engagement of the 1635 to 1659 Franco-Spanish War, a connected conflict ...

, won by Marshals Châtillon and

Brézé Brézé () is a former commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune Bellevigne-les-Châteaux.Prince Thomas of Savoy. The following year in 1636, he was noted at the recapture of

Corbie Corbie (; ; Picard:''Corbin'') is a commune of the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography The small town is situated up river from Amiens, in the département of Somme and is the main town of the canton of Corbie. ...

, a remedy for a failure that had greatly upset Paris and the court. He was also present at the battle of Mouzon and the siege of Yvoy in 1639. Having come to join the king's army at Corbie, he was left there to command as chief 10,000 foot soldiers and 5,000 horsemen.

Diplomatic service

In July 1641, he was appointed French Ambassador to England, remaining in London for two years. The choice of La Ferté-Imbault was determined as much by his ability as by the conciliatory qualities of his character. It is also possible to believe that he was designated for this difficult post by the

Count of Harcourt Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

, under whose orders he had served in Piedmont. Harcourt himself had occupied the London embassy in 1636, and returned there later. He prevented the embarkation of 14,000 Irish, recruited by the Spanish, for the defense of

Perpignan Perpignan (, , ; ; ) is the prefectures in France, prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales departments of France, department in Southern France, in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the Me ...

, and himself raised 6,000 Scots for the service of France. King

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

then found himself in a critical situation, subjected to pressure from Parliament. On 11 August 1643, Étampes was named colonel general of the King's Scottish Guards, also known as the Scottish Infantry of France, a rank created for him. This corps was devoted wholeheartedly to the royal cause of the

Stuarts The House of Stuart, originally spelled Stewart, also known as the Stuart dynasty, was a royal house of Scotland, England, Ireland and later Great Britain. The family name comes from the office of High Steward of Scotland, which had been hel ...

. He was lieutenant-general for the king in the government of

Orléanais The Duchy of Orléanais () is a former province of France, which was created during the Renaissance by merging four former counties and towns. However after the French Revolution, the province was dissolved in 1791 and succeeded by five ''départ ...

Vendômois The Vendômois () is a traditional area of France equivalent to the arrondissement of Vendôme, to the north of Loir-et-Cher, and on both sides of Loir The Loir is a long river in western France. It is a left tributary of the Sarthe. Its sour ...

and Dunois on 21 November 1644, then appointed state councilor.

Thirty Years War

Employed in the

Army of Flanders The Army of Flanders (; ) was a field army of the Spanish Army based in the Spanish Netherlands between the 16th and 18th centuries. It was one of the longest-serving field armies of the early modern era, being founded in 1567 and disbanded in 170 ...

from 1645 to 1649, he was at the Siege of Gravelines in 1645, as first ''Maréchal de camp'', of

Bourbourg Bourbourg (; ) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is situated in the maritime plain of northern France, in the middle of a triangle formed by Dunkirk, Calais, and Saint-Omer. Population In 1945 Bourbourg absorbed the f ...

, of

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.Franco-Spanish War), where he was promoted to

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 ...

of the King's Armies, of

Linck Linck may refer to: * Linck Group, an American investment group * Linck Nunataks, in the Whitmore Mountains, Antarctica People with the surname * Johann Heinrich Linck, the elder (1674–1734), German pharmacist and naturalist * Catharina Margare ...

, 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 ...

, and at the crossing of the Horn in 1645. He took part in the

Siege of Kortrijk A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characte ...

, as well as in the second Siege of Mardyck in August 1646 (considered part of 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 History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

). He was at the Capture of Furnes on 7 September, then at the Siege of Dunkirk from 7 September to 11 October 1646, under the command of the

Duke of 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 conf ...

. On 31 October 1646, he distinguished himself near

Kortrijk Kortrijk ( , ; or ''Kortrik''; ), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region, Flemish Provinces of Belgium, province of We ...

, with the same Prince, repelling a Spanish force composed of six infantry regiments and five cavalry regiments. He contributed to the victory at the

Battle of Lens The Battle of Lens (20 August 1648) was the last major battle of the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). A French force commanded by Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé defeated a Spanish army under Archduke Leopold Wilhelm. The battle cemen ...

in 1648, and was at the crossing of the Escaut in 1649. From 1649 to 1650, he was employed in the Army of Normandy.

Marshal of France

On 5 January 1651, he was raised to the dignity of

, on the recommendation of

, uncle of the king, with Antoine d'Aumont, 1st Duke of Aumont, Henri, Duke of La Ferté-Senneterre, (his young first cousin, a son of Charlotte de Hautemer), and (husband of Eléonore d'Estampes de Valençay). He had been created 1st Marquis of La Ferté-Imbault and Mauny, a

courtesy title A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but is rather used by custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title). In some context ...

s given by the king from the 1620s, that wasn't confirmed until 1651 when he was elevated to Marshal of France. He was made a Knight of the Order of the Holy Spirit and a Knight of the Order of Saint Michael the following year on 31 December 1661. He was an honorary advisor to all the Parliaments and Sovereign courts of the Kingdom, as Marshal of France, and was received in this capacity at the

Parlement of Paris The ''Parlement'' of Paris () was the oldest ''parlement'' in the Kingdom of France, formed in the 14th century. Parlements were judicial, rather than legislative, bodies and were composed of magistrates. Though not representative bodies in the p ...

in 1654. Étampes commanded the royal army with

Turenne Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, vicomte de Turenne (11 September 161127 July 1675), commonly known as Turenne (), was a French general and one of only six marshals to have been promoted Marshal General of France. The most illustrious member of th ...

in 1654, when the Spanish had to lift the Battle of Arras. In 1656, he defeated

John Joseph of Austria John Joseph of Austria or John of Austria (the Younger) (; 7 April 1629 – 17 September 1679) was a Spanish general and political figure. He was the only illegitimate son of Philip IV of Spain to be acknowledged by the King and trained for m ...

and

Prince of Condé A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The f ...

at the Battle of Valenciennes.

Personal life

On 27 May 1610, he was married to Catherine-Blanche de Choiseul (–1673), eldest daughter of Charles de Choiseul, Marquis of Praslin, and Claude de Cazillac, Lady of Vallières. She served as first lady-in-waiting to the

Duchess of Orléans Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

. Together, they were the parents of: * François d'Étampes (1618–1667), ''styled'' Marquis of Mauny, Baron of La Ferté-Imbault and of Mauny, Lord of Salbris, of Mont-Saint-Sulpice, of Villefargeau and of Touberville; he married Charlotte Brûlart de Sillery in 1641. * Françoise d'Étampes (d. 1692), who married Jean Toustain. During her husband's campaigns, Madame de la Ferté-Imbault usually resided at the Château du Mont-Saint-Sulpice. From 1627, he also restored his

Château de La Ferté-Imbault The Château de La Ferté-Imbault (Loir-et-Cher) is a stately home in the Loire Valley, France. A fortress of the Middle Ages rebuilt during the Renaissance architecture, Renaissance, it is the largest brick château in Sologne, and one of the ol ...

, which had fallen victim to the

Wars of Religion A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war (), is a war and conflict which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion and beliefs. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the extent ...

in 1562, and modernized the one at Mauny, near

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...

. The Marquis died at his château de Mauny in Mauny on 20 May 1668. His widow died on 17 October 1673.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:D'Étampes, Jacques 1590 births 1673 deaths

Jacques Jacques or Jacq are believed to originate from the Middle Ages in the historic northwest Brittany region in France, and have since spread around the world over the centuries. To date, there are over one hundred identified noble families related t ...

French marquesses Marshals of France Ambassadors of France to the Kingdom of England People from Champagne (province)