Jean-Charles Gravier, Marquis of VergennesName taken by the land of Ormes after its erection as a marquisate by the king (1778). Source: A. Ferret, ''Ormes, archiprêtré de Bresse et port sur Saône'', revue « Images de Saône-et-Loire » No. 40 (hiver 1978-1979), . and Baron of Tenare, was a French

aristocrat The aristocracy (''from Greek'' ''ἀριστοκρατία'' ''aristokratía'', "rule of the best"; ''Latin: aristocratia'') is historically associated with a "hereditary" or a "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the ...

, magistrate and diplomat. He was the elder brother of the

French Minister of Foreign Affairs The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (, MEAE) is the ministry of the Government of France that handles France's foreign relations. Since 1855, its headquarters have been located at 37 Quai d'Orsay, close to the National Assembly. The ter ...

and

Louis XVI Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765), Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir- ...

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union ter ...

, Charles Gravier de Vergennes.

Biography

Born in

Dijon Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...

in 1718, the eldest son of Charles Gravier, Lord of Vergennes, he became a chief counselor in the Court of Auditors of

Burgundy Burgundy ( ; ; Burgundian: ''Bregogne'') is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. ...

in 1738 and then President of the Court in 1742. As the eldest son, he inherited his family's estates. He was named as the French King's ambassador in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

from 1775 to 1777. As ambassador, he renewed the treaty of alliance between France and the Swiss cantons on 28 May 1777, in

Solothurn Solothurn ( ; ; ; ; ) is a town, a municipality, and the capital of the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. It is located in the north-west of Switzerland on the banks of the Aare and on the foot of the Weissenstein Jura mountains. The town is ...

. He was then appointed as French Ambassador to

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

in 1777, as Ambassador to the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

from 1779 to 1785, and as Ambassador, for a second time, to

from 1786 to 1789. Imprisoned in the Saint-Lazare Prison during the French Revolution, he was

guillotine A guillotine ( ) is an apparatus designed for effectively carrying out executions by Decapitation, beheading. The device consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top. The condemned person is secur ...

d alongside his eldest son Charles Gravier de Vergennes on 24 July 1794, 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 ...

. Jean Gravier married to Jeanne Chevignard de Chavigny from a noble Burgundian family related to the Graviers, daughter of Philibert Chevignard de Chavigny, President of the Parliament of Besançon and niece of the ambassador Théodore Chevignard de Chavigny, Count of Toulongeon. He is the grand-father of Claire Élisabeth de Vergennes, Madame de Rémusat and of the politician, anti-revolutionary fighter and Marshal of France, Antoine-Charles de Ganay, among others. The Gravier family is a family of the surviving

French nobility The French nobility () was an Aristocracy, aristocratic social class in France from the France in the Middle Ages, Middle Ages until its abolition on 23 June 1790 during the French Revolution. From 1808 to 1815 during the First French Empire, ...

Sources

* Sylvi Nicolas, ''Les derniers maîtres des requêtes de l'Ancien Régime (1771-1789): dictionnaire prosopographique'', 1998 (French) * A. Ferret, ''Ormes, archiprêtré de Bresse et port sur Saône'', revue « Images de Saône-et-Loire » No. 40 (hiver 1978-1979), (French)

Notes

{{Authority control 1718 births 1794 deaths People from Dijon 18th-century French diplomats Ambassadors of France to Portugal Ambassadors of France to Switzerland Ambassadors of France to the Republic of Venice French people executed by guillotine during the French Revolution Executed French nobility

Biography

See also

Sources

Notes