Joseph-Alexandre Pierre, Vicomte de Ségur (1756–1805), was a French military officer, poet, songwriter and playwright.

Early life and career

Joseph-Alexandre Pierre de Ségur was born in Paris as the son of Maréchal Philippe Henri, Marquis de Ségur, and Louise-Anne-Madeleine, Marquise de Ségur, née de Vernon (1729–1778). Like his elder brother,

Louis Philippe, Comte de Ségur Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also * ...

, Joseph-Alexandre Pierre de Ségur was also born at the family's ''

hôtel particulier () is the French term for a grand urban mansion, comparable to a Townhouse (Great Britain), British townhouse. Whereas an ordinary (house) was built as part of a row, sharing party walls with the houses on either side and directly fronting on a ...

'' in Paris, the Hôtel de Ségur at 9

Rue Saint-Florentin The Rue Saint-Florentin is a thoroughfare in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st and 8th arrondissement of Paris. The street took its name from the Duc de la Vrillière, Louis Phélypeaux, comte de Saint-Florentin, minister and secretary of stat ...

.Pierre-Marie-Maurice-Henri, Marquis de Ségur: ''Le Maréchal de Ségur (1724–1801),'' E. Plon, Nourrit et Cie, Imprimeurs-Éditeurs, rue Garancière no. 10, Paris, 1895, p. 163 In reality, Joseph-Alexandre Pierre de Ségur was the son of the best friend of his father, Pierre Victor, Baron de Besenval de Brunstatt, usually just referred to as Baron de Besenval (the suffix Brunstatt refers to the former barony). Thus he was the half-brother of

. The fact that the Baron de Besenval was his father was no secret within the family.Gouverneur Morris: ''Journal de Gouverneur Morris,'' par E. Pariset, traduit de l'anglais, Plon-Nourrit et Cie., Imprimeurs-Éditeurs, 8, rue, Garancière, Paris, 1901, p. 8Gabrielle Claerr Stamm: ''De Soleure à Paris : La saga de la famille de Besenval, seigneurs de Brunstatt, Riedisheim et Didenheim,'' Société d'Histoire du Sundgau, 2015, p. 148 Joseph-Alexandre Pierre de Ségur was

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 ...

of the

Regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

s of ''Noailles'' and ''Lorraine,'' and of the

Dragoon 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 ...

s of ''Ségur'' during the

Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for " ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...

. In 1788 he was promoted to

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'') ...

. In 1789, the Vicomte de Ségur was elected a

deputy Deputy or depute may refer to: * Steward (office) * Khalifa, an Arabic title that can signify "deputy" * Deputy (legislator), a legislator in many countries and regions, including: ** A member of a Chamber of Deputies, for example in Italy, Spain, ...

for the

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

of Paris for the États généraux. He remained loyal to the king and the monarchy but participated very little in the debates. In 1790, he retired from political life and occupied himself with literature, publishing dramas and comedies.Louis-Philippe de Ségur (1753–1830): ''Souvenirs et anecdotes sur le règne de Louis XVI,'' préface, 1909, p. 23

Hôtel de Ségur or Hôtel Bonaparte

Already in 1780, the Baron de Besenval had bought a ''

'' on 6 Rue Chantereine for his son, Joseph-Alexandre Pierre de Ségur, or at least the baron financed his son's living there. The house was built by the architect François-Victor Perrard de Montreuil (1742–1821). This was the house where Joseph-Alexandre Pierre de Ségur lived with his then

mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a female lover of a married man ** Royal mistress * Maîtresse-en-titre, official mistress of a ...

Louise Julie Careau.Jean-Jacques Fiechter: ''Le Baron Pierre-Victor de Besenval,'' Delachaux et Niestlé, Lausanne – Paris, 1993, p. 101

Hôtel Bonaparte

When the relationship between Joseph-Alexandre Pierre de Ségur and Louise Julie Careau ended at the end of the 1780s, the Vicomte de Ségur either left the house to Louise Julie Careau or he simply moved out and let her live there with their son Alexandre Félix de Ségur (1781–1805). In August 1795, she rented it to

Joséphine de Beauharnais Joséphine Bonaparte (, born Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerie; 23 June 1763 – 29 May 1814) was the first wife of Emperor Napoleon I and as such Empress of the French from 18 May 1804 until their marriage was annulled on 10 Janua ...

, the later wife of

Napoléon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

. On 26 March 1798, Napoléon acquired the ''hôtel particulier'' for his wife Joséphine. Because of the connection with

, the house later became known as the Hôtel Bonaparte.Amaury Lefébure, Céline Meunier, Christophe Pincemaille, Alain Pougetoux, Jean-Pierre Samoyault et d'autres
''Napoléon – Histoire des deux Empires: Joséphine et Napoléon, l'hôtel de la rue de la Victoire''
le site d'histoire de la Fondation Napoléon (reconnue d'utilité publique par un décret du 12 novembre 1987), extrait du catalogue de l'exposition tenue au Musée national des châteaux de Malmaison et Bois-Préau (15 octobre 2013 – 6 janvier 2014), RMN Éditions, Paris, 2013Francesca Whitlum-Cooper / Marie de Bruchard
''Napoléon – Histoire des deux Empires: L'Hôtel Bonaparte, Rue Chantereine''
le site d'histoire de la Fondation Napoléon (reconnue d'utilité publique par un décret du 12 novembre 1987), 2014

Revolutionary years

After the death of his father, Pierre Victor, Baron de Besenval, in 1791, Joseph-Alexandre Pierre de Ségur inherited the bare ownership of the

Hôtel de Besenval The Hôtel de Besenval is a historic ''hôtel particulier'' in Paris, dating largely from the 18th century, with a ''Court of honor (architecture), cour d'honneur'' and a large English landscape garden, an architectural style commonly known as ''en ...

.Jean-Jacques Fiechter / Benno Schubiger: ''L'Ambassade de Suisse à Paris,'' Ambassade de Suisse, 2ème édition, août 1994, p. 17. During the

Reign of Terror The Reign of Terror (French: ''La Terreur'', literally "The Terror") was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the French First Republic, First Republic, a series of massacres and Capital punishment in France, nu ...

period of the French Revolution, Joseph-Alexandre Pierre de Ségur was suspected of being a pamphleteering counter-revolutionary. On 13 October 1793, he was arrested at the

and imprisoned in the prison Port-Libre, as were

André Chénier André Marie Chénier (; 30 October 176225 July 1794) was a French poet associated with the events of the French Revolution, during which he was sentenced to death. His sensual, emotive poetry marks him as one of the precursors of the Romantic ...

and other artists and writers of the time. The actor Charles de La Buissière managed to get himself employed at the Bureau of the Committee for Public Health. Charles de La Buissière destroyed the accusation file for Joseph-Alexandre Pierre de Ségur along with those of many other personalities of the Parisian scene, saving their lives. On 28 July 1794, Joseph-Alexandre Pierre de Ségur was released.Jean-Jacques Fiechter: ''Baron Peter Viktor von Besenval: Ein Solothurner am Hofe von Versailles,'' Rothus Verlag, Solothurn, 1994, pp. 195–196 From 1796 to the end of 1801, the Vicomte de Ségur participated in the activities of the singing society of the '' Dîners du Vaudeville,'' where he was known as ''Ségur le jeune'' (Ségur the younger), along with his brother Louis-Philippe, Comte de Ségur, known as ''Ségur l'ainé'' (Ségur the elder).Jean-Jacques Fiechter: ''Baron Peter Viktor von Besenval: Ein Solothurner am Hofe von Versailles,'' Rothus Verlag, Solothurn, 1994, p. 197

Last years

Memoiren_Baron_de_Besenval_Erstausgabe_von_1805

Like his father, the Baron de Besenval, Joseph-Alexandre Pierre de Ségur was never married. He died while he was recovering from a chest illness at

Bagnères-de-Bigorre Bagnères-de-Bigorre (, literally ''Bagnères of Bigorre''; ) is a Communes of France, commune and Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Hautes-Pyrénées Departments of France, Department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occita ...

in the company of Reine Claude de Mesmes d'Avaux, Comtesse d'Avaux, née Chartraire de Bourbonne, Dame de

Bourbonne-les-Bains Bourbonne-les-Bains () is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France in the region Grand Est.thermal springs A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by cir ...

of the same name. She had large real estate holdings, including several country houses for her private use. After renting out his

in 1795 and selling it in 1797, the Vicomte de Ségur also benefited from the various residences of the Comtesse d'Avaux, as he lived with her in a marriage-like relationship. Like his son, Alexandre Félix de Ségur (1781–1805), the Vicomte de Ségur also died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

. His last posthumous publication, the memoirs of his father, Pierre Victor, Baron de Besenval, caused a scandal in the high society of the time.Jean-Jacques Fiechter: ''Baron Peter Viktor von Besenval: Ein Solothurner am Hofe von Versailles,'' Rothus Verlag, Solothurn, 1994, p. 200

Literary works (partial list)

* ''Correspondance secrète de Ninon de l'Enclos,'' Paris, Le Jay (1789), compilées et publiées par Joseph-Alexandre Pierre de Ségur * ''La femme jalouse,'' Paris, chez Henry (1790) * ''Le Retour du Mari, comédie en un acte et en vers,'' Paris, Gattey (1792) * ''Le fou par amour, Drame historique, en un acte et en vers,'' Paris (1797) * ''Essai sur les moyens de plaire en amour,'' Paris, Huet (1797) * ''Élize dans les bois , fait historique du 14 thermidor, comédie en un acte et en prose,'' Paris, Huet (1797) * ''L'opéra comique, opera-comique en un acte, en prose et ariettes,'' Avignon, frères Bonnet (1798) * ''C'est la même, vaudeville en un acte,'' Paris, Huet (1798) * ''Les femmes, leur condition et leur influence dans l'ordre social chez différents peuples anciens et modernes,'' Paris, Treuttel et Würtz (1803)

References

External links

His theatre plays and their performances
in the sit
CÉSAR

* ttp://contentdm.warwick.ac.uk/cdm4/browse.php?&CISOSTART=11,281 Textes en ligne ''C'est le même, ''1798, ''L'opéra comique, ''1799, ''Le fou par amour,'' 1791, ''Le retour du mari,'' 1792, ''Les vieux fous,'' 1796. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Segur, Joseph-Alexandre De Writers from Paris 1756 births 1805 deaths 18th-century French male writers 18th-century French dramatists and playwrights 18th-century French poets French chansonniers