Louis Charles de Lévis (1647 – 18 September 1717) was a French nobleman and

Duke of Ventadour Duke of Ventadour ( Fr.: ''duc de Ventadour'') was a noble title in the peerage of France granted to Gilbert de Lévis de Ventadour by Henry IV of France in 1589. It is named after the Château de Ventadour. List of dukes of Ventadour, 1589— ...

. His wife was the governess of the infant

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...

and his only child Anne Geneviève made two prestigious marriages into contemporary nobility.

Biography

The eldest of three children, his younger sister Marguerite Félice de Lévis (1648–1717) married

Jacques Henri de Durfort de Duras Jacques Henri de Durfort, 1st Duke of Duras (9 October 1625 – 12 October 1704) was Marshal of France. Early life Jacques Henri was the oldest son of Guy Aldonce de Durfort (1605–1665), Marquis of Duras, Count of Rauzan and of Lorges, m ...

and was the sister in law of the '' Maréchal de Lorges''. On his father's side, he was a relative of the wealthy

Montmorency family The House of Montmorency () was one of the oldest and most distinguished noble families in France. Origins The family name Montmorency derived from their castle in the ''pays de France'', recorded in Latin as ''Mons Maurentiacus'', in 993. '' ...

. He married Charlotte de La Motte Houdancourt in Paris on 14 March 1671. She was the daughter of

Philippe de La Mothe-Houdancourt Philippe, Comte de la Mothe-Houdancourt (1605 – 24 March 1657) was a French soldier and Marshal of France, who served as Viceroy of Catalonia when it was occupied by France during the Franco-Spanish War. He was awarded the Spanish title of Du ...

and Louise de Prie. The Duke was generally considered "horrific" — very ugly, physically deformed, and sexually debauched — yet the privileges of being a duchess compensated for the unfortunate match, e.g. '' le tabouret'': In a letter to her daughter,

Madame de Sévigné Madame may refer to: * Madam, civility title or form of address for women, derived from the French * Madam (prostitution) Procuring, pimping, or pandering is the facilitation or provision of a prostitute or other sex worker in the arrangement ...

described an incident that took place at St. Germain during an audience with the Queen.

"… a lot of duchesses came in, including the beautiful and charming Duchess of Ventadour. There was a bit of a delay before they brought her the sacred stool. I turned to the Grand Master and I said, 'Oh, just give it to her. It certainly cost her enough,' and he agreed."

He and his wife had a daughter. Louis Charles died in 1717 during the

Regency In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

of Philippe d'Orléans.Regent of France for the infant

His wife was a lady in waiting to

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 ...

and guardian of the infant

Issue

Anne Geneviève de Lévis Anne Geneviève de Lévis (February 1673 – 20 March 1727) was a French noblewoman. She was Princess of Turenne by her first marriage and Duchess of Rohan-Rohan, Princess of Soubise by her second marriage. Anne Geneviève was the only child ...

, "Mademoiselle de Ventadour", '' Princess of Turenne'', ''

Duchess of Rohan-Rohan References and notes

{{reflist Duchesses of Rohan-Rohan Dukes of Rohan-Rohan House of Rohan Lists of duchesses, Rohan ...

'', ''Princess of Maubuisson'',

Princess of Soubise Within the French nobility, "Princess of Soubise" was the title given to the wife of the Prince of Soubise. The title was established in 1667 when the ''sire, sirerie'' of Soubise, Charente-Maritime was elevated to a principality. The title was he ...

(February 1673 – 20 March 1727) #Married Louis Charles de La Tour d'Auvergne, Prince of Turenne in 1692 (son of

Godefroy Maurice de La Tour d'Auvergne Godefroy Maurice de La Tour d'Auvergne, Duke of Bouillon (21 June 1636 – 26 July 1721) was a French nobleman and member of the House of La Tour d'Auvergne, one of the most important families in France at the time. He married Marie Anne Manc ...

and

Marie Anne Mancini Marie Anne Mancini, Duchess of Bouillon (1649 – 20 June 1714), was an Italian-French aristocrat and cultural patron, the youngest of the five famous Mancini sisters, who along with two of their female Martinozzi cousins, were known at the ...

) had no issue; #Married Hercule Mériadec de Rohan, Duke of Rohan-Rohan in 1694, son of

François de Rohan François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * François Amoudruz (1926–2020), French resistance fighter * François-Marie Arouet (better known as Voltaire; 1 ...

and Anne de Rohan-Chabot, had issue.

Ancestry

References and notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Levis, Louis Charles De French Roman Catholics 1647 births 1717 deaths Louis Charles 17th-century peers of France 18th-century peers of France Dukes of Ventadour House of Montmorency