Louis César Constantin de Rohan (24 March 1697, Paris – 11 March 1779, Paris) was a French

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...

of the

House of Rohan The House of Rohan ( br, Roc'han) is a Breton family of viscounts, later dukes and princes in the French nobility, coming from the locality of Rohan in Brittany. Their line descends from the viscounts of Porhoët and is said to trace back to ...

Biography

Origin and youth

Louis César Constantin de Rohan-Guéméne 02

Louis Constantin de Rohan-Montbazon Negges

Louis Caesar Constantine de Rohan-Guemène belonged to the

, an ancient and powerful family of the nobility of Brittany which dates back to the xi ^th century. Son of Charles III de Rohan, cousin of Armand-Gaston-Maximilien de Rohan and his second wife, Charlotte-Elisabeth de Cochefilet (1657-1719), he is the fourteenth and last child of the couple. His brother Armand-Jules de Rohan-Guémené, future

archbishop of Reims The Archdiocese of Reims (traditionally spelt "Rheims" in English) ( la, Archidiœcesis Remensis; French: ''Archidiocèse de Reims'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastic territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. Erected as a dioces ...

, had chosen the ecclesiastical state. Louis-César-Constantin de Rohan embraced at first the career of arms. He was first a Knight of Malta before entering the navy as a naval officer. He was promoted to ''

capitaine de vaisseau Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navy, navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The rank is equal to the army rank of colonel and air force rank of group captain. Equivalent ranks worldwide in ...

'' in 1720.

Career in the Church

In 1732, at the age of 35, he and entered upon an ecclesiastical career, being named canon and grand provost of Strasbourg. In 1734 he was appointed commendatory Abbot of

Lyre Abbey Lyre Abbey (french: L'abbaye Notre-Dame de Lyre) was a monastery in Normandy, founded in 1046 at what is now the village of La Vieille-Lyre. From the mid-12th century it was a Benedictine house. It was abolished at the French Revolution and the ab ...

, near Evreux, then first

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...

to the King in 1748, commendatory Abbot of Saint-Epvre the following year, and prelate-commander of the Order of the Holy Spirit in 1753. On the death in 1756 of his uncle, Armand de Rohan-Soubise, he was appointed to succeed him as

Bishop of Strasbourg {{Unreferenced, date=December 2009 These persons were bishop, archbishop or prince-bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Strasbourg (including historically Prince-Bishopric of Strasbourg): Bishops and prince-bishops * Amandus *Justinu ...

, a post which carried with it the title of Prince of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

(though most of the principality's territory situated on the left bank of the

Rhine The Rhine ; french: Rhin ; nl, Rijn ; wa, Rén ; li, Rien; rm, label=Sursilvan, Rein, rm, label=Sutsilvan and Surmiran, Ragn, rm, label=Rumantsch Grischun, Vallader and Puter, Rain; it, Reno ; gsw, Rhi(n), including in Alsatian dialect, Al ...

had been annexed by

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

in the late 17th century) and likewise the title of Count of Alsace. However, he was not made

Grand Almoner of France {{other uses, Almoner The Grand Almoner of France (french: Grand aumônier de France) was an officer of the French monarchy and a member of the '' Maison du Roi'' ("King's Household") during the ''Ancien Régime''. He directed the religious branch o ...

, unlike other members of the Rohan family who became bishops of Strasbourg. He was created cardinal by

Pope Clement XIII Pope Clement XIII ( la, Clemens XIII; it, Clemente XIII; 7 March 1693 – 2 February 1769), born Carlo della Torre di Rezzonico, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 July 1758 to his death in February 1769. ...

at the Consistory of 23 November 1761. However, he did not take part in the

conclave of 1769 A papal conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a bishop of Rome, also known as the pope. Catholics consider the pope to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and the earthly head of the Catholic Church. Co ...

, summoned upon the death of Pope Clement XIII, nor in the

conclave of 1774-1775 A papal conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a bishop of Rome, also known as the pope. Catholics consider the pope to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and the earthly head of the Catholic Church. Co ...

, summoned upon the death of

Pope Clement XIV Pope Clement XIV ( la, Clemens XIV; it, Clemente XIV; 31 October 1705 – 22 September 1774), born Giovanni Vincenzo Antonio Ganganelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 May 1769 to his death in Sep ...

. His cousin and successor as Cardinal Prince-

, Louis-René-Édouard de Rohan-Guémené, would be compromised in the

Affair of the Diamond Necklace The Affair of the Diamond Necklace (, "Affair of the Queen's Necklace") was an incident from 1784 to 1785 at the court of King Louis XVI of France that involved his wife, Queen Marie Antoinette. The Queen's reputation, already tarnished by gossi ...

Coat of arms

Blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visua ...

: ''Quarterly: in 1 and 4: from gules to a strip of silver loaded with a cotice of Vert; In 2 and 3: Gules to the silver band rubbed with two blossoms of the same (which is Basse-Alsace); On the whole, quartered: in 1 and 4: Gules with golden chains placed in orle, cross and saltire, loaded in the heart of an emerald in the natural (which is

Navarre Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...

); In 2 and 3: Azure with fleur-de-lys of gold; On the whole: part: in 1: Gules with nine twins , laid 3, 3, 3 (which is Rohan ); And in 2 of ermine (which is from Brittany ).'' Comments: Louis Constantin de Rohan-Montbazon Muenze

Louis Constantin de Rohan-Montbazon Muenze

Bibliography

* Louis Châtellier, "Louis-César-Constantin de Rohan", ''New dictionary of Alsatian biography'' , vol. 32, p. 3268 * Jean-Claude Fauveau
''Prince Louis, Cardinal de Rohan-Guéméné, or the Diamonds of the King''
on ''Google Books'' , Éditions L'Harmattan, 2007, p. 31 * Michel Popoff and preface by Hervé Pinoteau, Paris, Leopard d'or,1996, 204 p. ( ) ;

Palais Rohan, Strasbourg The Palais Rohan (Rohan Palace) in Strasbourg is the former residence of the prince-bishops and cardinals of the House of Rohan, an ancient French noble family originally from Brittany. It is a major architectural, historical, and cultural l ...

* Cardinals created by Clement XIII * List of bishops, prince-bishops and archbishops of Strasbourg

External links

On other Wikimedia projects: * Louis-Constantin de Rohan, on Wikimedia Commons * ''Authority Records'' :

Virtual International Authority File The Virtual International Authority File (VIAF) is an international authority file. It is a joint project of several national libraries and operated by the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC). History Discussion about having a common ...