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 people, Breton family of viscounts, later dukes and princes in the French nobility, coming from the locality of Rohan (commune), Rohan in Brittany. Their line descends from the viscounts of Porhoët ...

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 Armand de Rohan (Armand Gaston Maximilien; 26 June 1674 – 19 July 1749) was a French churchman and politician. He became Bishop of Strasbourg in 1704, Cardinal in 1712 then Grand Almoner of France in 1713 and member of the regency council ...

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 diocese ...

, 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 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 includ ...

'' 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 Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...

. 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 (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

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 François-Armand-Auguste de Rohan-Soubise, Prince of Tournon, Prince of Rohan (1 December 1717, Paris – 28 June 1756, Saverne) was a French prelate, Prince-Bishop of Strasbourg. His parents, Anne Julie de Melun and Jules, Prince de 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 *Justinus vo ...

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

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

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

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

had been annexed by

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

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 of ...

, unlike other members of the Rohan family who became bishops of

. 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, summoned upon the death of Pope Clement XIII, nor in the conclave of 1774-1775, 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 vis ...

: ''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 Lower Alsace (northern Alsace) was a landgraviate of the Holy Roman Empire held ''ex officio'' by the Bishop of Strasbourg. Prior to is acquisition by the bishopric, it was held by the counts of Hüneburg. In 1174 Count Gottfried of Hüneburg ...

); 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 la ...

Cardinals created by Clement XIII Pope Clement XIII (r. 1758–1769) created 52 Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinals in seven College of Cardinals, consistories. September 11, 1758 # Carlo Rezzonico (cardinal), Carlo Rezzonico October 2, 1758 # Antonio Marino Priuli # François-Jo ...

List of bishops, prince-bishops and archbishops 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 *Justinus v ...

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 OCLC, Online Computer Library Center (OCLC). History Discussion about having a c ...