Philippe Henri, Marquis de Ségur (20 January 1724 – 3 October 1801) was a

nobleman 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 ...

Marshal of France Marshal of France (, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to General officer, generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1793–1804) ...

and

Secretary of State for War The secretary of state for war, commonly called the war secretary, was a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, which existed from 1794 to 1801 and from 1854 to 1964. The secretary of state for war headed the War Offic ...

under King

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 later King

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- ...

. He was a grandson of Philippe, Duc d'Orléans,

Biography

Born in Paris, son of Henri François, Comte de Ségur and his wife Philippe Angélique de Froissy, Philippe Henri was appointed to the command of an

infantry regiment Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

at eighteen, and served under his father in Italy and

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

. He was wounded at Roucoux in

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

in October 1746, and lost an arm at Lauffeld in 1747. In 1748 he succeeded his father as lieutenant-general of

Champagne Champagne (; ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...

and

Brie Brie ( ; ) is a soft cow's-milk cheese named after Brie (itself from Gaulish ''briga'', "hill, height"), the French region from which it originated (roughly corresponding to the modern of Seine-et-Marne). It is pale in colour with a slight gre ...

; he also received in 1753 the governorship of the county of

Foix Foix ( , ; ; ) is a commune, the former capital of the County of Foix. It is the capital of the department of Ariège as it is the seat of the prefecture of that department. Foix is located in the Occitanie region of southwestern France ...

.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, pp. 7, 24, 25, 149, 150, 154–157 et 163 During the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

he fought at Hastenbeck (1757),

Krefeld Krefeld ( , ; ), also spelled Crefeld until 1925 (though the spelling was still being used in British papers throughout the Second World War), is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, its c ...

(1758) and

Minden Minden () is a middle-sized town in the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the largest town in population between Bielefeld and Hanover. It is the capital of the district () of Minden-Lübbecke, situated in the cultural region ...

(1759). In 1760 he was taken prisoner at Kloster Kampen.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, pp. 171, 173 et 176 The ability which he showed in the government of

Franche-Comté Franche-Comté (, ; ; Frainc-Comtou dialect, Frainc-Comtou: ''Fraintche-Comtè''; ; also ; ; all ) is a cultural and Provinces of France, historical region of eastern France. It is composed of the modern departments of France, departments of Doub ...

in 1775 led in 1780 to his appointment as Minister for War under

Jacques Necker Jacques Necker (; 30 September 1732 – 9 April 1804) was a Republic of Geneva, Genevan banker and statesman who served as List of Finance Ministers of France, finance minister for Louis XVI of France, Louis XVI. He was a reformer, but his innov ...

. He created in 1783 the permanent

general staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, Enlisted rank, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commanding officer, commander of a ...

, and made admirable regulations with regard to barracks and military hospitals; and though he was officially responsible for the reactionary decree requiring four quarterings of nobility as a condition for the appointment of officers, the scheme is said not to have originated with him and to have been adopted under protest. On 13 June 1783 he became a marshal of France. He resigned from the ministry of war in 1787.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, pp. 190, 230–234, 258 et 319 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 ...

he was imprisoned in La Force, and after his release was reduced to considerable straits until in 1800 he received an annual pension of 6,000

francs The franc is any of various units of currency. One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes. The name is said to derive from the Latin inscription ''francorum rex'' ( King of the Franks) used on early French coins and until the 18th centur ...

from

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 ...

. He died in Paris the next year.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, pp. 348, 349, 360 et 361

Family

Philippe Henri de Ségur married on 3 February 1749 in Paris Louise-Anne-Madeleine de Vernon (1729–1778), daughter of Alexandre de Vernon (c. 1654–1729) and Anne Duvivier. They had two sons: * Louis Philippe, Comte de Ségur * Joseph-Alexandre Pierre, Vicomte de Ségur Both sons, Louis Philippe and Jospeh Alexandre Pierre, were 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.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

Pierre Victor, Baron de Besenval

Joseph-Alexandre Pierre de Ségur was actually the son of Philippe Henri de Ségur's best friend Pierre Victor, Baron de Besenval de Brunstatt, usually just referred to as Baron de Besenval (the suffix Brunstatt refers to the former barony). The fact that the Baron de Besenval was the father of the second son was no secret within the family. After the death of his best friend and military comrade Pierre Victor, Baron de Besenval, in 1791, Philippe Henri de Ségur inherited the

usufruct Usufruct () is a limited real right (or ''in rem'' right) found in civil law and mixed jurisdictions that unites the two property interests of ''usus'' and ''fructus'': * ''Usus'' (''use'', as in usage of or access to) is the right to use or en ...

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 ...

.Gabrielle 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. 148–151Gouverneur Morris: ''Journal de Gouverneur Morris,'' par E. Pariset, traduit de l'anglais, Plon-Nourrit et Cie., Imprimeurs-Éditeurs, 8, rue, Garancière, Paris, 1901, p. 8Jean-Jacques Fiechter / Benno Schubiger: ''L'Ambassade de Suisse à Paris,'' Ambassade de Suisse, 2ème édition, août 1994, p. 17

Titles and decorations

Knight of the Holy Spirit effective 7 June 1767.

References

External links