Charles Gabriel Marie ''Sosthène'' II de La Rochefoucauld (1 September 1825 – 27 August 1908), 4th

Duke of Doudeauville The House of La Rochefoucauld is one of France's ancient noble families, with origins dating back to the 10th century. The family's lineage begins with (973–1047), the first Lord of La Roche, later known as La Rochefoucauld (''Roche'' + ''Fouc ...

, 1st Duke of Bisaccia,

Grandee of Spain Grandee (; , ) is an official royal and noble ranks, aristocratic title conferred on some Spanish nobility. Holders of this dignity enjoyed similar privileges to those of the peerage of France during the , though in neither country did they ha ...

, was a French politician during the Third Republic who served as Deputy for Sarthe from 1871 to 1898 and French Ambassador to London from 1873 to 1874.

Early life

Sosthène was born on 1 September 1825 in Paris, France. He was the second son of

Sosthènes I de La Rochefoucauld Louis François ''Sosthènes'' I de La Rochefoucauld, Viscount of La Rochefoucauld, 2nd Duke of Doudeauville Grandee, GE (19 February 1785 – 5 October 1864), was a 19th-century French ultra-royalist politician. From 1814 to 1836, he was aide-de- ...

(1785–1864) and Elisabeth-Hélène-Pierre de Montmorency Laval (1790–1834). After his mother's death, his father married Angélique Herminie de La Brousse de Verteillac, in 1841. His elder brother was

Stanislas de La Rochefoucauld Stanislav and variants may refer to: People *Stanislav (given name), a Slavic given name with many spelling variations (Stanislaus, Stanislas, Stanisław, etc.) Places * Stanislav, Kherson Oblast, a coastal village in Ukraine * Stanislaus County, ...

, 3rd Duke of Doudeauville. His paternal grandparents were

Ambroise-Polycarpe de La Rochefoucauld Ambroise-Polycarpe de La Rochefoucauld Grandee, GE (2 April 1765 – 2 June 1841), 1st Duke of Doudeauville, was a French soldier and politician. He was Minister of the Royal Household from 1821 to 1827. Early life Ambroise-Polycarpe de La Roche ...

, 1st

, and the heiress Bénigne-Augustine Le Tellier de Louvois. His aunt, Françoise Charlotte Ernestine de La Rochfoucauld, was the wife of Pierre Jean Julie Chapt, Marquis of Rastignac. His maternal grandparents were the French

Minister of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...

Mathieu de Montmorency Mathieu Jean Felicité de Montmorency, 1st Duke of Montmorency-Laval (10 July 1767 – 24 March 1826) was a French statesman during the French Revolution and Bourbon Restoration. He was elected as the youngest deputy to the Estates-General of ...

, 1st

Duke of Montmorency-Laval Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ...

, and Pauline Hortense d'Albert de Luynes (a daughter of Louis Joseph d'Albert, 6th

Duke of Luynes The Duke of Luynes ( ) is a territorial name belonging to the noble France, French house d'Albert. Luynes, Indre-et-Loire, Luynes is, today, a commune in France, commune of the Indre-et-Loire ''département in France, département'' in France. The ...

Career

He was a Representative of Sarthe from 1871 to 1876, Deputy for Sarthe from 1876 to 1898. He also served as General Councilor and President of the General Council of

Sarthe Sarthe () is a department of the French region of Pays de la Loire, and the province of Maine, situated in the '' Grand-Ouest'' of the country. It is named after the river Sarthe, which flows from east of Le Mans to just north of Angers. It ha ...

. From 1873 to 1874, he served as Ambassador of France to the United Kingdom. Rochefoucauld was admitted to the

Jockey-Club de Paris The Jockey Club de Paris is a traditional gentlemen's club and is regarded as the most prestigious of private clubs in Paris. It is best remembered as a gathering place of the elite of nineteenth-century French society. Today it is decidedly but ...

in 1856, and was elected vice-president in 1877. In 1884, he became president and remained so until his death in 1908. He was also a member of several other Parisian clubs, including the

Société de l'histoire de France The Société de l'histoire de France (SHF) ( English: ''Society of the History of France'') was established on 21 December 1833 at the instigation of the French minister of Public Instruction, François Guizot, in order to contribute to the renew ...

. His son,

Armand Armand refer to: People * Armand (name), list of people with this name *Armand (photographer) (1901–1963), Armenian photographer *Armand (singer) (1946–2015), Dutch protest singer *Sean Armand (born 1991), American basketball player *Armand, ...

, was also president of the Jockey Club for more than forty years from 1919 to 1962, and his great-grandson,

Roland du Luart Roland du Luart (born 12 March 1940) is a former member of the Senate of France, who represented the Sarthe department. He was a member of the Union for a Popular Movement The Union for a Popular Movement ( ; UMP ) was a Liberal conservatism, ...

, has been president since 2014.

Peerages and honours

He was created Duke of Bisaccia (second creation) on 16 May 1851 by King Ferdinand II in the peerage of the

Kingdom of the Two Sicilies The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies () was a kingdom in Southern Italy from 1816 to 1861 under the control of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, Bourbons. The kingdom was the largest sovereign state by popula ...

, through his mother's family, the Montmorency-Lavals. After his father died at the family's

Château d'Armainvilliers The Chateau d'Armainvilliers is a historic château that today extends over the municipalities of Tournan-en-Brie and Gretz-Armainvilliers in Seine-et-Marne, France, approximately 30 miles east of Paris. History A château is mentioned there from ...

in 1864, his elder brother succeeded to the dukedom of Doudeauville. Both of his brother's sons predeceased him, however, so upon Stanislas's death in 1887, he became the 4th Duke of Doudeauville. From this title, he was also a

. He was admitted as a Bailiff Knight Grand Cross of the

Sovereign Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, and commonly known as the Order of Malta or the Knights of Malta, is a Catholic lay religious ...

Residences

The Duke of Doudeauville inherited the Hôtel de La Rochefoucauld-Doudeauville at 47 Rue de Varenne in the 7th arrondissement (today the Italian Embassy). He hired French architect

Henri Parent Aubert Henri Joseph Parent (; 12 April 1819 – 1895) was a French architect. Biography Aubert Henri Joseph Parent was born on 12 April 1819 in Valenciennes, Nord, Hauts-de-France. His brother, Clément Parent, Clément was the son in-law of Jos ...

to renovate the Hôtel by putting up panelling (originally in the

Château de Bercy A château (, ; plural: châteaux) is a manor house, or palace, or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking reg ...

) and creating a chapel, a winter garden, a dining room, stables for 25 horses, two rooms for eight carriages, two cellars and a grand staircase ("escalier d'honneur") panelled with

polychromatic Polychrome is the "practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." The term is used to refer to certain styles of architecture, pottery, or sculpture in multiple colors. When looking at artworks and a ...

marble plaques that was inspired by the Queen's staircase at the

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

. In

, he lived at the

Château de Bonnétable The Château de Bonnétable is a historic château that is located across the communes of Bonnétable and Briosne-lès-Sables, in the French departments of France, department of Sarthe in the Pays de la Loire region. History A fortified castle ha ...

and, in

Eure-et-Loir Eure-et-Loir (, locally: ) is a French department, named after the Eure and Loir rivers. It is located in the region of Centre-Val de Loire. In 2019, Eure-et-Loir had a population of 431,575.Château d'Esclimont The Château d'Esclimont is a historic château that is located in the commune of Auneau-Bleury-Saint-Symphorien (formerly Saint-Symphorien-le-Château), in the French departments of France, department of Eure-et-Loir in the Centre-Val de Loire re ...

, where his daughter Yolande was raised. Henri Parent was hired to restore these properties as well. He was also the owner of Vallée-aux-Loups ("''Wolf Valley''"), the former home of

François-René de Chateaubriand François-René, vicomte de Chateaubriand (4 September 1768 – 4 July 1848) was a French writer, politician, diplomat and historian who influenced French literature of the nineteenth century. Descended from an old aristocratic family from Bri ...

Châtenay-Malabry Châtenay-Malabry () is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris. It is located from the center of Paris. The French writer Chateaubriand lived in the estate at Châtenay-Malabry. The Garden City in the Butte Rouge, the , is one of t ...

, south of central Paris.

Personal life

On 6 April 1848, he married Princess ''Yolande'' of Polignac (1830–1855) in Paris. She was a daughter of Prime Minister Prince

Jules de Polignac Jules Auguste Armand Marie de Polignac, Count of Polignac (; 14 May 178030 March 1847), then Prince of Polignac, and briefly 3rd Duke of Polignac in 1847, was a French statesman and ultra-royalist politician after the Revolution. He served as pr ...

and the Hon. Mary Charlotte Parkyns (a daughter of the 1st Baron Rancliffe). Before her death on 15 March 1855, they were the parents of: * ''Yolande'' Françoise Marie Julienne de La Rochefoucauld (1849–1905), who married

Charles Honoré Emmanuel d'Albert de Luynes Charles Honoré Emmanuel d'Albert de Luynes, 9th Duke of Luynes (22 June 1846 – 2 December 1870) was a French aristocrat and soldier in the Papal Zouaves. Early life Charles Honoré Emmanuel was born on 22 June 1846. He was the eldest son of H ...

, 9th

, son of

Honoré-Louis d'Albert de Luynes Honoré-Louis d'Albert de Luynes (3 February 1823 – 9 January 1854), ''styled'' Duke of Chevreuse, was a French nobleman. Early life He was the only child of Honoré Théodoric d'Albert de Luynes, 8th Duke of Luynes, and Marie Françoise Dauve ...

and Valentine-Julie

de Contades Contades is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Anne d'Ornano Anne d'Ornano (née de Contades; born 7 December 1936) is a French politician. Early life Contades was born on 7 December 1936 in Paris. She is the daughter of th ...

. After her death, he married Princess ''Marie'' Georgine Sophie Hedwige Eugenie of Ligne (1843–1911) on 8 July 1862 at the

Château de Belœil A château (, ; plural: châteaux) is a manor house, or palace, or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaki ...

Beloeil, Belgium Belœil (; ; ) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is around 10 km south of Ath. On 1 January 2024 the municipality had 14,244 inhabitants. The total area is 62.26 km², giving a population ...

. She was the youngest daughter of the Belgian Ambassador to France,

Eugène, 8th Prince of Ligne Eugène François Charles Joseph Lamoral de Ligne d'Amblise et d'Epinoy (28 January 1804 – 20 May 1880), 8th Prince of Ligne and of the Holy Roman Empire was a Belgian diplomat and liberal politician. Early life He was born in Brussels on 2 ...

, and, his third wife, Princess Jadwiga Lubomirska (a daughter of Ukrainian Prince

Henryk Ludwik Lubomirski Prince Henryk Ludwik Lubomirski (15 September 1777 – 20 October 1850) was a Polish noble (szlachcic), magnate, political activist and patron of the arts. Life He was the son of Józef Aleksander Lubomirski and Ludwika Sosnowska. In 1807, he mar ...

). Together, they were the parents of: * ''Charles'' Marie François de La Rochefoucauld (1863–1907), who took the Spanish title of

Duke of Estrées Duke of Estrées ( Fr.: ''duc d'Estrées'') was a title of nobility in the peerage of France that was created for François Annibal d'Estrées in 1663 by Louis XIV of France. This title became extinct in 1771. In 1892, Alfonso XIII of Spain revived ...

(which was not recognized in France); he married Princess Charlotte of La Trémoïlle, a daughter of Prince Louis Charles de La Trémoille and Marguerite-Jeanne Tanneguy-Duchâtel (a daughter of Count Charles Marie Tanneguy Duchâtel). * Henri de La Rochefoucauld (1864–1866), who died young. * Elisabeth de la Rochefoucauld (1865–1946), who married her cousin, Louis, 9th Prince of Ligne, son of Prince Henri Maximilien of Ligne and Marie Louise Marguerite de Talleyrand-Périgord. * ''Armand'' François Jules Marie de La Rochefoucauld (1870–1963), 5th Duke of Doudeauville, who married Princess Marié Lise Radziwiłł, a daughter of Prince Constantine Radziwiłł and Louise Blanc of the Château d'

Ermenonville Ermenonville () is a commune in the Oise department, northern France. Located near Paris, Ermenonville is notable for its park named for Jean-Jacques Rousseau by René Louis de Girardin. Rousseau's tomb was designed by the painter Hubert Robe ...

(a daughter of

François Blanc François Blanc (; 12 December 1806 – 27 July 1877), nicknamed "The Magician of Homburg" and "The Magician of Monte Carlo", was a French entrepreneur and operator of casinos, including the Monte Carlo Casino in Monaco. His daughter, Marie-F� ...

and Marie Charlotte Blanc, who operated the

Monte Carlo Casino The Monte Carlo Casino, officially named Casino de Monte-Carlo, is a gambling and entertainment complex located in Monaco. It includes a casino, the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, and the office of Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo. The Casino de Monte-Carlo ...

). * Marie de La Rochefoucauld (1871–1952), who married Henri Eugène ''François'' Marie d'Harcourt, 10th

Duke of Harcourt When the Viking chieftain Rollo obtained the territories via the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte which would later make up Normandy, he distributed them as estates among his main supporters. Among these lands were the seigneurie of Harcourt, near ...

. * ''Édouard'' François Marie de La Rochefoucauld (1874–1968), 2nd Duke of Bisaccia who married Camille de Colbert-Chabanais, a daughter of Édouard de Colbert, 3rd Baron de Colbert, Marquis de Chabannais, and Françoise Marie Auguste von Berckheim. The Duke died at the Château de

Bonnétable Bonnétable () is a commune in the Sarthe department in the region of Pays de la Loire, northwestern France. In February 1965, it absorbed the former commune Aulaines.Sarthe Sarthe () is a department of the French region of Pays de la Loire, and the province of Maine, situated in the '' Grand-Ouest'' of the country. It is named after the river Sarthe, which flows from east of Le Mans to just north of Angers. It ha ...

on 27 August 1908.

Descendants

Through his daughter Yolande, he was a grandfather of

Honoré d'Albert de Luynes ''Honoré'' Charles Marie Sosthène d'Albert de Luynes, 10th Duke of Luynes (30 October 1868 – 13 March 1924) was a French aristocrat and diplomat. Early life Luynes was born on 30 October 1868 at the Château de Dampierre in Dampierre-en-Yve ...

, 10th Duke of Luynes (1868–1924), who married Simone Louise Laure de Crussol d'Uzes (a daughter of Emmanuel de Crussol, 12th

Duke of Uzès Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ...

and

Anne de Rochechouart de Mortemart Anne de Rochechouart (''Marie Adrienne Anne Victurnienne Clémentine''; 10 February 1847 – 3 February 1933), was a wealthy French aristocrat. She inherited a large fortune from her great-grandmother, the founder of the Veuve Clicquot Champagne ...

, who inherited a large fortune from her great-grandmother,

Madame Clicquot Ponsardin Madame Clicquot (; ; 16 December 1777 – 29 July 1866), also known as Barbe Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, Widow Clicquot, Veuve Clicquot, and the Grande Dame of Champagne, was a French Champagne producer. She took on her husband's wine business w ...

, founder of

Veuve Clicquot Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin () is a Champagne house founded in 1772 and based in Reims. It is one of the largest Champagne houses. Madame Clicquot Ponsardin, Madame Clicquot is credited with major breakthroughs, creating the first known Champag ...

); and Yolande Louise Marie Valentine d'Albert de Luynes (1870–1952), who married

Adrien de Noailles ''Adrien'' Maurice Victurnien Mathieu de Noailles, 8th Duke of Noailles (22 September 1869 – 23 October 1953), was a French aristocrat and Olympian. Early life He was the eldest son of Jules Charles Victurnien de Noailles, 7th Duke of Noailles, ...

, 8th

Duke of Noailles The title of Duke of Noailles is a French peerage created in 1663 for Anne de Noailles, Count of Ayen. History Noailles is the name of a prominent French noble family, derived from the castle of Noailles in the territory of Ayen, between Briv ...

(a son of

Jules Charles Victurnien de Noailles ''Jules'' Charles Victurnien de Noailles, 7th Duke of Noailles (12 October 1826 – 6 March 1895), was a French aristocrat. Early life He was born in Paris on 12 October 1826. He was the eldest son of Paul de Noailles, 6th Duke of Noailles (who su ...

, 7th Duke of Noailles). Through his son Armand, he was a grandfather of Sosthènes III de La Rochefoucauld (1897–1970), 6th Duke of Doudeauville, who married Countess Leonor de Saavedra of Torrehermosa; and Armand Charles François Marie de La Rochefoucauld (1902–1995), 7th Duke of Doudeauville, who married Esther Millicent Clarke (and had a natural son with Clémentine Elisabeth Brandt). Through his youngest son Édouard, he was a grandfather of Marie-Carmen de La Rochefoucauld (1902–1999), who married Count of Mailly-Nesles; Count Stanislas of La Rochefoucauld (1903–1965), who married Sophie Alice Cocea and Princess Jeanne Princess of San Felice de Viggiano; and Elisabeth de La Rochefoucauld (1909–2006), who married Elliot Robert Le Gras du Luart de Montsaulnin and Mario Fausto Maria Pinci.

References

;Notes ;Sources

External links

La Rochefoucauld Family
at

Encyclopædia Britannica The is a general knowledge, general-knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It has been published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. since 1768, although the company has changed ownership seven times. The 2010 version of the 15th edition, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:La Rochefoucauld, Sosthenes II De 1825 births 1908 deaths Politicians from Paris Dukes of France Nobility from Paris