Louis François ''Sosthènes'' I de La Rochefoucauld, Viscount of La Rochefoucauld, 2nd

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 ...

GE (19 February 1785 – 5 October 1864), was a 19th-century French

ultra-royalist The Ultra-royalists (, collectively Ultras) were a Politics of France, French political faction from 1815 to 1830 under the Bourbon Restoration in France, Bourbon Restoration. An Ultra was usually a member of the nobility of high society who str ...

politician. From 1814 to 1836, he was aide-de-camp to Charles, Count of Artois (future

Charles X Charles X may refer to: * Charles X of France (1757–1836) * Charles X Gustav (1622–1660), King of Sweden * Charles, Cardinal de Bourbon (1523–1590), recognized as Charles X of France but renounced the royal title See also * * King Charle ...

) and from 1824 to 1830, the King's Director of Fine Arts. He served in the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourb ...

in 1815 and from 1827 to 1830 during the

Bourbon Restoration Bourbon Restoration may refer to: France under the House of Bourbon: * Bourbon Restoration in France (1814, after the French revolution and Napoleonic era, until 1830; interrupted by the Hundred Days in 1815) Spain under the Spanish Bourbons: * Ab ...

, until his retirement from public life after the

July Revolution The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution (), Second French Revolution, or ("Three Glorious ays), was a second French Revolution after French Revolution, the first of 1789–99. It led to the overthrow of King Cha ...

in 1830. From 1861 to 1864 he published his memoirs with his correspondence in fifteen volumes.

Early life

He was born in Paris on 19 February 1785. He was the son of

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 heiress Bénigne-Augustine Le Tellier de Louvois. His sister was Françoise Charlotte Ernestine de La Rochfoucauld, who married Pierre Jean Julie Chapt, Marquis of Rastignac. His paternal grandparents were Anne-Sabine-Rosalie de Chauvelin (a daughter of Germain Louis de Chauvelin) and Brig. Jean-François de La Rochefoucauld, 5th Marquis of Surgères, who was Governor of

Chartres Chartres () is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Eure-et-Loir Departments of France, department in the Centre-Val de Loire Regions of France, region in France. It is located about southwest of Paris. At the 2019 census, there were 1 ...

. His maternal grandparents were Charlotte-Bénigne Le Ragois de Bretonvilliers and Charles-François-César Le Tellier de Louvois (a descendant of

François-Michel le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois François Michel Le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois (; 18 January 1641 – 16 July 1691) was the French Secretary of State for War during a significant part of the reign of Louis XIV. He is commonly referred to as "Louvois". Together with his father, ...

). His niece, Zénaïde Chapt de Rastignac, married

François XIV de La Rochefoucauld 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; 16 ...

, 9th

Duke of La Rochefoucauld 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 ...

(eldest son and heir of

François de La Rochefoucauld, 8th Duke of La Rochefoucauld 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; 16 ...

) His aunt, Anne Alexandrine Rosalie de La Rochefoucauld, Countess of Durtal, was

guillotine A guillotine ( ) is an apparatus designed for effectively carrying out executions by Decapitation, beheading. The device consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top. The condemned person is secur ...

d in Paris in 1794 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 ...

Career

La Rochefoucauld was appointed aide-de-camp to General Jean Joseph Dessolles immediately after the Allies entered Paris in 1814. He was sent to Nancy to inform Charles, Count of Artois of the formation of the provisional government and the fall of

Napoleon 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 ...

. Due to his role in the reestablishment of the "legitimate throne" after the fall of Napoleon, including attempting to bring down the statue of Napoleon on the

Vendôme Column Vendôme (, ) is a subprefecture of the department of Loir-et-Cher, France. It is also the department's third-biggest commune with 15,856 inhabitants (2019). It is one of the main towns along the river Loir. The river divides itself at the ...

, he was excluded from the amnesty that Bonaparte promulgated, on his return from the island of Elba. La Rochefoucauld accompanied King

Louis XVIII Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. Before his reign, he spent 23 y ...

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

, and was appointed Colonel of the 5th Legion of the

National Guard National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. ...

of Paris and aide-de-camp to Charles,

Count of Artois The count of Artois (, ) was the ruler over the County of Artois from the 9th century until the abolition of the countship by the French Revolution, French revolutionaries in 1790. House of Artois *Odalric () *Altmar () *Adelelm (?–932) *''C ...

during the Second Restoration. On 22 August 1815, he was elected Deputy for

Marne Marne can refer to: Places France *Marne (river), a tributary of the Seine *Marne (department), a département in northeastern France named after the river * La Marne, a commune in western France *Marne, a legislative constituency (France) Nethe ...

in the

, voting with the

majority of the "

Chambre introuvable The ( French for "Unobtainable Chamber") was the first Chamber of Deputies elected after the Second Bourbon Restoration in 1815. It was dominated by Ultra-royalists who completely refused to accept the results of the French Revolution. The n ...

" He was unable to be re-elected in 1816 as he was under the newly required age, however, he remained aide-de-camp to the Count of Artois. As an intimate of Zoé Talon du Cayla, he continued his influence in favor of absolute monarchy by pushing her towards

Director of Fine Arts

In August 1824, King Louis XVIII named him Director General of the Division of Fine Arts and Royal Theaters, a department within the

Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the ...

under Minister Jacques Joseph de Corbière. When the King died a few days later, he selected

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...

as the official poet for the

Coronation of Charles X of France The coronation of Charles X took place on 29 May 1825 in Reims, where he was crowned King of France and Navarre. The ceremony was held at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Reims in Reims, the traditional site for the coronations of the Kings of Fran ...

. As Director-General of Fine Arts, his duties included supervision of the Royal Theaters and Royal Museums. A number of decrees during his tenure were unpopular, including regulating the length of Opera dancer's skirts, and having plaster vine leaves applied to the middle of all the statues. With the help of Guillaume Capelle, he unsuccessfully tried to take control of the newspapers undertaking to remove

Joseph-François Michaud Joseph–François Michaud (; 19 June 1767 – 30 September 1839) was a French historian and publicist. Biography Michaud was born at either La Biolle or Albens in the Duchy of Savoy (then a part of the Holy Roman Empire and a possession of the ...

, a highly critical royalist journalist, from overseeing ''

La Quotidienne ''La Quotidienne'' () was a French Royalist newspaper. History It was set up in 1790 by M. de Coutouly. It ceased publication in the face of events in 1792, before returning to print in July 1794 under the title ''Le Tableau de Paris'', returning ...

''. He was able to get

to authorize the purchase of

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

's ''Intervention of the Sabine Women'' and ''Thermopyle'' for the Louvre, and

Théodore Géricault Jean-Louis André Théodore Géricault (; 26 September 1791 – 26 January 1824) was a French painter and lithographer, whose best-known painting is '' The Raft of the Medusa''. Despite his short life, he was one of the pioneers of the Romanti ...

's ''

The Raft of the Medusa ''The Raft of the Medusa'' ( ) – originally titled ''Scène de Naufrage'' (''Shipwreck Scene'') – is an oil painting of 1818–1819 by the French Romantic painter and lithographer Théodore Géricault (1791–1824). Completed when the ar ...

'', which was bought from the painter's heirs in 1824. In 1825, together with Louis Nicolas Philippe Auguste de Forbin, he chose the subjects for the decorations of the ceilings of four rooms, intended for the

Conseil d'État In France, the (; Council of State) is a governmental body that acts both as legal adviser to the executive branch and as the supreme court for administrative justice, which is one of the two branches of the French judiciary system. Establ ...

of the

Jacques Lemercier Jacques Lemercier (; c. 1585 in Pontoise – 13 January 1654 in Paris) was a French architect and engineer, one of the influential trio that included Louis Le Vau and François Mansart who formed the classicizing French Baroque manner, drawin ...

wing of the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

. After July 1830, the position of Director of Fine Arts remained vacant until journalist Edmond Cavé was appointed in 1833.

Later years

He was promoted to ''

Maréchal de camp ''Maréchal de camp'' (sometimes incorrectly translated as field marshal) was a general officer rank used by the French Army until 1848. The rank originated from the older rank of sergeant major general ( French: ''sergent-major général'') ...

'' in May 1825, before being elected to the Chamber of Deputies on 24 November 1827, as a Deputy of Marne. After the

of 1830, La Rochefoucauld remained in contact with the royal family in exile. The Duchess of Angoulême (the eldest child of 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- ...

and Queen

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette (; ; Maria Antonia Josefa Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last List of French royal consorts, queen of France before the French Revolution and the establishment of the French First Republic. She was the ...

, and their only child to reach adulthood) asked him to investigate Karl Wilhelm Naundorff, who claimed to be her brother who died in

Temple prison The Square du Temple is a garden in Paris, France in the 3rd arrondissement, established in 1857. It is one of 24 city squares planned and created by Georges-Eugène Haussmann and Jean-Charles Adolphe Alphand. The Square occupies the site ...

. As a legitimist, La Rochefoucauld was opposed to the

July Monarchy The July Monarchy (), officially the ''Kingdom of France'' (), was a liberalism, liberal constitutional monarchy in France under , starting on 9 August 1830, after the revolutionary victory of the July Revolution of 1830, and ending 26 Februar ...

and was prosecuted for his pamphlet ''Today and Tomorrow'' (

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

: '' Aujourd'hui et demain''), published in 1832. He was defended by

Pierre-Antoine Berryer Pierre-Antoine Berryer (4 January 179029 November 1868) was a French advocate and parliamentary orator. He was the twelfth member elected to occupy Seat Four of the Académie française in 1852. Biography Early years Berryer was born in Paris, t ...

but lost and was imprisoned for three months in the

Sainte-Pélagie Prison Sainte-Pélagie was a prison in Paris, in active use from 1790 to 1899. It was founded earlier than that, however, in 1662, as place for "repentant girls" and later "debauched women and girls." The former Parisian prison was located between the ...

in 1833. Upon his father's death in 1841, he inherited the dukedom of Doudeauville and the marquisate of Surgères. From 1861 to 1864 he published his memoirs with his correspondence in fifteen volumes.

Personal life

In 1807, he married Elisabeth-Hélène-Pierre de Montmorency Laval (1790–1834), a daughter of

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, 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 ...

). To the marriage, Elisabeth brought the Château d'Esclimont at

Saint-Symphorien-le-Château Saint-Symphorien-le-Château () is a former commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France. In January 2012 it merged with Bleury into the new commune Bleury-Saint-Symphorien, which was merged into Auneau-Bleury-Saint-Symphorien on ...

and the Château de Bonnétable in

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. * ''Ambroisine'' Marie Joséphine Élisabeth de La Rochefoucauld (1821–1835), who died young. * Augustin Marie Mathieu ''Stanislas'' de La Rochefoucauld (1822–1887), 3rd Duke of Doudeauville, who married Marie de Colbert-Chabanais in 1853. * ''Hortense'' Marie Pierre de La Rochefoucauld (b. 1823), who died young. * Charles Gabriel Marie ''Sosthène'' II de La Rochefoucauld (1825–1908), 4th Duke of Doudeauville who was created Duke of Bisaccia in 1851 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 ...

; he married Princess Yolande of Polignac, 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 ...

, in 1848. After her death, he married Princess Marie de Ligne, youngest daughter of

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 ...

. * Augustin Louis Marie Mathieu Ernest de La Rochefoucauld (b. 1826), who died young. * ''Marie'' Georgine Gertrude de La Rochefoucauld (1827–1840), who died young. A widower, he remarried on 18 August 1841 to Angélique Herminie de La Brousse de Verteillac (1797–1881), daughter of François-Gabriel-Thibault of La Brousse de Verteillac, Marquis de Verteillac, Baron de La Tour Blanche, and Charlotte Félicité Élisabeth Tiercelin d'Appelvoisin. She was the widow of Félix de Bourbon-Conti (recognized natural son of

Louis François, Prince of Conti Louis François de Bourbon, or Louis François I, Prince of Conti (13 August 1717 – 2 August 1776), was a French nobleman who became the Prince of Conti from 1727 to his death, succeeding his father, Louis Armand II, Prince of Conti, Louis Arman ...

). When her first husband died in 1840, she inherited Hôtel de Boisgelin (which later became known as the Hôtel de La Rochefoucauld-Doudeauville). La Rochefoucauld died at

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 ...

Seine-et-Marne Seine-et-Marne () is a department in the Île-de-France region in Northern France. Named after the rivers Seine and Marne, it is the region's largest department with an area of 5,915 square kilometres (2,284 square miles); it roughly covers its ...

on 5 October 1864.

Descendants

Through his son Stanislas, he was a grandfather of Charles Marie Mathieu Sosthène de La Rochefoucauld (1855–1875) and Auguste François Marie Stanislas Mathieu de La Rochefoucauld (1863–1881). As both boys predeceased their father, without issue, the dukedom and titles reverted to the 2nd Duke's younger son, Sosthène II.

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, Sosthènes De 1785 births 1864 deaths French Ultra-royalists Politicians from Paris Viscounts of France Nobility from Paris Members of the 1st Chamber of Deputies of the Bourbon Restoration Members of the 4th Chamber of Deputies of the Bourbon Restoration