Charles Juste de Beauvau, Prince of Craon (10 September 1720 – 21 May 1793), 2nd

Prince of Craon The princely title of Prince of Craon was a title used by the Beauvau family using their status as Prince of the Holy Roman Empire which was gained in 1722 which was later fully recognised by Louis XV of France in 1755 and was inherited by legi ...

(1754),

Marshal of France Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished ( ...

(1783) was a French scholar, nobleman and general. The son of Marc de Beauvau, he was also brother of the famous Madame de Boufflers and through her uncle to the poet Stanislas de Boufflers.

Personal and public life

Charles Juste was born at the Hôtel de Craon in

Lunéville Lunéville ( ; German, obsolete: ''Lünstadt'' ) is a commune in the northeastern French department of Meurthe-et-Moselle. It is a subprefecture of the department and lies on the river Meurthe at its confluence with the Vezouze. History L ...

in the capital of the

Duchy of Lorraine The Duchy of Lorraine (french: Lorraine ; german: Lothringen ), originally Upper Lorraine, was a duchy now included in the larger present-day region of Lorraine in northeastern France. Its capital was Nancy. It was founded in 959 following th ...

Beauvau family Beauvau was a historic family originating in Anjou. The Beauvau du Rivau branch was rooted in Brittany and produced two bishops of Nantes, whilst the Craon (Prince of Craon) branch was established in Lorraine later enjoying great intimacy with t ...

was the most powerful family in Lorraine after the ruling

Duke of Lorraine The rulers of Lorraine have held different posts under different governments over different regions, since its creation as the kingdom of Lotharingia by the Treaty of Prüm, in 855. The first rulers of the newly established region were kings of ...

. His mother, Anne Marguerite de Ligneville, was the mistress of

Leopold, Duke of Lorraine Leopold the Good (11 September 1679 – 27 March 1729) was Duke of Lorraine and Bar from 1690 to his death. Through his son Francis Stephen, he is the direct male ancestor of all rulers of the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty, including all Emperors of ...

, husband of

Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans (13 September 1676 – 23 December 1744) was a ''petite-fille de France'', and Duchess of Lorraine and Bar by marriage to Leopold, Duke of Lorraine. She was regent of Lorraine and Bar during the minority (1729– ...

(niece of

Louis XIV Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...

). He was the thirteenth of twenty children. He married twice; firstly on 3 April 1745 to Marie Charlotte de La Tour d'Auvergne (20 December 1729 – 6 September 1763), daughter of

Emmanuel Théodose de La Tour d'Auvergne Emmanuel-Théodose de La Tour d'Auvergne, cardinal de Bouillon (24 August 1643 – 2 March 1715, Rome) was a French prelate and diplomat. Biography Originally known as the Duc d'Albret, he was the son of Frédéric Maurice de La Tour d'Auvergn ...

and his last wife Louise Henriette Françoise de Lorraine. The couple had one child who married into the Noailles family. His first wife Marie Charlotte died of

Smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

aged 33. Marie Charlotte died in 1763. The next year, on 14 March, he married again; this time to Marie Charlotte Sylvie de Rohan-Chabot, a cousin of

Charles, Prince of Soubise Charles de Rohan (16 July 17151 July 1787), Prince of Soubise, Duke of Rohan-Rohan, Seigneur of Roberval, and Marshal of France from 1758, was a soldier, and minister to kings Louis XV and Louis XVI. He was the last male of his branch of the Ho ...

. The couple had no children Marie Charlotte Sylvie outliving her husband till 1807. He entered military service for France and was made a lieutenant of the Cavalry on 10 December 1738; colonel of the guard (Lorraine) on 1 May 1740 and distinguished himself under the leadership of the Duke of Belle-Isle at the Siege of Prague in 1742. Created a Brigadier on 16 May 1746 he was later created a

Field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

on 10 May 1748. He was later elevated to

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on th ...

on 28 December 1758. He gained further distinction in 1762 while serving in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

. He was named the Governor of

Languedoc The Province of Languedoc (; , ; oc, Lengadòc ) is a former province of France. Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately ...

on 12 June 1747, he was later created the governor of

Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bo ...

. A

Grandee of Spain Grandee (; es, Grande de España, ) is an official 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 ...

, first class from 11 May 1754, he became a Knight of the

Order of the Holy Spirit , status = Abolished in 1830 after the July RevolutionRecognised as a dynastic order of chivalry by the ICOC , founder = Henry III of France , head_title = Grand Master , head = Disputed:Louis Alphonse, Duke of Anjou Jean, Count of Pari ...

, the highest decoration in

Ancien régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for " ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...

France (1 January 1757). He had dealings with the

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

. He kept a fashionable salon, keeping company with the likes of

Jean Devaines Jean Devaines (c. 1735, Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely popula ...

, the philosopher

Jean-François Marmontel Jean-François Marmontel (11 July 1723 – 31 December 1799) was a French historian, writer and a member of the Encyclopédistes movement. Biography He was born of poor parents at Bort, Limousin (today in Corrèze). After studying with ...

, the poet Jean François de Saint-Lambert as well as his nephew Stanislas de Boufflers. He was created a Marshal of France in 1783. In 1789, he served in the

Secretary of State for War The Secretary of State for War, commonly called 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 Office and ...

for six months. A supporter of reforms, he was untroubled by the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

and died in his bed at the height of the

Reign of Terror The Reign of Terror (french: link=no, la Terreur) was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the First French Republic, First Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public Capital punishment, executions took pl ...

. The ''maréchal de Beauvau'', died at the ''hôtel de Beauvau'', his Parisian residence on the

Place Beauvau Place Beauvau (English: Beauvau Square) is a public square in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, at the intersection of the Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, Avenue de Marigny, Rue des Saussaies and Rue de Miromesnil. It is located in the La Madelein ...

, named after him. The hôtel was built by the architect Nicolas Le Camus de Mézières around 1770 for Charles Juste. The hôtel de Beauvau has housed the

Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministr ...

since 1861. He owned the Château du Val at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, a property later acquired by

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading int ...

. His nephew Marc Étienne Gabriel de Beauvau (1773–1849) became the next Prince of Beauvau. The present Noailles ''duc de Mouchy'' is a direct descendant of Charles Juste.

Issue

Anne Louise Marie de Beauvau Anne Louise Marie de Beauvau (1 April 1750 – 20 November 1834) known as "Mademoiselle de Beauvau" was the only child of Charles Juste de Beauvau, Prince of Craon and Marie Charlotte de La Tour d'Auvergne. She was also a niece of society hostess, ...

, Mademoiselle de Beauvau (1 April 1750 – 20 November 1834) married

Philippe Louis de Noailles Philippe-Louis-Marc-Antoine, comte de Noailles, prince-duc de Poix, and 2nd Spanish and 1st French duc de Mouchy (21 November or 21 December 175217 February 1819), was a French soldier, and politician of the Revolution. Biography The son of ...

and had issue.

References

External links

Biography on the site of the Académie française
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beauvau-Craon, Charles Juste De 1720 births 1793 deaths Members of the Académie Française Marshals of France

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was " ...

Governors of Provence Charles Juste Grandees of Spain People from Lunéville Noblemen of France Princes of Beauvau Members of the French Academy of Sciences Members of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres