François-Henri de Franquetot de Coigny, 2ieme duc de Coigny (28 March 1737 – 19 May 1821) was a

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 (1 ...

Early life

He was the son of Jean, Marquis de Coigny (1702–1748) and the grandson of François de Franquetot, 1er duc de Coigny, another Marshal of France. When he was eleven, his father was killed in a duel and at age fifteen, young de Coigny entered the musketeers.

Career

De Coigny first served in the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754� ...

where as a cavalry general he took part in the conquest of Hanover. Having fought at Hastenbeck and

Minden Minden () is a middle-sized town in the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the greatest town between Bielefeld and Hanover. It is the capital of the district (''Kreis'') of Minden-Lübbecke, which is part of the region of Detm ...

, he transferred to the army of the Count of Clermont under whom he served in the

Battle of Krefeld The Battle of Krefeld (sometimes referred to by its French name of Créfeld) was a battle fought at Krefeld near the Rhine on 23 June 1758 between a Prussian- Hanoverian army and a French army during the Seven Years' War. Background The Hano ...

. Promoted to Colonel General of the Dragoons in 1771, the following year he was appointed Governor of

Cambrai Cambrai (, ; pcd, Kimbré; nl, Kamerijk), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department and in the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, regio ...

. In 1787 he was made a

peer of France The Peerage of France (french: Pairie de France) was a hereditary distinction within the French nobility which appeared in 1180 in the Middle Ages. The prestigious title and position of Peer of France (french: Pair de France, links=no) was ...

. When 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 considere ...

broke out De Coigny decided to emigrate. In 1791 he joined the ''émigré'' army with whom he served against the

French Republic France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

during the early stages of the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted French First Republic, France against Ki ...

. He commanded the

Maison du Roi The Maison du Roi (, "King's Household") was the royal household of the King of France. It comprised the military, domestic, and religious entourage of the French royal family during the Ancien Régime and Bourbon Restoration. Organisation ...

until its disbandment in 1792, after which he was charged by the

Count of Provence The land of Provence has a history quite separate from that of any of the larger nations of Europe. Its independent existence has its origins in the frontier nature of the dukedom in Merovingian Gaul. In this position, influenced and affected by ...

with several diplomatic missions. De Coigny entered

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

service thereafter and, following the abdication of

Napoléon I of France Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

, ultimately returned to France. From 1816 to 1821 he was

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Les Invalides The Hôtel des Invalides ( en, "house of invalids"), commonly called Les Invalides (), is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as ...

. In 1816, De Coigny was made a Marshal of France; he died five years later.

Personal life

De Coigny was married to Marie Jeanne de Bonnevie. Together, they were the parents of a son and daughter: * François Marie Casimir de Franquetot, marquis de Coigny (1756–1816), who married Louise Gabrielle de Conflans (1743–1825), a daughter of Louis de Brienne de Conflans d'Armentières. * Jeanne-Françoise-Antoinette "Fanny" Franquetot de Coigny (1778–1807), who married

Horace Sébastiani Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 – 27 November 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). The rhetorician Quintilian regarded his '' ...

(later the

French Minister of Foreign Affairs The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs () is the Ministry (government department), ministry of the Government of France that handles France's foreign relations. Since 1855, its headquarters have been located at 37 Quai d'Orsay, close to th ...

), in 1806. She died in childbirth while in Constantinople in 1807, a few days before

Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...

Selim III Selim III ( ota, سليم ثالث, Selim-i sâlis; tr, III. Selim; was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1789 to 1807. Regarded as an enlightened ruler, the Janissaries eventually deposed and imprisoned him, and placed his cousin Mustafa ...

was deposed. Sébastiani later married Aglaé-Angélique-Gabrielle de Gramont, the widow of Russian General Count Alexander Davidoff and a daughter of Héraclius, duc de Gramont.

Thomas Raikes Thomas Raikes ("the Elder") (28 March 1741 – 29 December 1813) was a British merchant particularly trading from London with Russia, a banker and newspaper proprietor. Notably, he was Governor of the Bank of England during the 1797 currency c ...

, ''A Portion of the Journal Kept by Thomas Raikes, Esq., from 1831 to 1847'', Vol. II, Longman, Brown, Green etc., London, 1856, p.40 De Coigny died on 19 May 1821.

Descendants

Through his only daughter, he was a grandfather of

Françoise, duchesse de Praslin Françoise, Duchess de Choiseul-Praslin (April 14, 1807 - August 17, 1847) was a French duchess and heiress who was found murdered. Her husband, Charles de Choiseul, Duke of Praslin was believed guilty for her death and committed suicide while ...

, who was believed to have been murdered by her husband, Charles de Choiseul, Duke of Praslin in 1847. While awaiting trial, the Duke committed suicide, events which contributed to the

French Revolution of 1848 The French Revolution of 1848 (french: Révolution française de 1848), also known as the February Revolution (), was a brief period of civil unrest in France, in February 1848, that led to the collapse of the July Monarchy and the foundation ...

. Through his son, he was a grandfather of Augustin Louis Joseph Casimir Gustave de Franquetot, Duc de Coigny and Antoinette Jeanne Françoise de Franquetot de Coigny.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Franquetotdecoigny, Francoishenride 1737 births 1821 deaths Marshals of France Place of birth missing Peers created by Louis XVI Members of the Chamber of Peers of the Bourbon Restoration