Charles de Rohan (7 August 1693 – 25 February 1766) was a Prince of the
House of Rohan
The House of Rohan () is a Bretons, Breton family of viscounts, later dukes and princes in the French nobility, coming from the locality of Rohan, Morbihan, Rohan in Brittany. Their line descends from the viscounts of Porhoët and is said to tr ...
. He was the founder of the Rochefort line of the Rohans which still continue to live today. He was styled the Prince of Rochefort as well as the Prince of Montauban.
Biography
Born in Paris to the Prince and Princess of Guéméné, he was the couple's fourth child and third son. His older brother
Hercule Mériadec, Prince of Guéméné was the senior male line as ''their'' older brother
François Armand, Prince of Montbazon died without surviving issue to carry on the Guéméné succession.
As he was the younger son, he was given the title of ''prince de Rochefort'', a title which would remain with him till his death. As a member of the
House of Rohan
The House of Rohan () is a Bretons, Breton family of viscounts, later dukes and princes in the French nobility, coming from the locality of Rohan, Morbihan, Rohan in Brittany. Their line descends from the viscounts of Porhoët and is said to tr ...
he enjoyed the prestigious rank of a ''
Foreign Prince
Foreign may refer to:
Government
* Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries
* Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries
** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government
** Foreign office and foreign minister
* United S ...
'' in the early 17th century as the Rohans claimed their ancestry back to the
Dukes of Brittany. The title of Prince of Rochefort was created a hereditary title in 1728.
He married Eléonore Eugénie de Béthisy de Mézières, younger daughter of Eugène Marie de Béthisy, Marquis de Mézières, and Eléonore Oglethorpe, like her sisters, a loyal and active
Jacobite, who was in turn a daughter of
Theophilus Oglethorpe, an English soldier and MP. The couple were married on 23 September 1722 and produced four children.
His eldest son, known as ''Charles Jules'', was the father of
Charlotte Louise Dorothée de Rohan, secret wife of
Louis Antoine, Duke of Enghien. Charles Jules' son Charles Louis married Marie Louise de Rohan, daughter of
Henri Louis, Prince of Guéméné (of the mainline) and
Victoire de Rohan[Daughter of Charles de Rohan, Prince of Soubise and Princess Anne Therese of Savoy] (of the middle line). Charles' descendants also claim the
Duchy of Bouillon through the marriage of Charles Louis and Marie Louise.
His only daughter, known as Louise, was the wife of the
Prince of Brionne, a
Prince of Lorraine. Through their daughter
Joséphine, who married the
Prince of Carignano
The House of Savoy-Carignano (; ) originated as a cadet branch of the House of Savoy. It was founded by Thomas Francis, Prince of Carignano (1596–1656), an Italian military commander who was the fifth son of Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy. ...
, the present
House of Savoy
The House of Savoy (, ) is a royal house (formally a dynasty) of Franco-Italian origin that was established in 1003 in the historical region of Savoy, which was originally part of the Kingdom of Burgundy and now lies mostly within southeastern F ...
are direct descendants of Charles and his wife.
Charles died at the age of sixty nine. He was succeeded as head of the Rochefort line by his son, Charles Jules.
Issue
*Éléonore Louise Constance de Rohan, Mademoiselle de Rochefort (15 January 1728 – 1792) married Jean de Merode, son of
Jean Philippe de Merode had issue (a daughter who had no further children);
*
Charles Jules Armand de Rohan, Prince of Rochefort and of Montauban (29 August 1729 – 18 May 1811) married Marie Henriette Charlotte d'Orléans-Rothelin and had issue;
*
Louise Julie Constance de Rohan (28 March 1734 – 20 March 1815) married
Louis de Lorraine, Prince of Brionne and had issue;
*Eugène Hercule Camille de Rohan (6 April 1737 – 1816) never married.
References and notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Charles of Rochefort
Princes of Rochefort
French Roman Catholics
1693 births
1727 deaths
House of Rohan
17th-century French people
18th-century French people
French nobility