François de Franquetot de Coigny (16 March 1670 – 18 December 1759) was a

Marshal of France Marshal of France (, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to General officer, generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1793–1804) ...

, Count, and from 1747, the Duke of Coigny.

Biography

He was born in Coigny château near

Coutances Coutances () is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France. History The capital of the Unelli, a Gaulish tribe, the town was given the name of ''Constantia'' in 298 during the reign of Roman Emperor Constantius ...

, Normandy, into an old French noble family as son of Robert-Jean de Coigny, and his wife, Marie-Françoise de Matignon (1648-1719). His uncle was Charles-Auguste de Goyon-Matignon, Count of Gacé (1647-1729),

and his nephew

Jacques I, Prince of Monaco Jacques I (Jacques François Léonor Goyon de Grimaldi; 21 November 1689 – 23 April 1751) was Prince of Monaco from 1731 to 1733. He was also Duke of Valentinois from 1716 until 1733, and Count of Thorigny. For ten months preceding his re ...

. Like his father he pursued a military career. He became brigadier in 1702, Maréchal de camp in 1703 and lieutenant general in 1709. His most notable victories were at San Pietro and

Guastalla Guastalla ( Guastallese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Reggio Emilia in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Geography Guastalla is situated in the Po Valley, and lies on the banks of the Po River. Guastalla is located at around from the citi ...

, which he won in 1734 together with Marshal de Broglie against the Austrians in the

War of Polish Succession The War of the Polish Succession (; 1733–35) was a major European conflict sparked by a civil war in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth over the succession to Augustus II the Strong, which the other European powers widened in pursuit of th ...

. He was made a Marshal of France in 1734. In the

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...

he replaced Marshal de Broglie in 1743 to defend the French positions on the Rhine. In the 1720s he was a member of the

Club de l'Entresol The Club de l'Entresol (, "Mezzanine Club") was a discussion group and early think tank in Paris, active from 1723 to 1731, created and primarily led by Abbot Pierre-Joseph Alary. Name and background The club's name came from the fact that a ...

, an early modern

think tank A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...

Family

He married Henriette de Montbourcher du Bordage (1671-1751) on 4 December 1699; they had five children, one son and four daughters: *Marie-Françoise Adélaïde (b. 1700) *Jean Antoine François, Marquis de Coigny (1702–1748), killed in a duel against Louis Auguste de Bourbon, Prince of Dombes, married Marie Thérèse Josèphe Corentine de Névet (1717-1778),

lady in waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but ...

to Henriette of France and had issue *Charlotte-Bibiane (1703–1772), married Jean Baptiste Joachim Colbert, Marquis de Croissy (1703-1777) and had issue *Henriette (1703-1772), married Jean-Baptiste Colbert de Torcy, Marquis de Croissy-en-Brie (1703-1777) and had issue *Élisabeth Marie (b. 1705) His grandson was François-Henri de Franquetot de Coigny, also a Marshal of France.

Death

François de Franquetot, Duke de Coigny died on 18 December 1759, at the age of 89, having outlived his son, and his wife Henriette by 8 years.

Notes

External links

History of the Franquetot family {{DEFAULTSORT:Franquetotdecoigny, Francois de 1670 births 1759 deaths People from the Duchy of Normandy Counts of France Dukes of Coigny Marshals of France French military personnel of the War of the Spanish Succession French military personnel of the War of the Polish Succession French military personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain