Antoine de Gramont, 2nd Duke of Gramont
Antoine de Gramont | |
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2nd Antoine II de Gramont | |
Mother | Louise de Roquelaure |
Antoine de Gramont, 2nd Duke of Gramont, comte de Guiche, comte de Gramont, comte de Louvigny, Souverain de Bidache (Antoine Agénor; 1604, Chateau d'Hagetmau – 12 July 1678, Bayonne) was a French military commander and diplomat. He served as Marshal of France from 1641, Viceroy of Navarre and Béarn, and Governor of Bayonne.
Life and career
Antoine de Gramont came from an old southern French noble family. His father was
Gramont was a loyal supporter of Richelieu. It is said that he once toasted to Richelieu saying that the cardinal was more important to him than the king and the entire royal family.
Gramont took part in many battles of the
His memoirs ("Mémoires du maréchal de Gramont", Paris 1716) were published by his son
In literature
As the Comte de Guiche, he is a major character in Edmond Rostand's 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac, where he is depicted at first as vain, lustful, and opportunistic. He is infatuated with Roxane, the heroine of the play, and tries to arrange her marriage to the Vicomte de Valvert as a "front" in order that he (the Count) may become her secret lover. When Cyrano kills Valvert in a duel, De Guiche becomes more open in his desires and tries to arrange his own marriage to her. After he is thwarted by Cyrano long enough for her to be able to marry her sweetheart Christian de Neuvillette, he vengefully sends both Christian and Cyrano to do battle at the 1640 Siege of Arras, in which Christian is killed. At Arras, however, de Guiche shows gallantry toward Roxane and a willingness to sacrifice his life to protect her after she arrives at the battlements. In doing this, he wins Cyrano's respect, and later becomes one of his most loyal friends. He is last seen warning Roxane of a plot to kill Cyrano - a plot which unfortunately succeeds.[2]
Family
His younger half-brother was Philibert, comte de Gramont (1621–1707), renowned for his memoirs describing the love affairs of the English court of Charles II, edited by Antoine Hamilton.
In 1634, he married Cardinal Richelieu's niece, Françoise Marguerite du Plessis (1608–1689). They had four children:
- Henrietta of England, Duchess of Orleans. Predeceased his father and is thus known to history by the subsidiary title of Count of Guiche.
- Louis XIV of France.
- Antoine Charles de Gramont, 3rd Duke of Gramont(1641–1720), Viceroy of Navarre; succeeded his father as Duke of Gramont etc.
- Henriette Catherine de Gramont, married Alexandre de Canonville, Marquis of Raffetot.
Royal origin
According to Count Philibert de Gramont, their father, Antoine II de Gramont, viceroy of Navarre, was assumed to be a bastard child of king Henry IV by Diane d'Andoins, knowns as "La Belle Corisande". This has been challenged by some modern historians.[3]
Literature
- W. H. Lewis: Assault on Olympus; the rise of the House of Gramont between 1604 and 1678. New York, Harcourt, Brace (1958)
References
- ^ Daniel Coit Gilman; Harry Thurston Peck; Frank Moore Colby, eds. (1906). The New international encyclopaedia. Vol. 9. Dodd, Mead and company.
- ^ "Roxane et les autres : Antoine de Gramont, Comte de Guiche - CYRANO DE BERGERAC : Toute l information sur cyrano (S) de bergerac, personnage de Edmond de Rostand".
- first Duke of Lauzun, the secret husband of la Grande Mademoiselle.