Louis d'Aubusson de La Feuillade

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Louis d'Aubusson, Comte de La Feuillade
1702 Engraving of de La Feuillade
Governor of La Dauphiné
In office
1691–1719
Personal details
Born30 March 1673
Marly-le-Roi, Île-de-France
Died29 January 1725(1725-01-29) (aged 51)
Marly-le-Roi, Île-de-France
Resting placeCouvent des Théatins, Paris
Spouse(s)(1) Charlotte-Thérèse de la Vrilliere (1692-1697)
(2) Marie Thérèse Chamillart (1701-1716)
AwardsChevalier, Order of Saint Louis
Military service
Allegiance France
Years of service1688–1706
RankMarshal of France
Battles/wars

Louis d'Aubusson de la Feuillade (30 March 1673 – 28 January 1725) was a French military officer and courtier who fought in the

Nine Years War and the War of the Spanish Succession
.

Personal details

Louis d'Aubusson de la Feuillade, 7th duc de Roannais, was born on 30 March 1673, in

Bishop of Metz.[1]

Michel Chamillart, Minister of War and de la Feuillade's father-in-law, whose influence was crucial to the latter's career

His mother, Charlotte de Gouffier, was sister and heir to Artus de Gouffier (1627-1696), 5th duke of Roannais and a close friend of writer, mathematician and Catholic theologian Blaise Pascal. Artus entered a monastery in 1667, assigning his titles and property to François de la Feuillade, in return for 400,000 livres and an agreement to marry Charlotte. Artus outlived his father and until his death in 1696, Louis d'Aubusson was known as 'leur-dit 7th duke of Roannais' or 'duke of La Feuillade.'[1]

He was married twice, first in 1692 to Charlotte-Thérèse de la Vrilliere (1675-1697), then in 1701 to Marie Thérèse Chamillart (1685-1716), daughter of Michel Chamillart, Minister for War. Both marriages were childless and the title of duke became extinct on his death in 1725.[1]

Career

In 1688, La Feuillade raised a cavalry regiment for the

Landen.[2] The first of the controversies that accompanied his career occurred after Landen, when it was claimed he disappeared during the battle, only re-emerging at the end.[3] The accusation was serious enough for him to write a letter denying it to his first father-in-law, the Marquis de Chateauneuf.[4]

A few years later, following the death in 1697 of his uncle, Georges de La Feuillade, Bishop of Metz, a review of the diocese financial records showed a large sum of money was missing. The report concluded La Feuillade had stolen it while visiting his uncle, and Louis XIV had to eb dissuaded from dismissng him from the army by Louis de Pontchartrain, a friend of his father-in-law.[5]

Northern Italy; from 1702 to 1706, Milan and Savoy were the primary areas of conflict

When the

Marechal de camp in 1703 and posted to the French army in Italy, allegedly due to the influence of Michel Chamillart, the Minister of War, who became his father-in-law in 1701.[6] He was not well regarded by his contemporaries, some of whom described him as having a "heart corrupted through and through" and a "soul of mud".[7]

Victor Amadeus II, ruler of Savoy, began the war as an ally of France but switched sides in October 1703.[8] La Feuillade was appointed deputy to Vendôme, French commander in Italy, who gave him responsibility for occupying Villefranche and the County of Savoy, now part of modern-day France. Largely complete by the end of 1705, the primary objective in 1706 was to capture Victor Amadeus' capital of Turin; with an army of 48,000, La Feuillade initiated the siege on 12 May, although it was not completely cut off until 19 June.[9]

As was customary, Turin's defences were divided into the outer 'City,' containing the residential and commercial areas, and the 'Citadel' at its core. La Feuillade and Vendôme proposed digging trenches around the City at a distance of 300–400 metres, then blasting the Citadel into submission, an approach known as the 'Coehoorn method', after the Dutch engineer,

Vauban, the French military engineer, and much of it was now underground. Vauban therefore recommended they take the City first, allowing their artillery to target the base of the Citadel's walls.[10] When his advice was ignored, Vauban allegedly offered to have his throat cut if Turin were captured using this approach. De la Feuillade was also criticised for spending much of his time chasing Victor Amadeus, who had escaped from Turin with 6,000 cavalry.[6]

The French position in Italy changed with their defeat at

Siege of Turin ended in September when a relief force under Prince Eugene broke the French siege lines near Collegno.[11]

Siege of Turin
September 1706; the Allies break the siege, ending the war in Italy and La Feuillade's career

With France's northern border under pressure after Ramillies, Louis XIV needed to end the war in Italy and in March 1707, he agreed the Convention of Milan with Emperor Joseph. To the fury of Joseph's allies, the French withdrew their remaining garrisons, ceding control of Milan and Mantua to Austria but in return were given free passage to France, allowing them to be redeployed in other theatres.[12]

Defeat at Turin ended de la Feuillade's active military career, although he was made Marshal of France in 1724. In 1719, his long-standing office of Governor of the Dauphiné was transferred to Duke of Orléans, and he rejected the post of Ambassador to the Vatican offered in its place.[13] He died in January 1725, and was buried in the Couvent des Théatins in Paris, demolished in 1825.[14] The title 'Duke of Roannais' died with de la Feuillade, but his other titles and lands passed to his cousin Jacques d'Aubusson.[15]

References

  1. ^ a b c Anselme & Du Forny 1750, p. 349.
  2. ^ "La Feuillade, Louis d'Aubusson". tombes-sepultures.com. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  3. ^ Saint Simon 1879, p. 253.
  4. ^ Letter to M de Chateauneuf dated August 1693, National Archive reference G552
  5. ^ Chapman 2004, p. 29.
  6. ^ a b Lynn 1999, p. 309.
  7. ^ Czech 2006.
  8. ^ Falkner 2015, p. 67.
  9. ^ Symcox 1983, p. 150.
  10. ^ Duffy 1985, pp. 50–51.
  11. ^ Lynn 1999, p. 310.
  12. ^ Sundstrom 1992, p. 196.
  13. ^ Saint Simon 1879, p. 226.
  14. ^ "Couvent des Théatins". Weekisto. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  15. ^ Moreri 1749, p. 20.

Sources

External links
French nobility
Preceded by Duke of Roannais
1691–1725 		Extinct
Preceded by Comte de la Feuillade
1691–1725 		Succeeded by
Jacques d'Aubusson
Military offices
Preceded by Governor of La Dauphiné
1691–1719 		Succeeded by
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