Antoine III de Gramont
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Antoine III Agénor de Gramont-Toulongeon, duke of Gramont, comte de Guiche, comte de Gramont, comte de Louvigny, Souverain de Bidache, (1604, Chateau d'Hagetmau - July 12, 1678 Bayonne) was a French military man and diplomat. Marshal of France from 1641; Viceroy of Navarre and Béarn, and Governor of Bayonne.
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[edit] Life
Antoine de Gramont came from an old southern French noble family. His father was Antoine II de Gramont, his mother was Louise († 1610), daughter of Marshal Roquelaure (1543–1623).
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 then the King and the entire Royal family. In 1634 he even married Richelieu's niece, Françoise-Marguerite du Plessis de Chivré († 1689).
Gramont took part in many battles of the Thirty Years war, was promoted to Marshal of France on September 22, 1641 and obtained the title of Duke in 1643 for himself and his heirs. He became minister in 1653, embassador to the Reichstag in Frankfurt am Main in 1657, and was send to Spain in 1660 to asked the hand in marriage of Maria Theresa of Spain for Louis XIV. He died in 1678.
His memoirs („Mémoires du maréchal de Gramont“, Paris 1716) were published by his son Antoine Charles IV de Gramont.
His younger brother was Philibert, comte de Gramont (1621–1707), renowned for his memoirs describing the love affairs on the English court of Charles II, edited by Antoine Hamilton.
[edit] Children
He had four children :
- Armand, comte de Guiche, (1637 - November 29, 1673, lover of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans and his wife Henrietta, duchess of Orleans.
- Catherine-Charlotte, (1639 - 1678), Princess of Monaco and mistress of Louis XIV.
- Antoine Charles, (1641 - 1720), Viceroy of Navarra.
- Henriette-Catherine, married Alexandre de Canonville, marquis de Raffetot
[edit] See also
[edit] Literature
- W. H. Lewis: Assault on Olympus; the rise of the House of Gramont between 1604 and 1678. New York, Harcourt, Brace (1958)
