Marie-Charles-César de Faÿ, comte de la Tour-Maubourg (born February 11, 1757, at Motte-Galaure, Drôme, - died April 28, 1831 in Paris), was a French soldier and politician during the French Revolution, and of the First French Empire. His father was Claude Florimond de Faÿ (1712–1790), and his mother was Vacheron Bermont Marie Françoise (b.1712).
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He was colonel of the Regiment of Soissons in 1789.[1]
He was appointed to the nobility of Puy-en-Velay in the Estates General. Friend of Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette, he was one of the first nobles to join the Third Estate. He was representative to Nord, and Pas de Calais.[2]
He was charged with Antoine Barnave, and Jerome Pétion to bring back the royal family to Paris at the time of the attempted Flight to Varennes (June 1791).[3] His devotion, on this occasion, will remain misunderstood by Marie-Antoinette. However, in her memoirs Madame Tourzel, witness of the facts, paid tribute to his dedication to the royal family.[4]
He was Colonel of the 3rd régiment de chasseurs à cheval from 1791 to February 1792. With the separation of National Constituent Assembly, he accompanied the marquis de Fayette with the Army of the Center in 1792, and emigrated with him after the dismissal by Louis XVI, 10 August 1792. Captured at Rochefort, Belgium, with Lafayette, and imprisoned by the Austrians, he was released after the treaty of Campo-Formio (18 October 1797) and lived in Hamburg in exile.
He returned to France in 1798 and became a member of Corps législatif, (under the Directory), then became a member of the Senate in 1804, under the First French Empire. In 1808, he was military governor of Cherbourg, that he helped make a major port. He was excluded from the House of Peers from the Hundred Days until 1819. Concerned with the management of its inheritance, he will take part in the financing of the industrial activities of Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours, founder of the famous American dynasty.
In 1814, he was named at the time of the Bourbon Restoration, and preserved his position during the Hundred Days. He was Government commissioner for certain departments in the West of France. During the fall of Napoleon, he was excluded from government, until 1819. He was reinstated to the Senate, then made Knight of order of Saint Louis, and Napoleon had made him commander of the Legion of honor.[5]
César de Fay de La Tour-Maubourg married Henriette de Tenella Pinault, heir of a member of the Parliament of Douai. They had many descendants [6] He died in 1831 in Paris.
His brother, Marie Victor de Fay, marquis de Latour-Maubourg, was a Cavalry Corps commander, survived the Russian Campaign, and was wounded at the battle of Leipzig.
Juste-Charles de la Tour-Maubourg married Anastasie de La Fayette, the daughter of Lafayette. They had three daughters. The second, Jenny, married General Ettore Perrone di San Martino, famous politician of the Kingdom of Piedmont. Among their descendants is the present Queen Paola of Belgium.
Marie-Charles, comte de La Tour-Maubourg (b. 11 February 1757 - 28 May 1831) married Charlotte, daughter of Charles Pinault, de Thénelles, (d. 18 June 1837). They had six children:
Just Pons Florimond de Fay de la Tour Maubourg(1781–1837), was Auditor with the Conseil d'État under the Empire, was ambassador from France to Dresden,[8] Constantinople[9] and Rome.[10] From March 1809, until 1811, he was Chargé d'Affaires to Constantinople, but was recalled, upon the peace between England, and Turkey.[11][12] He was made officer of the Legion of honor in 1830. In 1831, at the consistory that elected Pope Gregory XVI, the marquis had the honour of informing the assembled cardinals that Louis-Philippe would waive his right of veto, with the assurance that only a wise and virtuous pontiff could be elected by such a wise and virtuous assembly.[13]
Rodolphe (1787–1871), was an officer in the campaigns of the Empire, major general, officer of the Legion of honor.
Armand - Septime (1801–1845), bachelor of law, was Master of the requests to the Council of State. Under the Monarchy of July, he was ambassador in Naples, in Spain then in Rome, where he succeeded his older brother. He was commander of the Legion of honor. A portrait of his wife, painted by Theodore Chassériau was recently acquired by Metropolitan Museum of New York.
For the following generation, we can mention César Florimond de la Tour Maubourg (1820–1886)[1], son of Just Florimond, and Caroline de La Perron de Saint Martino, (sister of Hector Perrone de San Martino). Officer of cavalry, 3rd Regiment of Chasseurs-à-Cheval, he was administrator of the le Grand Central Railroad, fr:Compagnie du chemin de fer du Grand Central appointed to Haute-Loire, throughout the Second Empire, honorary chamberlain of Napoleon III and captain of the Imperial Hunt.
He married in 1849, Anne Mortier of Trévise (1824–1900), granddaughter of marshal Mortier duke of Trévise, who was lady of the Table of Empress Eugenie, and who appeared in the extreme right-hand side of the famous painting of Franz Xaver Winterhalter. Part of the notebooks of the marchioness were published by general Thimble-Brissac in the Review of the Napoleonean Memory , and is available on the site napoléon.org. Their son was killed during the Franco-Prussian War, at 20 years age, and their daughter died shortly after her marriage, without descendants. They were left the Chateau de Frouard.[14] After the death of her husband, the marchioness de Maubourg withdrew, to her various residences, Maubourg, Paris, Cannes and Glareins (Ain). The last descendants of the Fay family de la Tour-Maubourg are buried in a mausoleum in the commune of Saint-Maurice-de-Lignon, which was built starting from the plans of the Lyons architect Carra.[15]