Augustin-Joseph de Mailly

Augustin Joseph de Mailly
Born 5 April 1708
Villaines-sous-Lucé
Died 25 March 1794 (aged 85)
Arras
Allegiance  France
Service/branch Maison militaire du roi de France
Years of service 1726–1792
Rank Marshal of France
Commands held Inspector General of cavalry and dragoons
Director-general of camps and armies
Battles/wars siege of Kehl (1733)
Battle of Pavia
Battle of Rossbach
Defence of the palais des Tuileries
Awards Cross of Saint-Louis
Collar of the Grand Cross of Malta
Knight of the orders of the king (1776)
Order of Saint-Lazare
Relations House of Mailly
Other work Lieutenant général of Roussillon
Gouvernor of Abbeville, Sénéchal and Grand bailli of Ponthieu

Augustin-Joseph de Mailly (5 April 1708, Villaines-sous-Lucé – 25 March 1794, Arras) was a French general, governor and nobleman.

Augustin-Joseph de Mailly was marquis d'Haucourt and baron of Saint-Amand. In January 1744 he inherited the title of count of Mailly following the death of his cousin Louis de Mailly (1723–1743). At first a musketeer (1726), he served in the gendarmerie (1733–1764) before rising rapidly through the ranks – brigadier on 20 February 1743, maréchal de camp on 1 May 1745, lieutenant-général on 10 May 1748, inspector general of cavalry and dragoons on 21 May 1749, and finally director-general of camps and armies. In disgrace, he was distanced from the court and therefore remained a lieutenant-Général for a very long time, before becoming commander in chief in Roussillon, where he was the originator of great building works and the renewal of the university and played a large rôle in Catalan Freemasonry. Made a chevalier du Saint-Esprit on 26 May 1776, he was made marshal of France on 13 June 1783 and due to his age was able to be governor of Abbeville, sénéchal and Grand bailli of Ponthieu not far from his lands and château. However, this Mailly, who fought in many battles of the wars of Louis XV, received from Louis XVI, in 1790, command of one of the four armies decreed by the National Assembly (14th and 15th military divisions). This was a difficult task and he resigned on 22 June, when he learned of the king's flight to Varennes. On 10 August 1792, despite his old age, he fought on the side of the threatened French monarchy. Escaping the carnage that followed the capture of the palais des Tuileries and the September massacres, he was arrested in his château, then guillotined in 1794 at Arras, aged 87 – on the scaffold he cried "I remain faithful to my king, as my ancestors have always been".

Family

The 4 Mailly sisters – mistresses of Louis XV

Marie-Anne de Mailly-Nesle, his cousin

Life

Arrest and execution

On 25 March 1794, Joseph de Mailly was executed by guillotine, at the time of his execution he was the oldest person to be executed.

Works

Notes

    Bibliography

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