- François-Marie, 1st duc de Broglie
François-Marie de Broglie, later 1st duc de Broglie (
11 January 1671 –22 May 1745 ), the third son ofVictor-Maurice, comte de Broglie , was a French military leader. He was named for his grandfather, François-Marie, the firstcomte de Broglie in France.He entered the army at an early age, and had a varied career of active service before he was made, at the age of twenty-three, lieutenant-colonel of the king's regiment of
cavalry .He served continuously in the
War of the Spanish Succession and was present at Malplaquet. He was made lieutenant-general in 1710, and served with Villars in the last campaign of the war and at theBattle of Denain . During the peace he continued in military employment, and in 1719 he was made director-general of cavalry anddragoon s. He was also employed in diplomatic missions and was ambassador inEngland in 1724.The war in
Italy called him into the field again in 1733, and in the following year he was mademarshal of France . In the campaign of 1734 he was one of the chief commanders on the French side, and he fought the Battles of Parma and Guastalla. A famous episode was his narrow personal escape when his quarters on theSecchia (battle of Quistello) were raided by the enemy on the night ofSeptember 14 ,1734 .In 1735 he directed a war of positions with credit, but he was soon replaced by Marshal de Noailles. He was governor-general of
Alsace when Frederick the Great paid a secret visit toStrasbourg in 1740.In 1742, during the
War of the Austrian Succession , Broglie was appointed to command the French army inGermany , but such powers as he had possessed were failing him, and he had always been the "man of small means," safe and cautious, but lacking in elasticity and daring. The only success obtained was in the action ofSahay (May 25 ,1742 ), for which he was createdduc de Broglie and made apeer of France . He returned to France in 1743, and died two years later.He was the father of
Victor-François, 2nd duc de Broglie andCharles-François de Broglie, marquis de Ruffec .[http://pages.prodigy.net/ptheroff/gotha/broglie.html Genealogy of the ducs de Broglie]
References
*1911
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