Louis de Maigret

François Marie "Louis" de Maigret, Count de Maigret & de Neau, Baron de Stockem, Count of the Holy Roman Empire (December 2, 1914 - June 13, 2001), was a French military officer of World War II.

Life and career

Born at his family estate Saint-Romain-sous-Versigny, he entered the officer school Saint-Cyr in 1935, and graduated with honours in 1937, promotion Maréchal Lyautey.

Believing in the colonial Empire's importance to France, de Maigret decided to follow Leclerc and joined the "Armée d'Afrique". At this time he refounded the Goumiers with General Guillaume. They then fought in Tunisia (1942-43), Italy, (1943-45), mainland France (1944) and Germany (1944-45), where they liberated Pforzheim and Stuttgart.

He was next sent to command the French forces in Germany after WWII, and fought again in Indochina, till 1954, when he was named a Lieutenant-Colonel and moved to Italy.

He then fought in French Algeria, where his anti-Gaullist politics made him renounce further promotion (to full colonel). De Maigret quit the army, saying directly to de Gaulle: "This is not any more the France I want to serve."

He settled down in France on his family estates, for many years being one of the most decorated colonels of the French army.

He kept an excellent reputation and was known for keeping a wolf as a pet. He was also famous for his international friendship with "history makers", such as the last Emperor of Viet-Nam, Bao Dai, and members of the European royal families.

Family

The Comte Louis de Maigret was son of Christian, Count de Maigret, one of the main heirs of the Moët & Chandon dynasty, and of Marie d'Anterroches, herself descendent of the famous Count d'Anterroches, one of the most important general in the Battle of Fontenoy against England.

The house de Maigret is an old french aristocratic family who's genealogy goes to the year 1307. Charles-Antoine de Maigret, Lord of Chavannes, had fled to the Holy Roman Empire after having killed in duel the representant of the King of France around 1500. The Maigret then established in Limburg, where they became hereditary marshal of Limburg, and gave several generals to the Habsburg monarchy. In 1587, they had been made Counts of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1687, the general François-Guillaume de Maigret, then called Franz-Wilhelm Graf von Maigret, fought bravely and was severelly wounded in the war against the Turks, and he was confirmed in his hereditary titles of Count of Maigret & Néau, and of the Holy Roman Empire, such as Baron of Stockem.

The Colonel de Maigret had married 1942 a young Lady of France's finest aristocracy, descendant of the Kings of Poland and Princes of Saxony, from whom they had one son, who died in Morocco, and three daughters.

Decorations

The Colonel de Maigret was, among other honorary positions :

* commander of the Legion of Honor
* commander of the French Merit
* Medal of War, WWII, with several distinctions,
* Cross of War TOE
* Cross of military valour with numerous bravery distinctions
* US Silver Star

such as Member of the Society of Cincinnati, commander of the Constantinian Order of St George, etc.

References

"Genealogy of the House of Maigret", by L de MAGNY

"Armorial of the Society of Cincinnati"