, marquis de Fronsac, seigneur de St. Andre, marechal of France, and one of the greatest captains of the sixteenth
, marquis de Fronsac, seigneur de St. Andre, marechal of France, and one of the greatest captains of the sixteenth century, better known by the name of marechal de St. Andre, descended from an industrious and ancient family in Lyonnois. He gained the esteem of the dauphin, who, when he came to the crown by the name of Henry II. loaded him with riches and honours, made him marechal of France^ 1547, and afterwards first gentleman of his bed-chamber. He had already displayed his courage at the siege of Boulogne, and the battle of Cerisolles. He was then, it is said, chosen to carry the collar of his order to Henry VIII. king of England, who decorated him with that of the garter; but we do not find his name among the knights of that order, and it is more likely that he was the bearer of the insignia of the garter to Henry II. of France, from our Edward VI. In 1552, he had the command of the army of Champagne, and contributed much to the taking of Marienberg in 1554. He destroyed Chateau-Cambresis, and acquired great reputation at the retreat of Quesnoy; was at the battle of Renti; was taken prisoner at that of St. Quintin 1557, and bore an active part in the peace of Cambresis. He afterwards joined the friends of the duke ofGuise, and was killed by Babigny de Mezieres, with a pistol, at the battle of Dreux, 1562. He was handsome, noble, brave, active, insinuating, and much engaged in the important transactions of his time. Brantome asserts, that he had a presentiment of his death, before the battle of Dreux, He had only one daughter by his marriage with Margaret de Lustrac, who died very young in the monastery of LongChamp, at the time when her marriage was agreed upon with Henry of Guise.
Piedmont; marched from Italy to Flanders, besieged and took the fortress of Ath in 1697. He had been marechal of France from 1693, and the king, reading the list of the marechals
, one of the ablest generals under Louis XIV. the son of the dean of the counsellors of
parliament, was born at Paris, Sept. 1, 1637, and began
his career at the bar; but having lost a cause that had
justice on its side, he renounced the profession for that of
arms. He first served in the cavalry, where he never
omitted an opportunity of distinguishing himself. In 1667,
in the presence of Louis XIV. at the attack on the counterscarpe of Lisle, he performed an action so honourable
both to his judgment and his courage, that it procured
him a lieutenantcy in the regiment of guards. Gradually
rising to the first dignities in the army, he signalized himself at Maestricht, at Besangon, at Senef, at Cambray, at
Valenciennes, at St. Omer’s, at Ghent, and at Ypres.
The great Comic“set a proper value on his merit, and
wrote to him, after the hattle of Senef, where Catinat had
been wounded:
” No one takes a greater interest in your
wound than I do; there are so few men like you, that in
losing you our loss would be too great.' 7 Having attained
to the rank of lieutenant-general, in 1688, he beat the
duke of Savoy at Staffarde and at the Marsaille, made himself master of all Savoy and a part of Piedmont; marched
from Italy to Flanders, besieged and took the fortress of
Ath in 1697. He had been marechal of France from 1693,
and the king, reading the list of the marechals in his cabinet, exclaimed, on coming to his name: “Here valour has
met with its deserts!
” The war breaking out again in
If Villeroi has the command,
” said Eugene, “I shall beat him; if
Vendome be appointed, we shall have a stout struggle; if
it be Catinat, 1 shall be beaten.
” The bad state of the
army, the want of money for its subsistence, the little harmony there was between him and the duke of Savoy,
whose sincerity he suspected, prevented him from fulfilling
the prediction of prince Eugene. He was wounded in the
atfair of Chiari, and forced to retreat as far as behind the
Oglio. This retreat, occasioned by the prohibition he had
received from the court to oppose the passage of prince
Eugene, was the source of his subsequent mistakes and misfortunes. Catinat, notwithstanding his victories and his
negociations, was obliged to serve under Villeroi; and the
last disciple of Turenne and Conde was no longer allowed
to act but as second in command.' He bore this injustice
like a man superior to fortune. “I strive to forget my
misfortunes,
” he says in a letter to one of his friends,
“that my mind may be more at ease in executing the
orders of the marechal de Villeroi.
” In 1705 the king
named him to be a chevalier; but he refused the honour
intended him. His family testifying their displeasure at
this procedure, “Well, then,
” said he to his relations,
“strike me out of your genealogy
” He increased as little
as possible the crowd of courtiers. Louis XIV. once asking him why he was never seen at Marli; and whether it
was some business that prevented his coming? “None at
all,
” returned the marechal; “but the court is very numerous, and I keep away in order to let others have room
to pay their respects to you.
” He died at his estate of St.
Gratian, Feb. 25, 1712, at the age of 74, with the same
sedateness of mind that had accompanied him through life.
Numberless anecdotes are related of him, which shew that
this calmness of temper never forsook him. After an ineffectual attack at the unfortunate affair of Chiari, rallying
his troops, an officer said to him: “Whither would you
have us to go? to death?
” “It is true,
” replied Catinat,
“death is before us; but shame is behind.
” He had
qualities yet more estimable than bravery. He was humane and modest. The part of his labours most interesting
to humanity, was a regular correspondence with marechal
Vauban, on the administration of the revenues of the various countries which they had visited during their military
expeditions. They did not seek for means of increasing
the revenues of their sovereign beyond measure; but they
endeavoured to find the most equitable repartition of the
taxes, and the cheapest way of collecting them. Catinat,
on account of his cautiousness and judgment, was, by the
soldiers under his command, significantly called Pere la
Pensee, “Father Thought,
” a sirname which he appears
to have deserved in his peaceable retreat, not less than in
his military expeditions.
never had any places better secured at so little expence. In 1654 he took Stenay, and was appointed marechal of France in 1658. His merit, integrity, and modesty, gained
, an eminent French officer, was
the son of a bookseller at Mentz (author of “Notes sur la Couturhe de Lorraine,
” 1657, fol.) He was educated with
the duke d'Epernon, and saved the royal army at the famous retreat of Mentz; which has been compared by some
authors to that of Xenophon’s 10,000. Being wounded in
the thigh by a musket at the siege of Turin, M. de Turenne, and cardinal de la Valette, to whom he was aid de
camp, intreated him to submit to an amputation, which
was the advice of all the surgeons but he replied, “I
must not die by piece-meal death shall have me intire, or
not at all.
” Having, however, recovered from this wound,
he was afterwards made governor of Sedan; where he
erected strong fortifications, and with so much ceconomy,
that his majesty never had any places better secured at
so little expence. In 1654 he took Stenay, and was appointed marechal of France in 1658. His merit, integrity,
and modesty, gained him the esteem both of his sovereign
and the grandees. He refused the collar of the king’s
orders, saying it should never be worn but by the ancient
nobility; and it happened, that though his family had been
ennobled by Henry IV. he could not produce the qualifications necessary for that dignity, and “would not,
” asi
he said, “have his cloke decorated with a cross, and his
soul disgraced by an imposture.
” Louis XIV. himself answered his letter of thanks in the following terms: “No
person to whom I shall give this collar, will ever receive
more honour from it in the world, than you have gained in
my opinion, by your noble refusal, proceeding from so
generous a principle.
” Marechal Fabert died at Sedan,
May 17, 1662, aged sixty-three. His Life, by father
Barre, regular canon of St. Genevieve, was published at
Paris, 1752, 2 vols. 12mo. There is one older, in one
thin vol. 12ino.
n prompted this advice, and his ambition was not long without gratification. In 1741, he was created marechal of France. The witlings attacked him on his elevation, but he
, count of
Belle-Isle, more known by the name of marechal Bellisle,
grandson of the preceding, was born in 1684. Politics and
history attracted his attention from his very infancy, to
which studies he afterwards added that of mathematics.
He had hardly finished his education when Louis XIV. gave
him a regiment of dragoons. He signalized himself at the
siege of Lisle, received other steps of promotion, and at
the peace returned to court, where the king entirely forgot
the faults of the grandfather in the merits of his descendant.
When war again broke out, after the death of Louis XIV.
he proceeded to distinguish himself, but a change of
ministry put a check to his career. He shared the disgrace of the minister Le Blanc, was for a time im-prisoned
in the Bastile, and then banished to his own estate. In
this retreat he composed a complete justification of himself, was recalled to court, and from that time experienced
only favour, fortune, and promotion. In the war of 1733,
he obtained a principal command in Flanders, distinguished
himself before Philipsburg, and commanded during the
rest of the campaign in Germany. In 1735 he was decorated with the order of the Holy Ghost, and was the confidential adviser of the minister, cardinal Fleury. About
this time, taking advantage of an interval of peace, he
wrote memoirs of all the countries in which he had served:
but on the death of the emperor Charles VI. in 1740, he
urged the cardinal to declare war. Ambition prompted
this advice, and his ambition was not long without gratification. In 1741, he was created marechal of France. The
witlings attacked him on his elevation, but he despised
their efforts: “These rhymers,
” said he, “would gain
their ends, should I do them the honour to be angry.
” At
the election of the emperor in 1742, marechal Bellisle was
plenipotentiary of France at the diet of Francfort, where
his magnificence was no less extraordinary than the extent
of his influence in the diet. He appeared rather as a principal elector than an ambassador, and secured the election
of Charles VII. Soon after, by the desertion of the Prussians and Saxons, the marechal found himself shut up in
Prague, and with great difficulty effected a retreat. He
was obliged to march his army over the ice, and three
thousand troops left in Prague were compelled to surrender,
though with honour. On his return to Francfort, Charles
VII. presented him with the order of the golden fleece,
having already declared him a prince of the empire. In
December 1743, as he was going again into Germany, he
was taken prisoner at Elbingerode, a small town encircled
by the territory of Hanover, and was carried into England,
where he remained till August 1744. He then served
against the Austrians in Provence; and, returning to Versailles to plan the campaign of 1748, was created a peer
of France. He had enjoyed the title of duke of Gisors,
from 1742. Afterthe peace in 1743, his influence at
court continued to increase, and in 1757 he became prime
minister; but in this situation he lived only four years;
falling a victim, it is said, to his application to business,
his sorrow for the misfortunes of France, and his anxious
cares to extricate her from them. This patriotic character
coincides with other anecdotes related of him. Having
lost his brother, whom he tenderly loved, at a very critical
period of public affairs, he suppressed his private grief as
soon as possible, saying, “I have no brother; but I have
a country, let me exert myself to save her.
” He died in
January, 1761, at the age of 77.
on the Rhine, where, he fixed various posts, and seized the trenches of Lanterburg. He was appointed marechal of France, March 26, 1744, and commanded the main bocly of the
, a celebrated commander,
was born October 19, 1696, at Dresden, and was the
natural son of Frederick Augustus If. king of Poland, and
Aurora, countess of Konigsinarc. He gave evident proofs
of his taste for military affairs from his childhood; was
taught to read and write with the utmost difficulty; nor
could he ever be prevailed upon to study a few ho irs in
the morning, otherwise than by a promise that he should
ride on horseback in the afternoon. He liked to have
Frenchmen about him, for which reason their language was
the only foreign one which he willingly learnt grammatically. He attended the elector in all his military expeditions; was at the siege of Lisle in 1708, when only twelve
years old, and mounted the trenches several times both at
the city and at the fortress, in sight of the king, his father,
who admired his intrepidity. Nor did he discover less courage at the siege of Tournay, the year following, where he
twice narrowly escaped death; and at the buttle of Malplaquet, far from being shocked by the dreadful carnage
which attended the engagement, he declared in the evening, “that he was well pleased with the day.
” In 1711,
he followed the king of Poland to Stralsund, where he
swam over the river, in sight of the enemy, with his pistol
in his hand, during which time he saw, /vithout any seeming emotion, three officers and above twenty soldiers fall
by his side. When he retired to Dresden, the king, who
had been witness to his courage and abilities, raised a company of horse for him. Count Saxe spent the whole winter in teaching his regiment some new evolutions, which
he had invented, and marched them against the Swedes
the year following. This regiment suffered much st the
battle of Gadelbusli, where he made them return three
times to the attack. This campaign being ended, mad. de
Konigsmarc married him to the young countess de Loben,
a rich and amiable lady, whose name Avas Victoria, which
name, count Saxe afterwards said, contributed as much to
fix his choice on the countess, as her beauty and largtr fortune. This lady brought him a son, who died young, and
the count having at length a disagreement with her, procured his marriage to be dissolved in 1721, but promised
the countess never to marry again, and kept his word. She
married a Saxon officer soon after, by whom she had three
children, and they lived in harmony together. It was with,
great reluctance that the countess had consented to her
Carriage being dissolved, for she loved count Saxe; and
the latter frequently repented afterwards of having taken
such a step. He continued to signalize himself in the war
against Sweden, was at the siege of Stralsund in December
1715, when Charles XII. was blocked up, and had the
satisfaction of seeing him in the midst of his grenadiers“.
The behaviour of this celebrated warrior inspired count
Saxe with a high degree of veneration, which he ever retained for his memory. He served against the Turks in
Hungary in 1717, and on his return to Poland in 1718,
received the order of the white eagle from the king. In
1720, he visited France, and the duke of Orleans, then regent, gave him a brevet of marechal de camp. Count Saxe
afterwards obtained leave from his Polish majesty to serve
in France, where he purchased a German regiment in 1722,
which afterwards bore his name. He changed the ancient
exercise of this regiment for one of his own invention; and
the chevalier Folard, on seeing this exercise, foretold immediately, in his Commentary on Polybius, torn. III. b. ii.
chap. 14, that count Saxe would be a great general. During his residence in France, he learnt mathematics and the
art of fortification with astonishing facility, till 1725, when
prince Ferdinand, duke of Courland, falling dangerously
ill in the month of December, he turned his thoughts to
obtaining the sovereignty of Courland. With this view, he
set out for Mittau, and arrived there, May 18, 1726. He
was received with open arms by the states, and had several private interviews with the duchess dowager of Courland, who had resided there since her husband’s decease.
This lady was Anne Iwanaw, second daughter of the czar
I wan Alexiowitz, brother of Peter the Great. Count Saxe,
having communicated his design to her, soon engaged her
in his interests; and she acted with such indefatigable ardour, and conducted affairs so well, that he was unanimously elected duke of Courland, July 5, 1726. Thia
choice being; opposed by Poland and Russia, the duchess
supported count Saxe with all her interest, and even went
to Riga and Petersburg, where she redoubled her solicitations in favour of the late election. There seems indeed
to be no doubt, but that, if the count had returned her
passion, he would not only have maintained his ground in
Courland, but shared the throne of Russia, which this princess afterwards ascended; but, during his stay at Mittau,
an affair of gallantry between him and one of her ladies
broke off the marriage, and induced the duchess to abandon him. From that moment the count’s affairs took an
unhappy turn, and he was forced to go back to Paris in
1729. The following remarkable circumstance occurred
during the course of his enterprise: Having written from
Ccmrlandto France for a supply of men and money, mademoiselle le Couvreur, a celebrated actress, who was at that
time attached to him, pawned her jewels and plate, and
sent him 40,000 livres. When count Saxe returned to
Paris, he applied himself to obtain a complete knowledge
of the mathematics, and acquired a taste for mechanics.
He refused the command of the Polish army offered him
by the king, his brother, in 1733, and distinguished himself on the Rhine under marechal Berwick, particularly at
the lines of Etlingen, and the siege of Philipsburg, after
which he was made lieutenant-general August 1, 1734.
Hostilities having recommenced on the death of the emperor Charles VI. count Saxc took Prague by assault, Nov.
26, 1741, then Egra and Ellebogen, raised a regiment of
Hullans, and brought back marechal de Broglio’s army
upon the Rhine, where, he fixed various posts, and seized
the trenches of Lanterburg. He was appointed marechal
of France, March 26, 1744, and commanded the main
bocly of the army in Flanders, where he so exactly observed the motions of the enemies, who were superior in,
number, and made use of such excellent manoeuvres, that
he reduced them to remain inactive, for they were afraid
to undertake any thing. This campaign in Fianders did
count Saxe great honour, and was considered as a chefd'ceuvre of the military art. He won the famous battle of
Fonterioi, under the king’s command, May 11, 1745, where,
though sick and weak, he gave his orders with such presence of mind, vigilance, courage, and judgment, as made
him the admiration of the whole army. This victory was
followed by the capture of Tournay, which the French be^
sieged; of Ghent, Bruges, Oudenarde, Ostend, Ath, &c.
and at the time that the campaign was supposed to be
finished, he took Brussels, February 28, 1746. Nor was
the next campaign less honourable to count Saxe. He
won the battle of Kauconx, Oct. I 1, the same year, 1746;
and his majesty, to reward such a constant series of glorious services, dtrlurod him marechal general of his camps
and armies, Jan. 12, 1747. Marechal Saxe carried troops
into Zealand, gained the battle of Lanfeldt, July 2 following-, approved the siege of Bergen-op-Zoom, of which M.
de Loewen made himself master, and took Maestrecht,
May 7, 1748. In consequence of these victories a peace
was concluded at Aix-la-Chapelle, Oct. 18, the same year.
Marechai Saxe went afterwards to Chambord, which the
king had given him, ordered his regiment of Hullans thither, and kept a stud of wild horses, more proper for light
cavalry than those used by the French. He visited Berlin
some time after, and was magnificently entertained by his
Prussian majesty. On his return to Paris, he formed a plan
for the establishment of a colony in the island of Tobago;
but gave it up, when he found that England and Holland
opposed it. Count Saxe died, after a nine days 7 illness, at
Chambord, Nov. 30, 1750, in the fifty-fourth year of his
age. He wrote a book on the art of war, called
” Mes
Reveries/ 1 of which a very splendid edition, with his life,
was published in 1757, 2 vols. 4to. There is also an English translation of it. His “Life
” was printed in
d like Scipio, with respect to a very beautiful woman, whom he sent back to her husband. He was made marechal of France, in 1644, and had the misfortune to be defeated at
, -viscount de Turenne, a celebrated French general, was born in September 1611, at
Sedan, and was the second son of Henry de la Tour,
duke de Bouillon, descended from one of the most illustrious French families. He very early discovered uncommon
talents for the military art, and made his first campaign in
Holland under Maurice, and Frederic Henry of Nassau,
his uncles on the mother’s side. He went socm after into
Lorrain with his regiment in 1634, and having contributed
to the taking of la Mothe, was appointed major-general,
though at that time very young. In 1636 he took Saverne,
and the year following, the castles of Hirson and Sorle,
and it was on this occasion, that he acted like Scipio, with
respect to a very beautiful woman, whom he sent back to
her husband. He was made marechal of France, in 1644,
and had the misfortune to be defeated at the battle of Mariendal, 1645; but gained that of Nortlingen, three months
after, restored the elector of Treves to his dominions, and
the following year effected,. that famous junction of the
French with the Swedish army commanded by general
Wrangel, which compelled the duke of Bavaria to sue for
peace. This duke having broken the treaty he made with
France, the viscount de Turenue defeated him at Zumarshausen, and drove him entirely from his dominions in
1643. During the civil wars he joined the princes, and
was defeated at the battle of Rhetel, in 1650; but his majesty, being soon reconciled to him, gave him the command of his army in 1652. His conduct was afterwards
much admired at the battles of Jergeau, Gien, and the
Fauxbourg St. Antoine, and in his retreat before the army
of the princes at Villeneuve-Sainte-George. In 1654 he
forced the Spaniards to raise the siege of Arras, and in
1655, took Condé, Saint Guillain, and several other places;
won the famous battle of the Downs, and took Dunkirk and
Oudenarde, with almost all the rest of Flanders; which
obliged Spain to conclude the peace of the Pyrenees
in 1660. These important services deservedly acquired
him the office of marechal-general of the royal camps
and armies. A fresh war breaking out with Spain, 1667,
Turenne commanded under the king’s orders in Flanders,
where he took so many places that the Spaniards were
forced to propose peace the following year. In the same
year he abjured the Protestant religion, probably from ambitious motives. In 1672 he commanded the French troops
during the war against Holland, took forty towns in 22
days, drove the elector of Brandenburg quite to Berlin,
won the battles of Sintsheim, Lademburg, Ensheim, MuU
hausen and Turkeim, and compelled the Imperial army,
consisting of 70,000 men, to re-pass the Rhine. This
campaign acquired the viscount de Turenne immortal
honour. He crossed the Rhine to attack general Montecuculli, and pursued him to Saspach, near the town of
Acheren; but having ascended an eminence to observe the
enemy’s camp, he was killed by a cannon-ball, July 27,
1675, at the age of sixty-four. All France lamented the
loss of this great man, whose generosity and modesty,
joined to his military virtues, and the noblest qualities of
the hero, had made him admired throughout Europe. The
king ordered a solemn service to be performed for him in
the cathedral church at Paris, as for the first prince of the
blood, and that his remains should be interred in the abbey
of St. Denys, the burying-place of the royal personages of
France, where the cardinal, his nephew, raised a superb
mausoleum to his memory. He married Anne de Nompar
de Caumont, daughter of the duke and marechal de la
Force, but had no children by her. His life has been
written by the abbe Raguenet, and M. de Ramsay. The
viscount de Turenne, one of his ancestors, wrote a valuable treatise on “The Military Art.
”
, marechal of France, commissioner-general of fortifications, and the greatest
,
marechal of France, commissioner-general of fortifications,
and the greatest engineer which France has produced, was
the son of Urban le Prestre, seigneur de Vauban, a descendant of an ancient and noble family of Nivernois. He
was born May 1, 1633, and was in the army at the early age
of seventeen, where his uncommon talents and genius for
fortification soon became known, and were eminently displayed at the sieges of St. Menehould, 1652 and 1653, of
Stenay 1654, and of several other places in the following
years. He consequently rose to the highest military ranks
by his merit and services: and was made governor of
the citadel of Lisle in 1668, and commissioner-general of
fortifications in 1678. He took Luxemburg in 1684, and,
being appointed lieutenant-general in 1688, was present, the
same year, at the siege and capture of Philipsburg, Manheim, and Frankendal, under the dauphin. This prince,
as a reward for his services, gave him four pieces of cannon, which he was permitted to chuse from the arsenals of
these three towns, and place in his castle at Bazoche; an
honour afterwards granted to the famous marechal Saxe.
M. de Vauban commanded on the coast of Flanders in
1689, and was made marechal of France, Jan. 14, 1703.
His dignity was expensive to him, but the king would not
permit him to serve as an inferior officer, though he offered
it in a very handsome manner. He died at Paris, March
30, 1707, aged seventy-four. He was a man of high
and independent spirit, of great humanity, and entirely
devoted to the good of his country. As an engineer, he
carried the art of fortifying, attacking, and defending towns,
to a degree of perfection unknown before his time. He
fortified above 300 ancient citadels, erected thirty- three
new ones, and had the principal management and direction of fifty-three sieges, and was present at one hundred
and forty engagements. But his countrymen tell us that
it was unnecessary for him to exert his skill in defending
a fort; for the enemies of France never attacked those in
which he was stationed. His works are, a treatise entitled
“La Dixme Roïale,
” Oisivetés,
” contain his ideas, reflections, and projects,
for the advantage of France. The three following works
are also attributed to him, but whether he wrote them, or
whether they have been compiled from his Memoirs, and
adapted to his ideas, is uncertain: “Maniere de fortifier,
”
8vo and 12mo, printed also at Paris by Michalet, 8vo, under the title of “L'Ingéieur François.
” M. Hebert, professor of mathematics, and the abbe“du Fay, have written
notes on this treatise, which is esteemed, and is said to have
been revised by the chevalier de Cambrai, and reprinted
at Amsterdam, 1702 and 1727, 2 vols. 4to; 2.
” Nouveau
Traite de l'Attaque et de la Défense des Places, suivant le
Systeme de M. de Vauban, par M. Desprez de Saint Savin,“1736, 8vo, much esteemed; 3.
” Essais sur la Fortification, par M. de Vauban,“1740, 12mo. As to the
” Political Testament" ascribed to him, it was written by Peter
le Pesant, sieur de Boïs Guillebert, lieutenant-general of
the bailiwic of Rouen, who died 1714. M. de Vauban’s
second cousin, Anthony de Prestre, known by the name of
Puy Vauban, was also a very eminent engineer. He died
lieutenant-general of the king’s forces, and governor of
Bethune, April 10, 1731, aged seventy-seven.
, till 1702, when having defeated the prince of Baden at the battle of Friedlingen, he was appointed marechal of France, October 22, the same year. The following year he
, marshal of France,
was born at Moulins in Bourbonnais in 1653. His father
had served with ability and courage, both in the civil and
military capacity, and the son very early shewed a zeal to
excel in arms. He served first a& aid -de -camp to his
cousin, the marshal de Belleforis, and signalized himself
in several sieges and engagements, till 1702, when having
defeated the prince of Baden at the battle of Friedlingen,
he was appointed marechal of France, October 22, the same
year. The following year he took the fortress of Kell,
won a battle at Hochstet, 1703, and subdued the insurgents
in the Cevennes, by negociating with their leader in a
manner that did credit to his humanity; for ttiese services
he was raised to the title of dukeofVillarsin 1706. His neM
considerable action was forcing the lines at Stolhoffen,
1707, and obtaining more than eigtteed millions in contributions from the enemy. It was thought that he would
have gained the battle of iMalplaquet, in 1709, had he not
been dangerously wounded before the action finished.
Such at least was his own opinion, towhich historians seem,
not disposed to accede. But it is less doubtful that he
afterwards acquired great glory from the stratagem by which
he forced the entrenchments of Denain on the Schelde,
July 24, 1712. This success was followed by the capture
of Marchiennes, Douay, Bouchain, Landau, Friburg, &c.
and by a peace concluded at Radstadt, between the emperor and France, May 6, 1714. Marechal de Villars,
who had been plenipotentiary at the treaty of Radstadt,
was made president of the council of war in 1715, and
afterwards counsellor to the regency and minister of state.
In 1733 he went into Italy as commander under the king
of Sardinia, and his majesty declared him marshal general
of his camps and armies; a title granted to no one, since
the death of marechal de Turenne, who appears to have
been the first person honoured with it. M. de Villars took
Pisighitona, Milan, Novarra, and Tortona; but after having opened the following campaign, he fell sick and died
at Turin, on his return to France, June 17, 1734, aged
eighty-two, regretted as one of the greatest and most fortunate generals of France. He had been admitted into the
French academy, June 23, 1714. M. the abbe Seguy
spoke his funeral oration, which was printed in 1735. He
was a man of undoubted courage, but he was vain and unaccommodating, and never beloved. “The Memoirs of
M. de Villars
” were published in Dutch, in