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Philibert de Gramont

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Philibert de Gramont
Count of Gramont
Philibert de Gramont Engraving.jpg
Detail from the portrait further down
Born1621
Died31 January 1707
Paris
FamilyGramont
Spouse(s)Elizabeth, Countess de Gramont
Issue
Detail		Claude Charlotte & Marie Élisabeth
FatherAntoine II de Gramont
MotherClaude de Montmorency-Bouteville

Philibert, Count de Gramont (1621 – 31 January 1707), was a French courtier and soldier, known as the protagonist of the Mémoires written by Anthony Hamilton (his brother-in-law). He was a younger half-brother of Antoine III of Gramont and uncle of Catherine Charlotte de Gramont, princess of Monaco.

Birth and origins

Philibert was born in 1621, probably at the Château de Bidache,[1] the second son of Antoine II de Gramont and his second wife, Claude de Montmorency-Bouteville. His father was the head of the illustrious Gramont family and ruler of the Principality of Bidache. At the time of Philibert's birth he was comte de Guiche but later became duc de Gramont de Guiche. His first wife had been Louise de Roquelaure. Philibert's mother was his father's second wife. She was the eldest daughter of Louis de Montmorency-Bouteville [fr], Baron de Bouteville and sister of François de Montmorency-Bouteville. The Montmorency-Bouteville family was a cadet branch of the illustrious House of Montmorency.

Philibert's paternal grandmother, Diane d'Andouins, comtesse de Gramont, was "la belle Corisande," one of the mistresses of Henry IV. The grandson assumed that his father, Antoine II de Gramont, viceroy of Navarre, was the son of Henry IV, and regretted that his father had not claimed the privileges of royal paternity.

Family tree
Philibert de Gramont with wife, children, parents, and other selected relatives.[a]
Philibert
comte de
Gramont
1552–1580		Diane
d'Andouins
Louise de
Roquelaure
d. 1610		Antoine II
duc de
Gramont
1572–1644		Claude de
Montmorency
d. 1652
Antoine III
duc de
Gramont
1604–1678		Henri
comte de
Toulongeon
d. 1679		Philibert
de
Gramont
1621–1707		Elizabeth
Hamilton
1641–1708
Antoine
Charles IV
duc de
Gramont
1641–1720		Henry
1st Earl
Stafford
c. 1648 –
1719		Claude
Charlotte
d. 1739		Marie
Elizabeth
1667–1729
Abbess
Antoine V
Duc de
Gramont
1672–1725
Legend
XXXSubject of
the article		XXXComtes et ducs
de Gramont		XXXEarls of
Stafford

His parents had married in 1618.[3]

Philibert listed among his full siblings
He appears among his full siblings as the second child:
  1. Henri (died 1679) who was comte de Toulongeon[4]
  2. Philibert (1623–1707)
  3. Susanne Charlotte (1627–1688), who married Henri Mitte, marquis de Saint-Chamond[5]
  4. Anne-Louise (died 1666), who married Isaac de Pas, marquis de Feuquière[6]
  5. Françoise-Marguerite-Bayonne, who married Philippe, Marquis de Lons in Béarn[7]
  6. Charlotte-Catherine (died 1714), who became abbess of Notre-Dame-du-Ronceray at Angers[8]
Philibert's half-brothers
  1. Antoine (1604–1678), numbered Antoine III, who became the 2nd duc de Gramont[9]
  2. Roger (died 1629), who was known as comte de Louvigny[10]

Early life

Philibert was destined for the church, and was educated at the college of Pau, in Béarn. He refused the ecclesiastical life, however, and joined the army of Prince Thomas of Savoy, then in 1643 besieging Trino in Piedmont.[11] He afterwards served under his elder half-brother, Antoine, marshal de Gramont, and the prince de Condé. He was present at the battles of Freiburg[12] and Nördlingen,[13] and served with distinction in Spain and Flanders in 1647. In 1654 he fought at Arras where Turenne relieved the town besieged by the Spanish.[14]

He favoured Condé's party at the beginning of the Fronde, but changed sides before he was too severely compromised. In spite of his record in the army, he never received any important commission either military or diplomatic, perhaps because of an incurable levity in his outlook. He was, however, made governor of the Pays d'Aunis and lieutenant of Béarn. He visited England during the Commonwealth.

Exile and marriage

In 1662 he was exiled from France for courting Anne-Lucie de la Mothe-Houdancourt, one of the king's mistresses.[15] He went to England where he found at the court of Charles II an atmosphere congenial to his talents for intrigue, gallantry and pleasure. He arrived in London in January 1663.[16][17]

Philibert quickly entered into the English court's inner circle. Not much adaptation was needed as French was the predominant language at the Restoration court.[18] Elizabeth Hamilton, the sister of Anthony Hamilton, admired his wit and gallantry and fell in love with him.

Philibert married her in London in December 1663 or early in 1664.[19][20][21] In March 1664, having heard of his marriage, Louis XIV wrote him a letter saying that he could come back.[22] The couple had a son on 28 August old style, but he died as an infant.[23][24][25]

There is a famous anecdote told about her marriage, which reverts the order of events by placing the marriage, which was, according to this tale, forced on de Gramont by her brothers, after the permission to return. It goes as follows:

When in 1664 he was allowed to return to France, he left in haste, giving the impression that he would not honour his commitments. Her brothers George and Anthony therefore pursued and intercepted him on his way to Dover and pressured him to return and marry her.[26] They asked him whether he had not forgotten something in London. He replied "Pardonnez-moi, messieurs, j'ai oublié d'épouser votre sœur." (Forgive me, Sirs, I have forgotten to marry your sister).[27][28][29][30] He turned around, went back to London, and dutifully married her.

The story is partly proven wrong since he married her before Louis allowed him to come back, but it could well be true that a bit of pressure from her brothers was needed. It has been said that this incident suggested to Molière his comedy Le mariage forcé, first presented 29 January 1664,[31] but this idea clashes with the known dates.

Back in France

In 1664 he was allowed to return to France.[32] He revisited England in 1670 in connection with the Sale of Dunkirk, and again in 1671 and 1676. In 1688 he was sent by Louis XIV to congratulate James II on the birth of an heir. From all these small diplomatic missions he succeeded in obtaining considerable profits, being destitute, and having no scruples whenever money was in question. At the age of 75 he fell dangerously ill, which caused him to become reconciled to the church. His penitence does not seem to have survived his recovery.

engraved portrait of Philibert de Gramont, showing a clean-shaven man wearing a long curly wig, armour and a sash
Engraved portrait of Philibert de Gramont wearing the cordon-bleu

In June 1673, he fought at the Siege of Maastricht during which Louis XIV took the town from the Dutch.[33]

In 1679, his elder brother Henri died unmarried and Philibert therefore became comte de Toulongeon. He did not want to change his name to Toulongeon, but changed it from chevalier de Gramont to comte de Gramont, and his wife became comtesse. Henri had appointed him his heir[34] and he inherited his brother's château at Séméac.

On 31 December 1688 he was made a knight of the Order of the Holy Spirit in a ceremony performed in the Chapel of the Château de Versailles.[35] This gave him the right to wear the blue sash called the cordon bleu that hangs over his right shoulder on his portrait.

Children

His wife gave him two children, daughters both:

  1. Claude Charlotte (c. 1665 – 1739), who married Henry Stafford-Howard, 1st Earl of Stafford[36][37][38][39]
  2. Marie Élisabeth (1667–1729), who in 1695 became abbess of the Chapter of Poussay [fr] in Lorraine[40][41][42]

Both were maids-of-honour to Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria, whom the Grand Dauphin married in 1680.[43][44] Saint-Simon comments that they did not have much success at the court.[45]

He also had a bastard daughter, born in Piedmont, at the siege of Trino: Giacomo or Jacques, daughter of Countess Theresia de' Medici, granddaughter of don Antonio de' Medici via his son Antonfrancesco.

Memoirs

Coat of arms of Philibert de Gramont.

He was 80 years old when he supplied his brother-in-law, Anthony Hamilton, with the material for his Mémoires.[46] Hamilton said that they had been dictated to him, but no doubt he was the real author. The account of Gramont's early career was doubtless provided by himself, but Hamilton was probably more familiar with the history of the court of Charles II, which forms the most interesting part of the book. Moreover, Gramont, though he had a reputation for wit, was no writer, and there is no reason to suppose that he was capable of producing a work which remains a masterpiece of style and of witty portraiture.

His biographer Hamilton was far superior as a writer to the comte de Gramont, but he relates the story of his hero without comment, and no condemnation of the prevalent code of morals is allowed to appear, unless by an occasional touch of irony. The portrait is drawn with such skill that the count, despite his biographer's candour, imposes by his grand air on the reader much as he appears to have done on his contemporaries. The book is the most entertaining of contemporary memoirs, and in no other book is there a description so vivid, truthful, and graceful of the licentious court of Charles II. There are other and less flattering accounts of the count. His scandalous tongue knew no restraint, and he was a privileged person who was allowed to state even the most unpleasing truths to Louis XIV.[47]

When the Mémoires were finished, it is said that Gramont sold the manuscript for 1500 francs; and kept most of the money for himself. Fontenelle, then censor of the press, refused to license the book from considerations of respect to the strange old man, whose gambling, cheating and meanness were so ruthlessly exposed. But Gramont himself appealed to the chancellor and the prohibition was lifted.

Death and timeline

He died on 10 January 1707 in Paris,[48] and the Mémoires appeared six years later.[49]

Timeline
The dates, even those referring to his stay in England, are all in New Style.
Age Date Event
0 1621 Born
21–22 1643 Fought at the siege of Trino.[11]
21–22 1643, 13 Dec Father created duc de Gramont
22–23 1644, 3–9 Aug Fought at Freiburg.[12]
22–23 1644, 16 Aug Father died at the Château de Séméac.
23–24 1645, 3 Aug Fought at Nördlingen[13]
30–31 1652, 3 Apr Mother died.
32–33 1654, 25 Aug Fought at Arras where Turenne relieved the town besieged by the Spanish.[14]
41–42 1663, Jan Came to live at the court of Charles II of England at Whitehall.
42–43 1664 Married Elizabeth Hamilton.[20]
42–43 1664, 7 Sep Birth of a son who died in his infancy.[25]
43–44 1665, about First daughter, Claude Charlotte, born.[37]
45–46 1667, 27 Dec Second daughter, Marie Elisabeth, born[40]
46–47 1668 Participated in the conquest of the Franche Comté.
51–52 1673, 15–30 Jun Fought at the Siege of Maastricht.
57–58 1679, 1 Sep Brother Henri died unmarried and Philibert inherited the title of count and the Château de Séméac.
66–67 1688, 31 Dec Made a knight of the Order of the Holy Spirit[35]
72–73 1694, 3 Apr His daughter Claude Charlotte married Henry Stafford-Howard, 1st Earl of Stafford.[36]
82–83 1704 Started telling his life to Anthony Hamilton, who wrote it up as the Mémoires du comte de Grammont.
85–86 1707, 31 Jan Died in Paris[48]

Notes and references

Notes

  1. ^ This family tree is partly derived from the Gramont family tree in Lewis (1958).[2] Also see the lists of siblings and children in the text.

Citations

  1. ^ Chisholm 1911, p.  333, left column, line 5. "... born in 1621, probably at the family seat of Bidache."
  2. ^ Lewis 1958, p. 9.
  3. ^ La Chesnaye des Bois 1866, p. 641, line 33. "& 2o [secondo] par contrat du 29 Mars 1618, Claude de Montmorency, fille ainée de Louis, Baron de Bouteville ..."
  4. ^ La Chesnaye des Bois 1866, p. 641, line 44. "Henri, Comte de Toulongeon Maréchal-des-Camps & Armées du roi ..."
  5. ^ La Chesnaye des Bois 1866, p. 642, line 28. "Susanne-Charlotte mariée à Henri Mitte, Marquis de Saint-Chamond ..."
  6. ^ La Chesnaye des Bois 1866, p. 642, line 26. "Anne-Louise mariée à Paris, le 26 Juin 1647, à Isaac de Pas, marquis de Feuquière ..."
  7. ^ La Chesnaye des Bois 1866, p. 642, line 34. "Françoise-Marguerite-Bayonne mariée à Philippe, Marquis de Lons en Béarn ..."
  8. ^ La Chesnaye des Bois 1866, p. 642, line 36. "... et Charlotte-Catherine, abbesse de Notre-Dame-du-Ronceray à Angers ..."
  9. ^ La Chesnaye des Bois 1866, p. 642, line 50. "Antoine de Gromont, IIIe du nom, Duc et Pair de Gramont, Souverain de Bidache, Comte de Guiche & de Louvigny, ..."
  10. ^ La Chesnaye des Bois 1866, p. 641, line 39. "Roger, Comte de Louvigny, tué en duel en Flandre, le 18 mars 1629 ..."
  11. ^ a b La Chesnaye des Bois 1866, p. 641, line 51. "Il se distingua au siège de Trino en 1643."
  12. ^ a b La Chesnaye des Bois 1866, p. 641, line 52. "... au combat de Fribourg en 1644;"
  13. ^ a b La Chesnaye des Bois 1866, p. 641, line 53. "... et à la battaille de Nordlingen en 1645;"
  14. ^ a b La Chesnaye des Bois 1866, p. 641, left column, last line. "... à la levée du siège d'Arras en 1654"
  15. ^ Hamilton 1713, p. 104. "La Motte Houdancourt étoit une des filles de la Reine-Mère."
  16. ^ Saint-Simon 1899, p. 560. "Il arriva à Londres le 15 janvier 1663, et retrouva entre autres camarades, les Hamilton, de grande maison écossaise et catholique, dont il avait fréquenté plusieurs jeunes gens au Louvre dans l'entourage de la veuve et du fils de Charles 1er."
  17. ^ Auger 1805, p. 2. "Près de deux ans après le rétablissement de Charles II, arriva à Londres le fameux chevalier de Grammont, exilé de France ..."
  18. ^ Auger 1805, p. 2, line 25. "... enfin on parloit françois à St.-James presqu'aussi habituellement qu'à Versailles."
  19. ^ Hartmann 1930, p. 378. "The chevalier de Gramont's rare constancy had met with its reward long before, towards the end of December 1663."
  20. ^ a b Paul 1904, p. 55. "she [Elizabeth] married in 1664 the dissipated Philibert, Count de Gramont ..."
  21. ^ Saint-Simon 1899, p. 563, line 8. "Le contrat de mariage fut passé sans autre retard, le 9 décembre 1663 (style anglais) ..."
  22. ^ Louis XIV 1806, p. 170. "Au comte de Grammont. Paris le 6 mars 1664. Monsieur le Comte de Grammont. Il ne faut point que l'impatience de vous rendre auprès de moi, trouble vos nouvelles douceurs. Vous serez toujours le bien-venu ..."
  23. ^ Saint-Simon 1899, p. 563, line 11. "... ayant déjà un fils né le 7 septembre, mais qui ne vécut point."
  24. ^ Brunet 1883, p. xii. "Comminges à Lionne, Londres, 29 août — 8 septembre 1664. Madame la comtesse de Grammont accoucha hier au soir d'un fils beau comme la mère ..."
  25. ^ a b Jusserand 1892, p. 229. "Comminges to Lionne Sept. 8, 1664 [NS]. Madame la comtesse de Grammont accoucha hier au soir d'un fils beau comme la mère ..."
  26. ^ Adams 1865, p. 81, line 18. "Her brothers immediately pursued him and came up with him near Dover, resolved to extort from him an explanation, or to obtain satisfaction with their swords ..."
  27. ^ Wheatley 1907–1921, https://www.bartleby.com/218/1018.html. "Note 15: This well known story is told in a letter from Lord Melfort to Richard Hamilton ..."
  28. ^ Auger 1805, p. 3. "Chevalier de Grammont, lui crièrent-ils du plus loin qu'ils l'aperçurent chevalier de Grammont avez-vous rien oublié à Londres? — Pardonnez-moi, Messieurs, j'ai oublié d'épouser votre sœur."
  29. ^ Michel 1862, p. 368. "... lui dirent en l'abordant 'Chevalier de Grammont, n'avez-vous rien oublié à Londres?'—'Pardonnez-moi, messieurs, j'ai oublié d'épouser votre sœur.'"
  30. ^ Adams 1865, p. 81, line 24. "'Excuse me' he rejoined, with his accustomed self-possession, 'I forgot to marry your sister.'"
  31. ^ Adams 1865, p. 81, footnote. "This incident, we are told, suggested to Molière his comedy 'Le Marriage Forcé.'"
  32. ^ Chisholm 1911, p.  333, left column, line 21. "In 1664 he was allowed to return to France."
  33. ^ La Chesnaye des Bois 1866, p. 642, line 3. "... se trouva aux sièges de Maëstricht en 1673 ..."
  34. ^ La Chesnaye des Bois 1866, p. 642, line 5. "Le comte de Toulongeon, son frère, l'institua pour héritier par son testament ..."
  35. ^ a b Anselme 1733, p. 229. "Philibert de Gramont, dit le comte de Gramont, seigneur de Semeac ... mourut à Paris le 30 janvier 1707 ..."
  36. ^ a b Rigg 1890, p. 147, left column. "They had two daughters only: (i) Claude Charlotte, who married at St. Germains on 3 April 1694 Henry Howard, earl of Stafford ..."
  37. ^ a b Corp 2004, p. 787. "The Count and Countess de Gramont had two daughters: Claude-Charlotte (b. c. 1665) and ..."
  38. ^ La Chesnaye des Bois 1866, p. 642, line 18. "Claude Charlotte, mariée, le 6 Avril 1694, à Henri Howard, comte de Stafford ..."
  39. ^ Buried at St James, Westminster, on 22 May 1739. Source: The Register of Burials in the Parish of St James within the Liberty of Westminster. 1723-1754. 22 May 1739.
  40. ^ a b Paul 1904, p. 56. "Marie Elizabeth de Gramont, born 27 December 1667, abbesse de St Marine of Poussay in Lorraine."
  41. ^ Saint-Simon 1902, p. 502, line 4. "L’aînée, pour faire une fin, se fit abbesse de Poussay, qui est un chapitre en Lorraine ..."
  42. ^ Gaspard 1871, p. 42. "Marie-Elisabeth de Grammont fut élue le 6 janvier 1695, les bulles sont du 9 de novembre de la même année. Elle est fille de Philibert, comte de Grammont, vicomte d'Aster, commandeur des ordres du roi, et d'Elisabeth d'Hamilton d'Albercorne."
  43. ^ Michel 1862, p. 407. "qui avaient été filles d'honneur de la Dauphine de Bavière ..."
  44. ^ Dangeau 1854, p. 228. "Le roi a accordé à madame la comtesse de Grammont pour sa seconde fille ... la place de fille d'honneur de Madame la Dauphine ..."
  45. ^ Saint-Simon 1902, p. 502, line 1. "Les deux filles de la comtesse de Gramont n'ont pas prospéré, avec l'esprit de deux demons, méchantes et galantes à l'avenant, quoique fort laides ..."
  46. ^ Chisholm 1911, p.  333, left column, line 41. "He was 80 years old when he supplied his brother-in-law, Anthony Hamilton, with the material for his Mémoires."
  47. ^ Chisholm 1911, p.  333, left column, line 70. "His scandalous tongue knew no restraint, and he was a privileged person who was allowed to state even the most unpleasing truths to Louis XIV."
  48. ^ a b Dangeau 1857, p. 293. "Le comte de Gramont mourut à Paris la nuit passée."
  49. ^ Chisholm 1911, p. s:1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Gramont, Philibert, Comte de 333, left column, line 58. "He died on 10 January 1707, and the Mémoires appeared six years later."

Sources

Attribution:

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