François de Beauharnais

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François, marquis de Beauharnais (born August 12, 1756 in La Rochelle , †  March 3, 1846 in Paris ) was a French nobleman.

Life

François de Beauharnais came from an old French noble family . On May 1, 1778, he married his first cousin Marie-Anne-Françoise de Beauharnais (* 1757; † 1822), daughter of Claude de Beauharnais , Count of Roches-Baritaud , and Anne-Marie Mouchard de Chaban . Four children came from this relationship, separated in 1782 and divorced in 1793:

When the French Revolution broke out in 1789, François de Beauharnais defended the privileges of the nobility and the rights of the king as a royalist in the French National Assembly , in contrast to his brother Alexandre de Beauharnais , who opposed the court. For example, François opposed his brother's motion to withdraw the king's command of the army. In 1792, together with d'Hervilly, de Briges and de Vioménil, he drafted a plan for a second escape for Louis XVI. and his family, who were thwarted by the arrest of his companion, Baron Chambon. He then emigrated and was general de division in the army of Prince Condé's emigrants until they were dissolved. He wrote to the convention to explain to it what was illegal in his view of the trial against the king and to defend Louis XVI. to offer.

After the coup d'état of 18th Brumaire VIII (November 9, 1799) , François de Beauharnais had another letter delivered to the latter as First Consul by Joséphine , widow of his brother Alexandre, who had meanwhile become Napoleon's wife . In this letter he advised Napoleon to take the final step towards his glory and to restore control of France to the Bourbons . Although Napoleon seemed offended by this suggestion, François de Beauharnais was allowed to return to France in 1804 following the marriage of his daughter Émilie Louise to Napoleon's adjutant Lavalette in 1798 .

In 1802 François de Beauharnais had married Louise von Cohausen (* 1775; † 1822), daughter of Karl Caspar Hubertus, Imperial Knight von Cohausen, and Elisabeth Umbscheiden von Ehrencron, in his second marriage. The couple had two children:

  • Hortense de Beauharnais (* 1812; † 1851), first married Count Richard de Querelles (* 1808; † 1846) in 1840, then after his death in 1848 the Senator Armand Laity (* 1812; † 1899)
  • Augusta de Beauharnais (* 1813; † 1831)

After his return to France, François de Beauharnais served Napoleon, who had been promoted to emperor, and whom he had just taken for a usurper. In 1805 he became envoy to the court of the Queen of Etruria , then in 1807 in Madrid. Here, however, in contradiction to Napoleon's policy, in connection with the Prince of Asturias, later King Ferdinand VII , against Manuel de Godoy , which is why the dissatisfied emperor called him back and banished him to his family estate near Blois . Only after the return of the Bourbons did he come back to Paris , was promoted to Peer of France in 1814 , but took little part in politics and died in 1846 at the age of just under 90.

literature

personal data
SURNAME Beauharnais, François de
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Beauharnais, François marquis de
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French nobleman
DATE OF BIRTH August 12, 1756
PLACE OF BIRTH La Rochelle
DATE OF DEATH March 3, 1846
Place of death Paris