Philibert, comte de Gramont
Encyclopedia
Philibert, comte de Gramont (1621 – 310 January 1707) was a French nobleman, known as the protagonist of the Mémoires written by Antoine Hamilton
.
family, said to have been of Basque
origin.
His 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 he had not claimed the privileges of royal birth. Philibert de Gramont was the son of Antoine II by his second marriage with Claude de Montmorency, and was probably born at the family seat of Bidache.
He was destined for the church, and was educated at the college of Pau, in Beam. He refused the ecclesiastical life, however, and joined the army of Prince Thomas of Savoy
, then besieging in Piedmont
. He afterwards served under his elder half-brother, Antoine, marshal de Gramont
, and the prince de Condé
. He was present at Freiburg
and Nordlingen
, and served with distinction in Spain
and Flanders
in 1647.
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 the cause of an incurable levity in his outlook. He was, however, made a governor of the Pays d'Aunis and lieutenant of Beam. During the Commonwealth he visited England, and in 1662 he was exiled from Paris for paying court to Mademoiselle de la Mothe-Houdancourt, one of the king's mistresses. He went to London
, where he found at the court of Charles II
an atmosphere congenial to his talents for intrigue, gallantry and pleasure.
He married in London, under pressure from her two brothers, Elizabeth Hamilton
, the sister of his future biographer. "La belle Hamilton" was one of the great beauties of the English court, and was, according to her brother's optimistic account, able to fix the count's affections. She was a woman of considerable wit, and held her own at the court of Louis XIV
, but her husband pursued his gallant exploits to the close of a long life, being, said Ninon de l'Enclos
, the only old man who could affect the follies of youth without being ridiculous. In 1664 he was allowed to return to France. 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 seventy-five he had a dangerous illness, during which he became reconciled to the church. His penitence does not seem to have survived his recovery.
He was eighty years old when he supplied his brother-in-law, Antoine Hamilton
, with the materials for his Mémoires. 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 section 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.
When the Mémoires were finished it is said that Gramont sold the manuscript for 1500 francs; and kept most of the money 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 meannesses were so ruthlessly exposed. But Gramont himself appealed to the chancellor and the prohibition was removed. He died on 10 January 1707, and the Mémoires appeared six years later.
His biographer Hamilton was far superior 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, in spite of 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.
Antoine Hamilton
Antoine Hamilton was an Irish classical author of near Scottish ancestry, who wrote in French....
.
Biography
Came of a noble GasconGascony
Gascony is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. The region is vaguely defined and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; sometimes they are considered to overlap, and sometimes Gascony is considered a...
family, said to have been of Basque
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
origin.
His grandmother, Diane d'Andouins, comtesse de Gramont, was "la belle Corisande," one of the mistresses of Henry IV
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
. The grandson assumed that his father Antoine II de Gramont, viceroy of Navarre, was the son of Henry IV, and regretted that he had not claimed the privileges of royal birth. Philibert de Gramont was the son of Antoine II by his second marriage with Claude de Montmorency, and was probably born at the family seat of Bidache.
He was destined for the church, and was educated at the college of Pau, in Beam. He refused the ecclesiastical life, however, and joined the army of Prince Thomas of Savoy
Thomas Francis, Prince of Carignano
Thomas Francis of Savoy was an Italian military commander, the founder of the Savoy-Carignano branch of the House of Savoy which reigned as kings of Sardinia from 1831 to 1861, and as kings of Italy from 1861 until the...
, then besieging in Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
. He afterwards served under his elder half-brother, Antoine, marshal de Gramont
Antoine III de Gramont
Antoine III Agénor de Gramont-Toulongeon, duc de Gramont, comte de Guiche, comte de Gramont, comte de Louvigny, Souverain de Bidache, was a French military man and diplomat...
, and the prince de Condé
Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé
Louis de Bourbon, Prince of Condé was a French general and the most famous representative of the Condé branch of the House of Bourbon. Prior to his father's death in 1646, he was styled the Duc d'Enghien...
. He was present at Freiburg
Battle of Freiburg
The Battle of Freiburg, also called the Three Day Battle, took place on August 3, August 5 and August 9, 1644 as part of the Thirty Years' War...
and Nordlingen
Battle of Nördlingen (1645)
The second Battle of Nördlingen was fought on August 3, 1645 southeast of Nördlingen near the village of Alerheim...
, and served with distinction in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
in 1647.
He favoured Condé's party at the beginning of the Fronde
Fronde
The Fronde was a civil war in France, occurring in the midst of the Franco-Spanish War, which had begun in 1635. The word fronde means sling, which Parisian mobs used to smash the windows of supporters of Cardinal Mazarin....
, 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 the cause of an incurable levity in his outlook. He was, however, made a governor of the Pays d'Aunis and lieutenant of Beam. During the Commonwealth he visited England, and in 1662 he was exiled from Paris for paying court to Mademoiselle de la Mothe-Houdancourt, one of the king's mistresses. He went to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where he found at the court of Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
an atmosphere congenial to his talents for intrigue, gallantry and pleasure.
He married in London, under pressure from her two brothers, Elizabeth Hamilton
Elizabeth, Countess de Grammont
Elizabeth, Countess de Grammont was a British courtier and a French lady in waiting. She was one of the Windsor Beauties, painted by Sir Peter Lely. She was Dame du Palais to Maria Theresa of Spain....
, the sister of his future biographer. "La belle Hamilton" was one of the great beauties of the English court, and was, according to her brother's optimistic account, able to fix the count's affections. She was a woman of considerable wit, and held her own at the court of Louis XIV
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
, but her husband pursued his gallant exploits to the close of a long life, being, said Ninon de l'Enclos
Ninon de l'Enclos
Anne "Ninon" de l'Enclos also spelled Ninon de Lenclos and Ninon de Lanclos was a French author, courtesan and patron of the arts.-Early life:...
, the only old man who could affect the follies of youth without being ridiculous. In 1664 he was allowed to return to France. 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 seventy-five he had a dangerous illness, during which he became reconciled to the church. His penitence does not seem to have survived his recovery.
He was eighty years old when he supplied his brother-in-law, Antoine Hamilton
Antoine Hamilton
Antoine Hamilton was an Irish classical author of near Scottish ancestry, who wrote in French....
, with the materials for his Mémoires. 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 section 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.
When the Mémoires were finished it is said that Gramont sold the manuscript for 1500 francs; and kept most of the money himself. Fontenelle
Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle
Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle , also called Bernard Le Bouyer de Fontenelle, was a French author.Fontenelle was born in Rouen, France and died in Paris just one month before his 100th birthday. His mother was the sister of great French dramatists Pierre and Thomas Corneille...
, then censor of the press, refused to license the book from considerations of respect to the strange old man, whose gambling, cheating and meannesses were so ruthlessly exposed. But Gramont himself appealed to the chancellor and the prohibition was removed. He died on 10 January 1707, and the Mémoires appeared six years later.
His biographer Hamilton was far superior 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, in spite of 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.
Sources
External links
- Full text of The Memoirs of Count Grammont — Complete from Project GutenbergProject GutenbergProject Gutenberg is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks". Founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart, it is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are the full texts of public domain books...