Louis d'Aubusson de La Feuillade

Louis d'Aubusson de La Feuillade
Born	30 March 1673
Died	28 January 1725 (aged 51)
Nationality	French
Occupation	Soldier
Known for	Marshal of France

Louis d'Aubusson de la Feuillade, duc de Roannais (30 March 1673 – 28 January 1725) was a French military officer and a Marshal of France from 1724 until his death.^[1]

Early life

La Feuillade, born on 30 March 1673, was the son of François d'Aubusson de La Feuillade, also a Marshal of France, and Charlotte de Gouffier. He married first the daughter of the marquis de Chateauneuf, a French undersecretary of state and naval secretary, and, after the end of this marriage, wed the daughter of Michel Chamillart, the secretary of state for war under Louis XIV of France. At age fifteen,^[2] La Feuillade joined the French army, which soon found itself fighting in the Nine Years' War. La Feuillade raised a regiment of horse, serving with it during the Battle of Fleurus.^[2]

La Feuillade fought during several other battles of the Nine Years' War, including Neerwinden and Charleroi. According to one source,^[2] in the mid-1690s, La Feuillade deprived his relation, the bishop of Metz, of 30,000-crown hoard of gold and jewels. This placed his career in jeopardy,^[2] but he retained his officer's commission in the army and continued to serve throughout the war, which ended in 1697. La Feuillade's cavalry regiment was disbanded at this time.^[2]

War of the Spanish Succession

After the outbreak of the War of the Spanish Succession, La Feuillade obtained a brigadier's commission and, a year later, that of a marechal de camp. When the French government planned a campaign aimed at conquering the country's smaller neighbor, Savoy, he was given command of a large division of the troops involved. He achieved several successes against the Savoyards, and, with orders to capture Nice and Oneglia,^[2] La Feuillade marched on the former, capturing several outlying forts and towns.

Although the citadel of Nice continued to resist, the city itself surrendered to the French on April 13, 1705. Six days later, he left the city without having obtained the surrender of the citadel, as a ceasefire was arranged.^[2]

When the duc de Vendôme was sent to Flanders in 1706 after the Battle of Ramillies, La Feuillade became his successor as supreme commander of the French troops in Italy. In late 1705, La Feuillade was ordered to take Turin from Austrian and allied forces, who occupied much of Italy.

Turin withstood the long siege, and, in late August and early September 1706, the defenders beat back several major French assaults.^[3] As a result of his failure, La Feuillade was removed from command.

Later service

Despite his failures during the war, La Feuillade was made a Marshal of France in 1724, a year before his death.

References

1. Phillips, Lawrence Barnett (1871). The dictionary of biographical reference. Oxford University. p. 557.
2. http://www.spanishsuccession.nl/lafeuillade.html
3. http://www.spanishsuccession.nl/turin4.html