Henri, Count of Harcourt

Contents

Henri de Lorraine (20 March 1601 – 25 July 1666, Royaumont Abbey), known as Cadet la Perle,[1] was a French nobleman. He was count of Harcourt, count of Armagnac, count of Brionne and viscount of Marsan. Henri served in the royal army against the Huguenot revolt. He fought and defeated a Spanish army at Chieri, relieved the fortress of Casale, and took the city of Turin. He rescued the royal family during the first Fronde and failed in an attempt to create an independent principality for himself during the second Fronde. He died on 25 July 1666.

Life

Henri was the younger son of Charles I, Duke of Elbeuf and his wife Marguerite de Chabot, countess of Charny.[2] He first saw active duty at the siege of Prague in November 1620.[3] In the 1630s, he served in the royal military during the fighting against the Huguenot revolt.[4] In 1637, Henri commanded an army during the Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659), where he defeated a numerically superior Spanish army, near Chieri,[5] which allowed him to relieve the besieged fortress of Casale.[6] Henry led the Siege of Turin (1640),[6] taking the city after a siege of three months. Henri then fought in Sardinia and Catalonia, where he was named viceroy in 1645.[4] He was later defeated in Catalonia in 1646.[4]

During the first Fronde, Henri moved the royal family to safety.[4] During the second Fronde, seizing on the troubles facing Mazarin, he sought to establish an independent principality for himself along the Rhine.[4] It was rapidly crushed.[4] After his falling out with Mazarin, he withdrew to his estate at Royaumont, where he died in 1666, burdened by considerable debts.[4]

Marriage and issue

In February 1639, Harcourt married Marguerite-Philippe du Cambout (1622–74).[7] They had six children:

  1. Armande Henriette of Lorraine (1640–1684), Abbess of Notre-Dame de Soissons[7]
  2. Louis, Count of Armagnac (1641–1718), called Monsieur le Grand, Grand Squire of France[7]
  3. Philippe of Lorraine (1643–1702), called the Chevalier de Lorraine and long-term lover of Philippe of France, Duke of Orléans (the only brother of King Louis XIV)[7][8]
  4. Alfonse Louis of Lorraine (1644–1689), Abbot of Royaumont, called the Chevalier d'Harcourt[7][9]
  5. Raimond Bérenger of Lorraine (1647–1686), Abbot of Faron de Meaux, called the Abbé d'Harcourt[7][10]
  6. Charles of Lorraine (1648–1708), Viscount then Count of Marsan[7]

References

  1. 1."Henri de Lorraine, comte de'Harcourt et d'Armagnac, was known as "cadet la perle" because he was a cadet of the house of Lorraine and wore a pearl in his ear."
  2. 2.Spangler 2009, p. 273.
  3. 3.Taussig 2003, p. 351.
  4. 4.[4.2][4.3][4.4][4.5][4.6][4.7]Spangler 2009, p. 74.
  5. 5.Sonnino 2020, p. 216.
  6. 6.[6.2]Osborne 2002, p. 265-266.
  7. 7.[7.2][7.3][7.4][7.5][7.6][7.7]Spangler 2009, p. 276.
  8. 8.Spangler, Jonathan (18 December 2017). "The Chevalier de Lorraine as "Maître en Titre": The Male Favourite as Prince, Partner and Patron". Bulletin du Centre de Recherche du Château de Versailles. doi:10.4000/crcv.14427. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  9. 9.Pieragnoli 2025, p. 38
  10. 10.Pieragnoli 2025, p. 39