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The Count of Saint-Germain | |
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%2c_comte_de_Saint-Germain.jpg) Painting of Saint-Germain byJean-Joseph Taillasson | |
| Danish Secretary of War for the Army | |
| In office 28 October 1763 – 28 January 1766 | |
| Monarch | Frederick V |
| Preceded by | Conrad Ahlefeldt [da] |
| Succeeded by | Frederik Christian Rosenkrantz |
| French Secretary of State for War | |
| In office 25 October 1775 – 23 September 1777 | |
| Monarch | Louis XVI |
| Preceded by | Louis Nicolas Victor de Félix d'Ollières |
| Succeeded by | Alexandre Marie Léonor de Saint-Mauris de Montbarrey |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Claude-Louis-Robert (1707-04-15)15 April 1707 ChâteauVertamboz |
| Died | 15 January 1778(1778-01-15) (aged 70) |
| Spouse | |
Claude Louis, Comte de Saint-Germain (15 April 1707 – 15 January 1778),French general, was born on 15 April 1707, at the Château ofVertamboz.[1]
Educated atJesuit schools, he intended to enter the priesthood, but at the last minute obtained fromLouis XV an appointment as sub-lieutenant. He left France, according to the gossip of the time, because of a duel; served under theElector Palatine; fought forHungary against theTurks, and on the outbreak of thewar of the Austrian Succession (1740) joined the army of theelector of Bavaria (who later became emperor under the name ofCharles VII), displaying such bravery that he was promoted to the grade of lieutenant field-marshal.[2]
He leftBavaria on the death of Charles VII, and after brief service underFrederick the Great joinedMarshal Saxe in theNetherlands. He distinguished himself especially atLauffeld,Rocoux andMaastricht. On the outbreak of theSeven Years' War (1756) he was appointed lieutenant-general, and although he showed greater ability than any of his fellow-commanders and was admired by his soldiers, he fell a victim to court intrigues, professional jealousy and hostile criticism.
He resigned his commission in 1760 and accepted an appointment asfield marshal fromFrederick V of Denmark-Norway, being charged in 1762 with the reorganization of theDanish army.[3]
In 1767, he and his circle, wished to makeBirgitte Sofie Gabel the official mistress ofChristian VII of Denmark-Norway in order to divert him from politics and take over thede facto power over the government themselves.[4] The plan failed because Gabel did not wish to become the king's mistress, as she found him repulsive and was in love withPrince Charles of Hesse-Kassel,[4] and the same year,Støvlet-Cathrine became the king's official mistress instead.
He soon returned to France, bought a small estate inAlsace near Lauterbach (close to Mulhouse),[5] and devoted his time to religion and farming. A financial crisis swept away the funds that he had saved from his Danish service and rendered him dependent on the bounty of the French ministry of war. Saint-Germain was presented at court by the reformersTurgot andMalesherbes, and was appointed minister of war byLouis XVI on 25 October 1775. He sought to lessen the number of officers and to establish order and regularity in the service. His efforts to introducePrussian discipline in the French army brought on such opposition that he resigned in September 1777. He accepted quarters from the king and a pension of 40,000livres, and died in his apartment at theArsenal of Paris on 15 January 1778.[3]
Attribution:
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Saint-Germain, Claude Louis, Comte de".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 24 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 5–6.| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Secretary of State for War of France 1775–1777 | Succeeded by |
