Armand Louis de Gontaut-Biron

Biography

After a stormy youth, a few months before its fourteenth birthday, Armand Louis de Gontaut-Biron integrated the regiment of the Gardes-Françaises, then ordered by his/her uncle the duke of Biron. At 19 years, in February 1766, it married Amélie de Boufflers, girl of Charles Joseph duke of Boufflers. The couple lived almost always separate and never had of child. Favorite of Marie-Antoinette, Armand Louis de Gontaut-Biron was given like his/her lover.

Armand Louis de Gontaut-Biron was created duke of Lauzun in 1766 and accepted his patent of colonel in 1767. In 1769, it fought in Corsica without orders nor authorization but with a great courage. It accepted the command of the royal Légion in February 1774, before taking the command of the regiment Royal-Dragons in 1776.

It went voluntary to be useful against England, at the time of the Guerre of American independence. September 1st 1778, it obtained the command of the Body of the foreign volunteers of the Navy, extremely at the origin of 8 legions. It was then charged to order the forwarding of conquest of the Senegal (1778 - 1779). The March 5th 1780, he became colonel-owner of the Legion of the foreign volunteers of Lauzun, old 2nd Legion of the foreign volunteers of the Navy. With this mixed legion of a thousand of volunteers (infantry, cavalry and artillery), he played a decisive part in the war of American independence, in particular with the Siège of Yorktown in October 1781. This unit is at the origin of the regiment of the hussards of Lauzun, 6th regiment of hussards in 1791, which became 5th regiment of hussards in 1793.

Elected official Appointed with the General states of 1789 by the nobility of the Quercy, it adopted the Révolution, and entered the party of the duke of Orleans. General lieutenant in 1792 under the Convention, it ordered the Armée with Italy beginning 1793, then starting from May, the armed with the West against the Vendéens. He took Saumur on the Vendean ones and beat them with Parthenay. It was not less shown by it treason by the Committee of public hello to have offered its resignation; translated in front of the revolutionary Tribunal, it was stopped and guillotine the December 31st 1793 place of the Revolution in Paris. His wife Amélie de Boufflers was guillotinée the 9 messidor year II (June 27th 1794). Its Mémoires which goes from 1747 to 1783, was published in 1822, and since, in 1858 with biography by Louis Lacour.

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