Charles-Alexandre of Lorraine

See also: Charles of Lorraine

Charles-Alexandre of Lorraine (Lunéville, December 12th 1712 - castle of Tervuren, close to Brussels, July 4th 1780, buried the 10 in the Holy-Gudule church Collegial with Brussels), general governor of the Austrian Netherlands (1741 - 1780), large Master of the teutonic Order (1761 - 1780) and knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece.

It was it twelfth child of Léopold I {{er}}, duke of Lorraine and of Bar, and Elisabeth Charlotte of Orleans.

He was the brother-in-law of the empress Marie-Therese on two accounts since he was at the same time the brother of her husband the emperor François Ier and the husband of his sister the archduchess Marie-Anne of Austria (1718 - 1744) which he had married with Vienna the January 7th 1744. He was made marshal of Austria in 1740.

In April 1741, it was designated as successor in the Netherlands of controlling general, the archduchess Marie-Elisabeth, and it succeeded indeed in August to him. However, because of the War of succession of Austria, it could join its station in the Netherlands only in 1744.

During the War of succession of Austria, it was one of the principal Austrian commanders. It was beaten by Frederic II of Prussia to the battles of Chotusitz (1742) and Hohenfriedberg (1745), and by Maurice of Saxony to the Rocourt (1746).

It made its entry with Brussels, in company of his wife, on March 26th of this year. Two months later, it took again the command of the armies of the Rhine, leaving his wife alone to the Netherlands. After the death of this one of the continuations of its layers in December 1744, the invasion, then the French occupation (1745 - 1748) prevented its return to the Netherlands. It is only the April 24th 1749 which it could really start its governorship with this order of mission of the Empress: " Be the first cock of the pays" .

During the War Seven Year old, it again ordered the Austrian armies with the battle of Prague where it was beaten. Then, after a victory against a Prussian army with Breslau in 1757, it was swept by Frederic II with the Bataille of Leuthen.

It was certainly most popular of the general governors of the Austrian Netherlands. In testimony of that, a statue with its effigy was high in 1775 with Brussels on the very new place of Lorraine, become since place Royale; this statue was financed by the States of the Brabant. Without betraying the interests of the imperial crown, he managed to defend those of the Netherlands, and to make some respect the privileges. He encouraged simultaneously the progress of the Lumières and economic development, sponsoring companies such as the creation of the Academy thérésienne of Brussels (1772) or various technical and industrial experiments in his castle of Tervuren. Successively, the marquis de Botta-Adorno (1749 - 1753), the count de Cobenzl (1753 - 1770) and the prince de Starhemberg (1770 - 1780) assisted it as a ambassador plenipotentiaries. It had with the second of the sometimes tended reports/ratios.

Its armorial bearings are reproduced on the church Notre-Dame de Bon Help of Brussels, and on the castle of Heuchlingen (Bade-Wurtemberg), property of the teutonic Ordre, which it had renovated.

With his death, its nephew, the emperor Joseph II, which hated its apparent ease, indicated to succeed the duke Albert of Saxony-Teschen and the archduchess Marie-Christine to him.

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