Louis of Forest Divonne (1765-1838)

Louis of Forest Divonne was born with the castle from Divonne, the June 10th 1765, knight about Malta, page of the Large Master of the Order, in 1775, under lieutenant with the regiment of Artois in 1789, emigrated in 1790.

Follower and spiritual heir to Louis-Claude of Saint Martin's day, the “unknown Philosopher”, who rents “the happy gifts of his nature”, it propagated the doctrines of the “interior Hearts” in Suisse, in Italy, Germany, England. “Knight-errant of the theosophy”, the exile carries it until in Russia.

He binds with Lavater, Joseph de Maistre, Mrs Swetchine, Frederic Schlegel, Madam de Krüdener, the baron de Brühl… Very former friend of Madam de Staël, familiar of Coppet, it often remains there, between 1795 and 1808, initiate the author of “Corinne” to the “Theology of the heart”. Play with it, Benjamin Constant, Matthieu de Montmorency, Guillaume Schlegel… in the stage performances which it organizes with Geneva and to Coppet “returns to perfection the noble attitudes of the Lusignan old man”, in “Zaire”, of Voltaire; translated works of the mystical English William Law, writes “the voices which shout in the desert”.

The Restauration finds it in the duchess of Bourbon “which likes it like a mother of all its old friendship”. General major with the army of Condé helps, in 1792, it took the rank of colonel, in 1814, and was named Brigadier by the king Louis XVIII, in 1815, and knight of Saint-Louis.

Even of hereditary France, in 1827, by ordinance of the king Charles X of France, dated November 5th, it resigned, in 1830, wanting to remain faithful to legitimate monarchy, and died in Divonne, in 1838. Its life was the subject of several studies. Louis of Forest Divonne had married Céline de Viella, only daughter of the marquis de Viella, general lieutenant of the armies of the king, had died last of his name, and Claudine of Brets.

See too

House of Forest Divonne

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