Contades, Louis Georges Érasme, Marquis de
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French Maréchal-de-Camp (1740-45), Lieutenant-General (1745-58), Maréchal de France (1758-88)
born October 11, 1704, Mazé near Beaufort, Anjou, France
died January 19, 1795, Livry, France
Description
Louis Georges Érasme was the son of Gaspard de Contades and of Jeanne-Marie Crespin de La Chabosselaye.
In 1720, Contades entered military service.
In October 1724, Contades married Marie-Françoise Magon, daughter of François Magon.
During the War of the Polish Succession (1733-35), Contades fought with distinction in Italy. On March 10 1734, he became colonel of Flandres Infanterie. On October 18 of the same year, he was promoted brigadier.
On January 1 1740, Contades was promoted maréchal-de-camp. On May 1, 1745, a new promotion made him lieutenant-general.
During the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-48), Contades took part in several sieges in the Austrian Netherlands.
In 1757, at the beginning of the Seven Years' War, Contades served under the Maréchal d'Estrées in the French Army destined to the invasion of Hanover. On July 26, at the Battle of Hastenbeck, Contades commanded the first line of the infantry centre.
In January 1758, Contades was named governor of Fort-Louis on the Rhine. In July, after the defeat of the Comte de Clermont in the Battle of Krefeld, he replaced him as commander-in-chief of the French Army of the Rhine. In August, Contades passed the Rhine and proceeded to the invasion of Westphalia while simultaneously supporting Soubise's offensive in Hesse. On August 24, Contades was promoted maréchal de France. In mid November, after this unsuccessful campaign, his army repassed the Rhine and took its winter-quarters on the west bank of the river.
In January 1759, Contades seized Frankfurt-am-Main. On February 2, he was made a knight of the Ordre du Saint-Esprit. In June, Contades proceeded to the invasion of Hesse. By mid July, he had captured Minden. On August 1, he was severely defeated by Ferdinand of Brunswick in the Battle of Minden. Soon after this battle, Contades ceded command of the French Army to d'Estrées.
In 1762, Contades was appointed governor of Alsace.
In 1788, Contades became governor of Lorraine.
On January 19, 1795, Contades died in Livry.
References
This article incorporates translated texts from the articles:
- "Louis Georges Érasme de Contades" in the French Wikipedia
- "Louis Georges Érasme de Contades" in the English Wikipedia
Other sources
Grosser Generalstab Kriegsgeschichtliche Abteilung II: Die Kriege Friedrichs des Grossen, Part 3 Der siebenjährige Krieg 1756-1763, Vol. 8 Zorndorf und Hochkirch, Berlin, 1910, Anhang 71
