Montausier, Charles de Saint-Maure, duc de

▪ French military officer

born Oct. 6, 1610

died Nov. 17, 1690, Paris

      French army officer, man of letters and chief tutor of King Louis XIV's eldest son, the dauphin Louis.

      Reared a Huguenot, he succeeded his brother Hector as marquis de Montausier in 1635. He distinguished himself in the defense of the north Italian fortress of Casale in 1630–31, and from 1634 to 1639 he served on the German front. It was Montausier who sent to Julie d'Angennes the Guirlande de Julie (“Garland for Julie”), a well-known collection of poems by himself and others. Promoted to the rank of lieutenant general in 1644, he converted to Roman Catholicism and then married Julie d'Angennes (July 1645). His wife was governess of Louis XIV's children from 1661 until 1664, when Montausier was created a duc. On returning from the campaign against the Spanish in Franche-Comté in 1668, he was appointed governor (chief tutor) of the dauphin Louis. He brought to his new duties all his devout austerity, which was supposedly derided by Molière in his play Le Misanthrope. Montausier compiled the famous “Delphin” edition of classical texts for his pupil's use. His duties as governor ended in 1679.

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