Victor-Francois de Broglie (19 October 1718-30 March 1804) was a Marshal of France during the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years War.
Biography[]
Victor-Francois de Broglie was born on 19 October 1718 in Paris, France to a noble family, and he became a colonel in the French Army in 1734 due to his noble birth. In 1742, he took part in the storming of Prague during the War of the Austrian Succession, and he rose to the rank of Lieutenant-General after fighting in several battles of the war. During the Seven Years War, he served under Charles de Rohan and the other French commanders, fighting in every battle after the Battle of Hastenbeck. In 1759, he was promoted to Marshal of France after a victory at Bergen, and he succeeded Louis Georges Erasme de Contades after the Battle of Minden. In 1761, his defeat at Villinghausen led to him falling into disgrace, and he briefly led the French army sent to assist the United States during the American Revolutionary War in 1778. In 1789, De Broglie led troops at Versailles during the French Revolution, and he commanded royalist mercenaries during the French Revolutionary Wars. He died in Munster in 1804 at the age of 85.