Mathieu de Montmorency

Mathieu Jean Felicité de Montmorency, duc de Montmorency-Laval (10 July 1767 – 24 March 1826) was a prominent French statesman during the French Revolution and Bourbon Restoration. He was elected as the youngest member of the National Assembly during the time of the French Revolution. He is also known for his military expertise, and ultimately this is what led to his fame. He was a well known statesman and politician who was popular for his revolutionary ideals. Throughout his life he served as a governor, a deputy of the Estates General, secretary of the assembly, and captain of the guards.

Mathieu de Montomorency was born in Paris, France on July 10, 1767. He was the son of Mathieu Paul Louis de Montmorency, vicomte de Laval (1748–1809) and Catherine Jeanne Tavernier de Boullongne (d. 1838). Montmorency's father was a scion of one of the oldest noble families in France, while his wife was the daughter of an aristocratic French planter in Guadeloupe. His mother's illegitimate mulatto half-brother was the famous Chevalier de Saint-Georges. He was a very tall, blonde, well-built man who had a contagious, youthful aura. Montmorency went on to seek higher education at College du Plessis, where he developed his love for the subject of philosophy and the idea of enlightenment.Montmorency was elected into the National Assembly at the very young age of 23. At the time, he was the youngest member to serve on the Constituent Assembly. Montmorency worked very diligently to make a name for himself among the other prominent members. He had great ease when it came to presenting his speeches. Although born into nobility, he did not let his arrogant reputation get the best of him. He always regarded others with great manners. His hard work in the National Assembly ultimately led him to be appointed as the secretary of the assembly.

In 1780, his father, a colonel of the Auvergne regiment, was appointed a premier gentilhomme de la chambre to King Louis XVI of France's younger brother, the Comte de Provence. However, when Catherine was denied the corresponding rank of dame pour accompagner to the prince's wife, Marie-Joséphine, due to her relatively low birth, Laval resigned his post in Provence's household. Montmorency was a very intelligent man. He was a diplomatist and a great writer. He eventually went to become a tutor for Henry, duke de Bordeaux, the grandson of Charles X.

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