On this day, the Duc de Croÿ leaves Versailles to return to his house in Paris. Knowing that he will not be back until winter, he takes leave of everyone. He starts with M de Maurepas, who assures him of his friendship and goodwill, not only for himself, but also for his son. Then Croÿ goes to see the King, the Queen, Monsieur, and the Comte d’Artois. He takes no leave of anyone else in the château since no one else matters and there would be no point. His focus is on the ministerial offices. He has already done the rounds of the War and Navy offices in the previous days, so on leaving the château he goes directly to M de Vergennes, with whom he dines and then works afterwards. The Minister of Foreign Affairs assures him that Spain will eventually act when she is ready. Finally, Croy has a word with M Heurtier about his new lodgings. He is pleased to find that the architect has matters well in hand. The work on Croÿ’s new apartment will be finished in a month. Having thus taken leave of everyone and seen to all his business in the royal city, Croÿ sets off for the capital. The house is empty when he arrives because his daughter-in-law and grandsons have already moved to L’Hermitage for the summer and his son has already gone to join his regiment.
Commentary:
It is telling that Croÿ takes leave of Maurepas first. He knows where his interests lie. The royal farewells are merely a formality. Monsieur and the Comte d’Artois are Louis XVI’s brothers, the future Louis XVIII and Charles X. It is also telling that Croÿ does not bother to take leave of their wives, nor of Mesdames.
This year as every year, Croÿ departs for Calais in mid-June to take up his command. He will remain on the coast until late autumn when the campaigning season ends.
L’Hermitage is Croÿ’s country seat on his ancestral lands in Picardy, near Condé-sur-L’Escaut. His daughter-in-law and grandsons will mostly be there until he joins them, usually in late October or early November, although she also often takes her sons to her brother’s château and to other estates that Croÿ owns.
Pictured: L’Hermitage. Croÿ’s son is responsible for the facades that we see today. Credit — JÄNNICK Jérémy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Mme de Croÿ, née Auguste-Frédérique de Salm-Kyrbourg, is well connected in the Holy Roman Empire. Her brother is the last reigning prince of the statelet of Salm-Kyrbourg. Her sister is married to the heir of the principality of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen; their descendants will acquire the Romanian throne in the next century.
Pictured: Frédéric III (1744-1794), Prince of Salm-Kyrbourg, who will die on the guillotine. His little state will be annexed to France in 1798.
If you have questions that I have not addressed in the commentary, please ask in the comments.
Yes, the coding in the farewells is so interesting.