Louis des Escotais

Louis des Escotais, Count of Escotais, Lord of Chantilly, was born in 1746, at the castle of la Roche des Escotais (France) and died in London in 1812. He was diplomat and a field marshal in the armies of Louis XVI.

He is the nephew of Louis-Joseph des Escotais, Lieutenant General under Louis XVI, Grand Hospitaller of the Order of Malta, and Governor of the Île de Ré.

Biography

Family origins Louis des Escotais comes from an ancient French aristocratic family. The first of the des Escotais, Thibault, participated in the Third Crusade in 1191 alongside Richard the Lionheart, and Louis's lineage is proven up to Guillaume II des Escotais who lived in 1280.

His father, Roland des Escotais, a lieutenant general in the king's armies, was granted the erection of his lands into the county of Escotais by royal letters patent from King Louis XV in 1755.

His father, Roland des Escotais, led a distinguished life at the court of King Louis XV in Versailles, earning him the Honneurs de la Cour on April 20, 1767.

Following the Revolution, he left France in September 1791 with his eldest son. He then took command of one of the divisions of the Armée des Princes, notably during the Siege of Maastricht in 1793.

He later moved to London with his eldest son, where he remained for nearly twenty years, dying there on November 9, 1812, at the age of 66. He was buried in the cemetery of St Pancras Old Church.

In 1765, at the age of 19, he completed his training and took command of a company in the Esterhazy regiment, and four years later, he was promoted to Mestre de Camps.

He then returned to France and on April 18, 1776, received command of the Boulonnois regiment from Louis XVI, and was promoted to colonel, then to Brigadier in 1781.

His loyalty and bravery earned him the honor of being decorated in 1777 with the Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis, a distinction rewarding the most valiant officers.

He ended his career in the French army of the old regime at the rank of field marshal, which he obtained on March 9, 1788.