François de Neufville, duc de Villeroi (
April 7, 1644 -
July 18,
1730),
French soldier, came of a noble family which had risen into prominence in the reign of
Charles IX.His father Nicolas de Neufville, marquis de Villeroi,
Marshal of France (1598-
1685) was governor of the young King
Louis XIV who later created him a duke. François was brought up in close relations with Louis and became a member of his inner circle. An intimate of the king, a finished courtier and leader of society and a man of great personal gallantry, Villeroi was marked out for advancement in the army, which he loved, but where career soldiers had always a juster appreciation of his incapacity than Louis. In
1693, without having exercised any really important and responsible command, he was made
Marshal of France. In
1695, when
François Henri de Montmorency-Bouteville, duc de Luxembourg died, he obtained the command of the army in
Flanders (see
War of the Grand Alliance);
William III found him a far easier opponent than the "little hunchback" (the duc de Luxembourg). Villeroi was responsible for the senseless bombardment of
Brussels in 1695, which occasioned its reconstruction in the
18th century giving it the regularity and unity of architecture seen today (although it was again damaged in both
World Wars).
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