François de Neufville , duc de Villeroi François de Neufville , 2ème duc de Villeroy ( 7 April 1644 – 18 July 1730 ) was a French soldier . Biography . Villeroy was born in Lyon into noble family which had risen into prominence in the reign of Charles IX . His father Nicolas de Neufville , marquis de Villeroy , 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 XIV and became a member of his inner circle . As a young child he played with the King and his younger brother the Prince Philippe in the Palais Royal ( home of Louis XIV and his mother Anne d ' Autriche ) and the nearby Hotel de Villeroy ( home of the young François de Villeroy and his father the governor Nicolas V de Villeroy - the historic Hotel de Villeroy is located 500 m walking distance from the Palais Royal on 34 rue des Bourdonnais / 9 rue des Déchargeurs ) . Even though Francois de Villeroy was 6 years younger than Louis XIV they were friends , probably because the young Louis XIV enjoyed to have a protective role with a younger child . An intimate of the king , a finished courtier and leader of society and a man of great personal gallantry , Villeroy 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 ) . Villeroy 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 ) . In 1701 Villeroy was sent to Italy to supersede Nicolas Catinat and was soon beaten by the inferior army of Prince Eugene of Savoy at Chieri ( see War of Spanish Succession ) . In February 1702 he was made prisoner at the surprise of the Battle of Cremona . In the following years he was pitted against the Duke of Marlborough in the Low Countries . Marlborough ' s own difficulties with the Dutch and other allied commissioners , rather than Villeroy ' s own skill , put off the inevitable disaster for some years , but in 1706 Marlborough attacked him and thoroughly defeated him at Ramillies . Louis consoled his old friend with the remark , " " At our age , one is no longer lucky , " " but superseded him in the command , and henceforward Villeroy lived the life of a courtier , his secretary was Pierre - François Godard de Beauchamps , and although suspected of being involved in plots , maintained his friendship with Louis . Under the Régence Villeroy was governor of the child King Louis XV and held several other high posts between 1717 and 1722 , when he fell in disgrace for plotting against Philippe II of Orléans , the regent for Louis XV , and was sent to be governor of Lyon , virtually in exile . His family suffered a further disgrace when two younger members , the duc de Retz and the marquis d ' Alincourt were exiled for having homosexual relations in the gardens at Versailles . Louis XV recalled Villeroy into high office when he came of age . Villeroy died at Paris in 1730 . Marriage and children . He married on March 28 , 1662 with Marguerite - Marie de Cossé - Brissac ( 1648 - 1708 ) , and had 7 children :