Marc de Beauvau, 1st Prince of Craon

'*François Vincent *Marc* de Beauvau, 1st Prince of Craon** (2 April 1676 - 10 March 1754), was a member of the powerful French House of Beauvau. He was a Prince of the Holy Roman Empire and known as the **Prince of Craon**. He also acted at Viceroy of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. He was also the **Prince of Beauvau** but known better as the Prince of Craon. He and his wife were close friends with the then Duke and Duchess of Lorraine his wife later being the mistress of the duke. He was also made a "Grandee of Spain".

## Biography
The future Prince of Craon was born in Nancy itself the capital of the Duchy of Lorraine in 1676. His father was a nobleman who held the title of Marquis. His mother was a lady of lower rank. He was a childhood friend of Leopold I of Lorraine the future duke of the smsll state. Marc and the duke were frequently together and the duke later awarded him the title of Marquisate of Craon. He later married Il on the 16 December 1704 at Lunéville, to Anne Marguerite de Ligniville (1686-1772), Countess of the Holy Roman Empire and later lady in waiting the Duchess of Lorraine and future mistress of Leopold I. He was later the governor of Francis I of Lorraine and it was in 1722 that the title of Prince of Beauvau was granted by the then Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor in 1722. Marc had also been instrumental in the marriage plans between Francis I of Lorraine and Maria Theresa of Austria. The future Holy Roman Emperor also made him a **Prince of the Holy Roman Empire*'. He and his wife later had 15 children including the next Prince of Craon.

## Children
He and his wife had 15 children. two of whom were named after members of the Ducal family of Lorraine. 
#Élisabeth Charlotte de Beauvau (1705–1754) married Charles Ferdinand François de La Baume, Marquis of Saint-Martin, no children; named after Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans
# Anne Marguerite Gabrielle de Beauvau (1707–1790) married Jacques Henri of Lorraine, Prince of Mortagne(-sur-Gironde), no children later married Gaston Pierre Charles de Lévis, Duke of Mirepoix, no children;
#Gabrielle *Françoise* de Beauvau (1708–1758) married Gabriel Alexandre of Alsace, Prince of Chimay, no children;
#Marie Philippe Tècle de Beauvau (1709–1748) Canoness, never married;
# Nicolas Simon Jude de Beauvau (1710–1734) never married, Abbé of Craon
# Marie Françoise Catherine de Beauvau (1711–1787) married Louis François de Boufflers, Marquis of Amestranges, no children;
# François Vincent Marc de Beauvau (1713–1742) *Primat de Lorraine*, never married;
#Léopold Clément de Beauvau (1714–1723) Knight of the Order of Malta, named after Léopold Clément, Hereditary Prince of Lorraine
# Marie Louise Eugénie de Beauvau (1715–1734) Abesss of Epinal
# Henriette Augustine (1716--) never married;
# Charlotte Nicole de Beauvau (1717–1787) who married Léopold Clément de Bassompierre, no children;
# Charles Juste de Beauvau (1720–1793) married Marie Sophie Charlotte de La Tour d'Auvergne daughter of and had children and later married Marie Charlotte Sylvie de Rohan, but had no children;
# Ferdinand Jerôme de Beauvau, Marquis of Haroué (1723–1790) married Louise Etienne Desmier of Archiac and had children.
# Gabrielle Charlotte de Beauvau (1724–1790) never married;
# Alexandre, Marquis of Craon  (1725–1745) died at the Battle of Fontenoy;

## References