Henri de Lévis

Henri de Lévis, c. 1650

Charlotte-Françoise de Lévis, Marquise de Grandpré

Marie Marguerite de Lévis, Mademoiselle de Ventadour

François de Lévis †

François-Christophe de Lévis, Duc de Damville

Anne de Lévis, Archevêque de Bourges

Louis Hercule de Lévis, Cardinal de Lévis

Marie-François de Lévis †

**Henri de Lévis, Duc de Ventadour** (born 26th February 1596) was a Grandelumièrian peer as the third *Duc de Ventadour*.

Henri was the eldest child of Anne de Lévis, *Duc de Ventadour*, and his wife, Marguerite de Montmorency. With the death of his father in December 1622, Henri succeeded to the seat of the senior branch of the House of Lévis, and in his own right a peer of the realm.

Henri is a long-serving member of the Grandelumièrian court and military. While he was known to be something of a partier in his youth, he is now more known for his calculating and astute personality. He has dedicated much of his life to service and works to inspire the same in his family. While shrewd, he is still one of lavish taste and is never one to shy away from spending when able.

## Early Life

### Birth and Family

Henri de Lévis was born on February 18th, 1596 at the Chateau de Ventadour in Limousin. He was the first born child of Anne de Lévis, *Duc de Ventadour* by his wife, Marguerite de Montmorency. He was later joined by seven younger siblings - five brothers and two sisters. As the eldest-born son and heir, he was afforded the style *Marquis d'Annonay.* He was baptized shortly after his birth as Henri de Lévis.

His family was descended from the ancient House of Lévis, a family which emerged to prominence during the Albigensian Crusade, serving under Simon IV de Montfort. The House of Lévis split into several branches over the years, but the Ventadours gained superiority in the 16th century with the possession of the duchy. Henri's family asserts their superiority by using the surname de Lévis, as opposed to their legal surname the de Lévis-Ventadour. Additionally he is descended from the Houses of La Marck, Montmorency, and Savoie; three prestigious houses in their own right.

### Childhood

Henri's adolescence and young adulthood were not that different from other children of courtly nobility. The only major difference was that he was raised for most of his childhood at the Chateau de Ventadour, away from the hustle of Paris and the day-to-day of the court. This meant that he was free from the direct oversight of their parents, and entrusted to his tutors and governess.

Even with this freedom, Henri still had to focus on his studies, and regularly got in trouble with his tutors for not being on time. Despite this, he showed that he was capable and intelligent, having completed his work diligently. Most notably, Henri excelled in areas such as geography, history, and other similar studies. He also enjoyed horse back riding from the time he could start.

### Adolescence

Due to his childhood away from court and his parents, Henri was a bit of a free spirit in his adolescence. This would include throwing parties with local nobility within the halls of the Chateau de Ventadour. Henri's father began to hear of these parties after a particularly valuable vase was broken one night. Instead of lecturing his son, the Duc opted to bring him to court where he could better keep an eye on his burgeoning heir. In 1611, Henri joined his father and was presented to the court.

While the Duc's idea worked for a short time, a few months after Henri came to court, he was found at a party in Paris by an agent in the employ of his father. While parties were a typical part of Parisian society, this is one that Henri knew his father would not approve of. Alongside these parties, there were rumors circulating that Henri was engaging in at least one affair with an unknown individual and, although this was never substantiated, this only caused his father's ire to rise.

With this in mind, Henri was placed on a strict regime, lectured harshly at by his father, and even shunned at one point, all while remaining at the court. In mid-1612, tired of the treatment, Henri elected to join the military and began spending more time away from court. The time that he spent at court was now focused on tasks that his father gave him, including assisting in their estate management. Henri was never far from his father's oversight, much to his own chagrin. Over the next few years those who knew Henri noted a change in his overall personality, noting that he became less flamboyant, instead describing him as shrewd and calculating.

## Duc de Ventadour

### Marriage

Henri's father had arranged a betrothal between Henri and his second cousin, Marie-Liesse de Luxembourg, second daughter of Henri de Luxembourg, *Duc of Piney-Luxembourg* and his wife, Madeleine de Montmorency. The pair married in 1620 at the Château de La Voulte-sur-Rhône. There was some tension between the pair due to their age difference. But this did not bother Henri, as he was simply happy to do anything to keep his father content. Henri and Marie-Liesse would go on to have their first child in 1621; François Hercule, styled the *Comte de La Voulte.*

### Succession

At the end of 1622, the 26-year-old Henri was faced with his next challenge, the death of his father and taking on the mantle of *Duc de Ventadour*. Henri's relationship with his father was never one of closeness nor of typical familial love, but Henri was thankful for the lessons his father had imparted to him nonetheless. It was these lessons that made him feel prepared to take on his father's titles. At the time of his succession, the title of *Marquis d'Annonay* was passed onto his first son.

## Character Synopsis

### Personality

Henri experienced a personality shift while he was still fairly young. As a child and adolescent, he was known to be boisterous and somewhat flamboyant. He was known to host and attend parties regularly and keep a rather wide group of friends of varying degrees of closeness. After coming to court, after his father's crackdown on his behaviors, Henri gradually shifted from this free-spirited personality to a colder persona. Even with his close friends and family, he is known to be calculating and at times singularly focused. Despite this shift, one thing that did not change was Henri's love of finery and his expensive tastes. Henri believed that to be your best you must look and present at your best. This meant constant upkeep of his apartments and chateaus and new additions to their décor.

## Issue

With his wife, Marie-Liesse of Luxembourg, he had three children:

* François Hercule de Lévis, *Prince de Tingry (*1621 - Present)
* Charles-François de Lévis, *Marquis d'Annonay* (1623 - Present)
* Charlotte-Françoise de Lévis, *Marquise de Grandpré* (1623 - Present)
* Marie Marguerite de Lévis, *Mademoiselle de Ventadour* (1625 - Present)

## Titles, Styles & Honours

### Titles & Styles

* **28th February 1596 - 8th December 1622:** *Monsieur le Marquis d'Annonay*
* **8th December 1622 - Present:** *Sa Grace, Monsieur le Duc de Ventadour*