Charles III, Duke of Elbeuf
Charles III (1620 – 4 May 1692) was the third Duke of Elbeuf and member of the House of Lorraine. He succeeded his father Charles II, Duke of Elbeuf, to the Duchy-Peerage of Elbeuf. His mother was an illegitimate daughter of Henry IV of France and Gabrielle d'Estrées. He was also a Peer of France as well as titular Duke of Guise, Count of Harcourt, Lillebonne and Rieux. Biography. Charles was born at the Hôtel d'Elboeuf in Paris and was the eldest son of Charles II, Duke of Elbeuf, and his wife Catherine Henriette de  Bourbon, legitimised daughter of Henry IV of France and Gabrielle d'Estrées. Charles was known as the Count of Harcourt-Elbeuf while his father was alive; from circa 1650, he styled himself as the "prince d'Harcourt", the county of Harcourt being one of the subsidiary titles of his father. He served in Italy (1641) and Picardy (1642) under the command of his uncle Henri, Count of Harcourt. Charles took great part in the Thirty Years' War; he was with "le Grand Condé" (then the Duke of Enghien) at the famous victory at Rocroi in 1643. Charles was also a part of  battles at Thionville and Sierck, as well as the siege of Gravelines (1644); he latter fought in the Battle of Nördlingen (1645) as well as at Trier. At the death of his father in November 1657, Charles became Duke of Elbeuf as well as a Peer of France. Some time after in 1661, Louis XIV started his personal reign and named Charles as the Governor General of Picardy and Artois, a post his father had previously occupied. Charles died in Paris aged roughly 61 and was buried at the Église du couvent des Jacobins in Paris. He was succeeded by  his third surviving son Henri Issue. Charles married three times; firstly to Countess Anne Élisabeth de Lannoy (1626–1654), daughter of Count Charles de Lannoy; the couple married on 7 March 1648; Secondly Charles married Princess Élisabeth de La Tour d'Auvergne (daughter of the Duke of Bouillon and sister of Godefroy Maurice de La Tour d'Auvergne) on 20 May 1656 and had six children; Thirdly, Charles married Françoise de , daughter of , on 25 August 1684; Charles also had three illegitimate children, including "Charles bâtard de Lorraine" (1645–1708), no surviving issue.