Castries
Château de Castries
Président de la République, allié par mariage à la famille de Castries
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Patrice de Mac Mahon
Duke of Magenta · Marshal of France · President of the Republic (1873–1879)
Patrice de Mac Mahon (château de Sully, near Autun, 13 July 1808 – château de La Forest, Montcresson, 17 October 1893), Duke of Magenta, was a soldier of Irish descent who became Marshal of France and then President of the Republic from 1873 to 1879. His career began in Algeria and continued in Crimea, where he captured the Malakoff Tower in 1855. His victory at Magenta in 1859 earned him the marshal's baton and a ducal title. A Legitimist, he succeeded Thiers as President in 1873 while awaiting a monarchical restoration, then resigned in 1879 in the face of the republican majority. His link with Castries came through his marriage, on 14 March 1854, to Élisabeth de La Croix de Castries, of the senior branch of the family that owned the château. This family connection explains the presence of souvenirs of the couple in the collections assembled by Duke René de Castries, including the “Mac Mahon room” on the second floor of the château, mentioned during restoration work.
Birth13 juillet 1808, château de Sully (Saône-et-Loire)
Death17 octobre 1893, château de La Forest, Montcresson (Loiret)
RoleDuke of Magenta · Marshal of France
Era19th century – Second Empire and Third Republic
History & heritage
A marriage into the House of Castries
Élisabeth de La Croix de Castries (1834–1900), daughter of Count Armand de Castries and Augusta d'Harcourt, married Mac Mahon in Paris in 1854. During her husband's presidency, she played a notable representational role at the Élysée. Her death in 1900 marked the extinction of the senior branch of the Castries family; the château then passed to the Harcourts before being bought in 1935 by René de Castries, of the junior branch.
Château de CastriesKey moments in their life
13 juillet 1808
Born at the château de Sully, into a family of Irish descent.
1837
Wounded during the capture of Constantine.
14 mars 1854
Marriage to Élisabeth de La Croix de Castries.
8 septembre 1855
Capture of the Malakoff Tower during the Crimean War.
1859
Victory at Magenta; Napoleon III makes him marshal and Duke of Magenta.
24 mai 1873
Elected President of the Republic following Thiers's resignation.
16 mai 1877
16 May crisis and dissolution of the Chamber.
30 janvier 1879
Resignation from the presidency.
17 octobre 1893
Death at the château de La Forest; state funeral at Les Invalides.
Associated heritage
1 placeCastles linked to this figure
Historical network
Linked personalities
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Patrice de Mac Mahon in history
Souvenirs at the château de Castries
The château's collections assembled by Duke René de Castries include souvenirs linked to figures allied to the family. DRAC Occitanie explicitly cites Mac Mahon among them and mentions a “Mac Mahon room” on the second floor, still to be restored in 2020.
Sources for this entry
This summary cross-references several sources to document the places, events and historical relationships.
- Portrait officiel : Patrice de Mac Mahon — Présidence de la République
- Inauguration de la salle des États du château de Castries — DRAC Occitanie
- Dukes of Castries — Dukes and Princes
- Élisabeth de Mac Mahon — Wikipedia