Louis duc de La Chastre

Claude-Louis-Raoul de La Châtre (1745–1824), known as Louis, duc de La Chastre, was a prominent French military leader, diplomat, and politician during the 18th and 19th centuries. Born to Lieutenant-General Charles-Louis marquis de La Châtre and Isabelle de Traînel, his family included notable figures such as Maria Antonia, Duchess of Bavaria, and Charles Edward Stuart. Styled comte de Nançay after 1734, he began his military career in 1756 as a Sous-lieutenant in the French Army, rising through the ranks to become a Lieutenant-Colonel by 1770 and later commanding regiments like the Régiment du Boulonnois and Régiment de Royal-Vaisseaux. He was promoted to Brigadier in 1781 and Maréchal-de-camp in 1788, leading the Guyenne Cavalry Regiment until 1789.

During the French Revolution, his father was executed by revolutionaries in 1793, but La Chastre escaped to England, where he formed the Régiment Loyal-Émigrant and fought with distinction in the Low Countries, Quiberon, and Portugal. Returning to London in 1807, he became France's first Ambassador to the Court of St James's under the Bourbon Restoration. In recognition of his service, he was created a peer of France in 1815 and elevated to the dukedom by King Louis XVIII in 1816. He also received numerous honors, including membership in various military orders. Married from 1778 until their divorce in 1793, La Chastre remained influential throughout his career despite political upheavals.