LAUZUN, ANTONIN NOMPAR DE CAUMONT, MARQUIS DE PUYGUILHEM, Dix DE (1632-1723), French courtier and soldier, was the son of Gabriel, comte de Lauzun, and his wife Charlotte, daughter of the duc de La Force. He was brought up with the children of his kinsman, the marechal de Gramont, of whom the comte de Guiche became the lover of Henrietta of England, duchess of Orleans, while Catherine Charlotte, after wards princess of Monaco, was the object of the one passion of Lauzun's life. He served under Turenne, also his kinsman, and in 1655 succeeded his father as commander of the cent gentils hommes de la maison du roi. Puyguilhem (or Peguilin, as con temporaries simplified his name) rapidly rose in Louis XIV.'s favour, became colonel of the royal regiment of dragoons and was gazetted marechal de camp. He and Mme. de Monaco be longed to the coterie of the young duchess of Orleans. He pre vented a meeting between Louis XIV. and Mme. de Monaco, and it was jealousy in this matter, rather than hostility to Louise de la Valliere, which led him to promote Mme. de Montespan's intrigues with the king. He was disgraced for a time, but, after a short sojourn in the Bastille, he returned to his functions of court buf foon. Meanwhile, the duchess of Montpensier (La Grande Made moiselle) had fallen in love with the little man. The wedding was fixed for Dec. 20, 1670, when on the 18th Louis sent for his cousin and forbade the marriage. Lauzun was arrested, and was imprisoned at Pignerol, where excessive precautions were taken to ensure his safety. A fellow-prisoner, from communication with whom he was supposed to be rigorously excluded, was Eustache Dauger. (See IRON MASK.)
Mademoiselle agreed to the immediate settlement of the princi pality of Dombes, the county of Eu and the duchy of Aumale three properties assigned by her to Lauzun—on the little duc de Maine, eldest son of Louis XIV. and Mme. de Montespan, in the hope of securing Lauzun's release. But Lauzun, even after ten years of imprisonment, refused to sign the documents, when he was brought to Bourbon for the purpose. A short term of impris onment at Chalon-sur-Saone made him change his mind, but when he was set free Louis XIV. was still set against the marriage, which is supposed to have taken place secretly. In 1685 Lauzun went to the court of James II. In 1688 he was again in England, and arranged the flight of Mary of Modena and the infant prince, whom he accompanied to Calais. In 1689 he commanded the ex pedition fitted out at Brest for service in Ireland, and he sailed in 1690. Lauzun was honest, but inexperienced in war. After the battle of the Boyne he fled with Tyrconnel to Limerick, and thence to the west, leaving Patrick Sarsfield to show a brave front. Mademoiselle died in 1693, and two years later Lauzun married Genevieve de Durfort, a child of fourteen, daughter of the marechal de Lorges. Lauzun died on Nov. 19, 1723.
See the letters of Mme. de Sevigne, the memoirs of Saint-Simon, who was Lauzun's wife's brother-in-law ; also J. Lair, Nicolas Fouquet, vol. ii. (189o) ; Martin Hailes, Mary of Modena (19o5), and M. F. Sandars, Lauzun, Courtier and Adventurer (1908).