VENDOME, HOUSE OF. Vendome was an old county of France, erected into a duchy by Francis I., for behoof of Charles of Bourbon, the grandfather of Henry IV. On the accession of the Bourbons to the throne, it was reunited to the crown, but again sepa rated from it Henry IV., who conferred it upon Cesar, the eldest of his sons by Gabrielle d'Estrees. Cesar's eldest son, Louis, duke of Vendome. married Laura Man cini,* one of Mazarin's nieces, and had by her three sons, the eldest of whom was LOUIS DUKE OF VENDOME, the celebrated French general who so distinguished himself during the war of the Spanish succession. He was born at Paris, July 1, 1654, and made bas tirat appearance ou the field of battle as a lifeguardsman during the Dutch campaiga of 1672, atterward serving with distinction under Turenue in Germany and Alsace, and under Crequi in FlanderA. Released by the peace of Nimegnen (1678), he retired to his chilteau of Ana, near Dreux, where he resigned himself to the most liberal indulgence i iu all kinds of pleasure. At this time he became compromised in the affair of Lavoisin (see Poisoxixo); but it turned out that his intercourse with the pretended seer was prompted merely by curiosity. On the outbreak of war in 1688, he was ordered to the low countries, where, under Luxembourg (q.v.), he earned deserved renown at the sieges of Mons and Namur, and the battles of Louse and Steenkerk; and his high reputation was not diminished by his subsequent conduct in Italy, where he commanded the left wing of Catinat's army at the battle of Marsaglia (Oct. 4, 1693). lint Vendome's bril liant gallantry and military talents had not hitherto succeeded in obtaining for him the honor of an independent command, for it was eviient that with these valuable qualities were combined inveterate indolence, and careless and disorderly habits, which might, as effectually as the most utter incapacity, ruin the chances of any enterprise under his management. However, the necessities of the case induced Louis ultimately to give him (1695) the command of the army in Catalonia; and he was agreeably sur prised at the alertness of Vendome, who closed a series of brilliant successes by the capture of Barcelona, an exploit which did much to hiring about the peace of Ryswick (1697). After five years of inaction, spent in sloth and sensuality, he was dispatched by his sovereign to supersede Villeroy in Italy. His arrival was hailed enthusiasti cally by the soldiery, who relied implicitly upon his brilliant genius and happy audac ity to extricate them from all difficulties, and with whom his excessive laxity in the matter of discipline rendered him a great favorite. The restored mafidence of the troops was proved by the victories of Ustiano and San-Vittoria; while the enforced retirement of prince Eugene beyond the Mincio equally showed the superior strategic abilities of their general; and it required the utmost exercise of both to prevent the surprise at Luzzara (Aug. 15, 1702), brought about through Vendome's usual careless ness, from becoming a total rout. From this time, a slight though temporary improve ment hi Vendome's habits is visible; in 1703, he drove the Austrians before him into the Tyrol, repeatedly defeating Starhemberg; when the defection of the duke of Savoy forced him to retreat. The duke, though joined by Starhemberg, was beaten again and again, and at last cooped up in Turin, whither Eugene was advancing to his relief, when the defeat of his advanced guard by Vendome compelled a halt. The imprudent
Frenchman, however, intrusted the difficult duty of holding Eugene in check to his younger brother, the grand-prior, who, though a gallant soldier, was no match for his opponent in generalship; and had not Vendome returned to Cassano just in time to divide the honors of the battlefield with his opponent, the army of observation would have been scattered to the four winds of heaven. Again, partially stimulated by this narrow escape, Vendome displayed unwonted vigor, and drove the Austrians into the Trentin; but in the summer of 1706, he was recalled to supersede Villeroy, who had blundered in the low countries, as he had formerly done in Italy. Unfortunately, Yen dome's besetting faults were attempted to be remedied by uniting the duke of Burgundy with him in command; and the want of a thorough understanding between the conjoint chiefs led to the defeat of the French at Oudenarde (q.v.), and to the failure of the attempt to relieve Lille. The cause of these reverses formed the subject of vehement discussions in France,, and though undoubtedly VendOme was mostly to blame. his great reputation gained him the public support; yet Louis XIV. held him in a sort of disgrace for a time. In 1710, a cry of distress arose from Spain, where the British and Austrians were carrying all before them; and in compliance with the urgent request of Philip V. (who had served under Vendome in Italy) to his grandfather to send him—not a re-en forcement, but only Vendome; the heroic old debauchee was once more roused up from his lair, and dispatched to Spain. Ills appearance, like that of Du Guesclin more than three centuries before, brought together as if by magic a numerous army of volunteers; towns, villages, and even religious establishments united in a most enthusiastic man ner to contribute the necessary funds, and Philip was settled in his capital before the close of the year. A week after, Stanhope and the British troops were defeated and captured at and on the following day, Starhemberg and the Austrians were completely routed at Villa Viciosa. The grateful monarch raised his deliverer to the rank of a prince of the blood royal, and presented him with 500,000 livres fi'20.000), a gft which Vendome accepted only to distribute it among his soldiers. Vendome for the last time relapsed into Ins usual habits, and after "a month of extraordinary gluttony," died of indigestion at Vinaroz in Valencia, June 15, 1712. Vendome, of all the descend ants of Henry 1.1". both then and since, bears the strongest resemblance to his great grandfather; but of the rcsol-'te persistency and self-denial of the first and greatest of the Bourbon monarchs, we cannot discern in him the slightest trace.—Saint-Simon's biography of Vendome. and Voltaire's Sieele de Louis XIV., are the principal authorities for the life of tlds extraordinary man.
Vendome's disinterestedness, like his other good qualities, area they were not a few. became a vice from its very extravagance. It is related that cne of his domestics demanded permission to leave his service on the ground that he could not stand by to see a master robbed by his servants in such a barefaced way. "Is that the reason?" said Vendome; "very well, then, rob like the others."