21 avril 1785
2 septembre 1870
Flahaut, Charles (1785-1870 ; comte de)
Flahault de La Billarderie, Charles (1785-1870 ; comte de)
Flahaut de La Billarderie, Charles (1785-1870 ; général de)
Flahaut de La Billarderie, Charles (1785-1870 ; comte de)
Fils de Charles François de Flahaut, comte de la Billarderie, maréchal de camp (mort en 1793) et d’Adélaïde-Marie-Émilie Filleul (morte en 1836), Auguste-Charles-Joseph de Flahaut de La Billarderie voit le jour le 21 avril 1785 à Paris, dans un appartement du Louvre. Il n'a que sept ans lorsqu'il accompagne sa mère en émigration en Angleterre et passe avec elle à Bremgarten puis à Hambourg avant de revenir à Paris, en août 1797. Malgré ses pérégrinations, sa mère met tout en œuvre pour lui assurer une éducation soignée, en français, en anglais et en allemand.
Grâce à l'appui de son père putatif Talleyrand, il entre le 23 septembre 1799 comme stagiaire au ministère de Marine. Mais, fasciné par le général Bonaparte, il lui écrit pour demander de servir sous ses ordres et, malgré son jeune âge, entre dès mars 1800 dans les hussards de la Garde consulaire. Le 19 mai 1800, il passe au 5e dragons commandé par Louis Bonaparte et fait la campagne de Marengo. Louis Bonaparte l'emmène avec lui lors de sa mission en Prusse et à son retour, en janvier 1802, le verse à l'armée Leclerc au Portugal. Il est alors promu sous-lieutenant dès le 21 octobre 1802, comme aide de camp de Murat, puis lieutenant le 16 décembre 1803. Sous l'Empire, Charles de Flahaut fait figure de Don Juan, apprécié des salons et alignant les conquêtes féminines. Mais le fringant officier est également valeureux au combat : sa participation à la campagne d'Ulm lui vaut une citation dans le bulletin du 22 octobre 1805. Blessé à Lembach le 1er novembre, il est promu capitaine le 10 février 1806 puis il combat à Iéna et à Auerstaedt, avant de poursuivre les armées en déroute en Pologne. Souhaitant l'éloigner de sa femme, Murat le fait promouvoir le 15 janvier 1807 chef d'escadron et le verse au 13e chasseur. Flahaut participe aux campagnes d'Eylau et de Friedland et reçoit la croix d'officier de la Légion d'honneur en juillet 1807. Il est alors maintenu en occupation en Pologne... où la belle comtesse Potocka lui tient compagnie. Bénéficiaire d'une dotation en mars 1808, il est désigné pour l'armée d'Espagne et le 9 août, nommé aide de camp de Berthier. Il combat à Somo-Sierra, puis en Galice et repart avec Berthier en Europe centrale, où il est blessé sur la route de Vienne. Promu colonel le 13 mai 1809, il est, après Wagram, employé à diverses missions auprès des armées russe et autrichienne et revient en France en 1810, y retrouvant la reine Hortense, sa maîtresse. Créé baron le 2 novembre, il reprit les anciennes armes de la famille Flahaut mais y ajoute un comble d'azur à la croix d'or. En 1812, quelques mois après la naissance clandestine d'un fils né de la reine Hortense, Auguste Demorny, Napoléon pense l'écarter en l'envoyant inspecter l'armée autrichienne que Schwartzenberg devait conduire en Russie, puis en mission en Pologne ; il le lance ensuite dans la campagne de Russie. Flahaut faillit être tué au combat d'Ostrowno, puis participe à la prise de Smolensk et, le 17 août, entre avec l'empereur dans Moscou. Lors de la retraite, il se signale encore par une conduite héroïque sur la Bérésina, lui valant, le 4 décembre, sa promotion au grade de général de brigade. Le 26 janvier 1813, Napoléon lui témoigne son estime en le choisissant comme aide de camp, fonction qu'il conserve jusqu'à la chute de l'Empire. Il est envoyé au quartier général russe pour régler la mise en œuvre de l'armistice de Pleiswitz, puis, à la reprise des hostilités, se signale à Leipzig. Nommé général de division le 24 octobre 1813, il est aussi élevé comte de l'Empire le 11 décembre. Pendant la campagne de France, il est, infructueusement, chargé de négocier avec les Autrichiens puis d'intervenir auprès de Marmont. Après l'installation du gouvernement provisoire sous la présidence de Talleyrand, Flahaut suggère à Napoléon de se replier en Lorraine, puis envisage de l'accompagner à l'île d'Elbe ; finalement, 16 avril, il se rallie au nouveau gouvernement. Passé en demi-solde en résidence à Périgueux, il propose le 1er janvier 1815 sa démission, en vain. A l'annonce du débarquement de Napoléon à Golfe Juan, il le rejoint à Essonnes le 20 mars, recouvrant immédiatement ses fonctions d'aide de camp. Envoyé à Vienne pour y entamer des négociations, il ne put dépasser Stuttgart. Il participe alors à la réorganisation de l'armée puis accompagne Napoléon à Waterloo. A la Chambre des pairs, où il était entré le 2 juin, Flahaut défend l'avènement de Napoléon II. Après être intervenu pour faciliter le départ de l'empereur pour Rochefort, il rejoint le 29 juin Exelmans à Versailles ; il se bat encore à Rocquencourt le 1er juillet et suit la retraite de l'armée sur la Loire, comme commandant de la 9e division de cavalerie.
Le 23 juillet, il obtient un congé de six mois « pour raison de santé » et reçoit son passeport pour Aix-les-Bains, où, le 12 août, il retrouve la reine Hortense. Suspect aux yeux du préfet du Mont-Blanc, il doit s'éloigner le 15 juillet et ne parvient pas à se fixer à Genève. Refoulé de tous côtés, mais souhaitant rester à proximité de sa maîtresse, il se replie sur Lyon. Entre-temps, la reine Hortense intercepte une lettre adressée à Charles de Flahaut par Mademoiselle Mars, la fameuse Célimène, confirmant ses soupçons... Après de vaines tentatives de réconciliation, Flahaut se décide à quitter la France. Le 19 octobre, il prend la route pour Francfort, puis gagne la Hollande où il s'embarque. Sous la protection de Lord et Lady Holland, le général de Flahaut est introduit dans la meilleure société britannique. Il y attire l'attention de la riche Margaret Mercer Elphinstone, fille de l'amiral Keith, qu'il parvient à épouser à Édimbourg le 19 juin 1817. Le couple vit alors discrètement en Écosse, puis s'établit quelques années à Londres avant de s'installer à Paris. Il y arrive en août 1827 avec ses cinq filles : Émilie (1819-1895), Clémentine (1821-1836), Georgine (1822-1896), Adélaïde (1824-1841) et Louise (1825-1853).
La vie retirée de Charles de Flahaut prend fin avec l'avènement de Louis-Philippe, qui, le 14 octobre 1830, le réintègre dans l'armée. C'est sans succès qu'il tente d'obtenir l'ambassade à Londres, ravie par Talleyrand. Il est cependant chargé d'une mission outre-Manche dans le cadre des négociations sur l'indépendance de la Belgique. Élevé grand officier de la Légion d'honneur le 5 mai 1831, il reçoit en juin l'ambassade à Berlin. Dès septembre 1831, Flahaut revient à Paris où, le 19 novembre, il retrouve son siège à la Chambre des pairs. Sa participation en 1832 à l'expédition d'Anvers lui vaut la croix militaire de l'ordre de Belgique, et surtout, lui permet de s'immiscer aux côtés du duc Ferdinand d'Orléans, le prince héritier. Mais il ne parvient toujours pas à obtenir une fonction particulière, continuant néanmoins à témoigner sa fidélité envers la famille royale ; le 28 juillet 1835, il défile à ses côtés lorsque a lieu l'attentat de Fieschi, duquel il sort indemne. Finalement, en avril 1837, il est nommé premier écuyer du duc d'Orléans. Mais, entré en conflit avec le général Baudrand pour des questions d'ordre protocolaire, il présente sa démission le 25 janvier 1838. Louis-Philippe accepte celle-ci et, en guise de consolation,lui octroit le 5 mai 1838 le grand cordon de la Légion d'honneur. Le 19 novembre 1840, le général de Flahaut figure parmi les vedettes du retour des cendres de Napoléon. Enfin, un an plus tard, le 9 septembre 1841, il est nommé ambassadeur à Vienne, poste qu'il conserve jusqu'à la chute de la Monarchie de Juillet. Il y entretient une relation privilégiée avec le prince de Metternich et participe aux négociations sur les alliances de la famille d'Orléans. Démis le 7 mars 1848, il regagne directement l'Angleterre alors que la République s'organise, bientôt suivie par l'élection à la présidence du prince Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, demi-frère d'Auguste de Morny. Charles de Flahaut se rallie sans difficulté à l'idée d'un coup d'État auquel il participe, dans l'ombre de son fils : le 2 décembre 1851, le prince Louis-Napoléon place Flahaut à ses côtés pour défiler dans les rues de la capitale. Flahaut maintient sa résidence à Londres. Il en profite pour intervenir officieusement auprès de Lord Granville et Lord John Russell pour ménager les relations franco-britanniques. Malgré son désaccord au sujet de la confiscation des biens de la famille d'Orléans, il accepte le fauteuil de sénateur que Napoléon III lui attribue le 31 décembre 1852. Mais il ne séjourne qu'occasionnellement à Paris, principalement lors des sessions parlementaires ou de la Commission chargée de la publication de la correspondance de Napoléon Ier, à laquelle il participe dès sa fondation, en 1854. En novembre 1860, pour apaiser les relations franco-britanniques qui se dégradent au sujet des affaires italiennes, Flahaut remplace Walewski à l'ambassade à Londres. Sa mission, plus politique qu'à Vienne, est principalement marquée par l'affaire mexicaine et la question romaine. Cette dernière entraîne le remplacement aux Affaires étrangères de Thouvenel par Drouyn de Lhuys, motivant la démission de Flahaut le 15 novembre 1862. Napoléon III tient à s'attacher encore les services du dernier survivant des aides de camp de son oncle. Le 27 janvier 1864, après la mort de l'amiral Hamelin, il le nomme Grand chancelier de la Légion d'honneur. Médaillé militaire le 20 février 1866,il vit les dernières années de sa vie retiré à l'hôtel de Salm. Il y meurt dans la nuit du 1er au 2 septembre 1870, le jour même de la capitulation de Sedan, à l'agonie du Second Empire.
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