Philippe de Noailles, duc de Mouchy
Philippe, comte de Noailles and later
prince de Poix, duc de Mouchy, and duc de Poix à brevêt (
27 December 1715 –
27 June 1794), was a younger brother of
Louis, 4th duc de Noailles, and a more distinguished soldier than his brother. He served at
Minden and in other campaigns, and was made a
marshal of France in
1775, on the same day as his brother. He was long in great favor at court, and his wife,
Anne-Claude-Louise d'Arpajon (1729-94) was first lady of honor to
Marie Antoinette, and was nicknamed by her Madame
Etiquette. This court favor brought down punishment in the days of the
French Revolution, and the old marshal, his wife, daughter-in-law and grand-daughter were all
guillotined on
27 June 1794.
The comte de Noailles received the
Spanish title of prince de Poix in
1729, and that of
duc de Mouchy in
1747. In
1767 he received the additional French title of duc de Poix
à brevêt. The title of prince de Poix passed to his son Charles-Adrien as a
courtesy title on the latter's birth in
1747, and after the child's death later that year and the infant deaths of two further sons, came to rest on Noailles's successor,
Philippe-Louis-Marc-Antoine.
Two of Noailles's three surviving sons, Philippe-Louis-Marc-Antoine and
Louis-Marie, vicomte de Noailles, were members of the
Constituent Assembly.
