Auguste Marie Raymond d'Arenberg

Prince Auguste Marie Raymond d'Arenberg, Count of La Marck Grandee of Spain (30 August 1753 – 26 September 1833), was a French-Belgian aristocrat. Part of the House of Arenberg, who at this time still held the rank of sovereign princes, he was the second son and fourth child of Charles, 5th Duke of Arenberg. Family Prince Auguste was born on 30 August 1753 in Brussels to the Duke of Arenberg, a field-marshal in the Austrian army and a Seven Years' War veteran. His brother was Louis Engelbert, 6th Duke of Arenberg. Career Though the House of Arenberg had long aligned itself with the Austrian army, Prince Auguste's maternal grandfather, Louis Engelbert, offered his regiment in the French service to Prince Auguste since he did not have a son; it was further arranged that he would take on the title Count of La Marck following his grandfather's death. The Duke requested permission from Queen Maria Theresa for Prince Auguste to join the French service, which she granted. In 1770, at age 17, Prince August attended the wedding of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI, which made him a lifelong defender of Marie Antoinette. At age 20, five years after joining the military, Prince Auguste joined his regiment in the South of France, where he remained for a year before returning to court as the successor of his grandfather's title. Prince Auguste fought in India under Count de Bussy and was severely wounded. Upon his return to Paris, he was involved in a duel with M. Peyron, a young former Swedish officer from his regiment. The two had exchanged words before Prince Auguste left for India; this argument resulted in Peyron's resignation from the regiment. Prince Auguste killed Peyron in the duel but not before Peyron stabbed him in the lung with his sword. After convalescing, Prince Auguste returned to his career in the military. His regiment became strongly disciplined and later became a model for the rest of the service. He was appointed inspector-general of infantry and vice-president of the committee for regulating the tactics of the troops of the line.