Louis Gabriel de Contades, Marquis de Contades-Gizeux (11 October 1759 – 18 June 1825) was a French aristocrat, soldier, and politician.
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Early life
Contades was born on 11 October 1759 in Angers, the prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department. He was the second son of Julie Victoire Constantin de La Lorie, Dame du Plantis (1739–1828) and Georges-Gaspard de Contades, Marquis de Contades (1726–1794), a member of the Académie des sciences. Among his siblings were Erasmus-Gaspard de Contades and François-Jules de Contades, Vicomte de Contades.
His paternal grandfather was Louis Georges Érasme de Contades, Marquis de Contades, a prominent battlefield commander during the Seven Years' War who was made a Marshal of France.
Career
He began as a Midshipman in the French Navy before becoming Second Lieutenant in the Royal Corps of Artillery on 20 April 1776, before being made Captain of the Piémont in April 1778. In 1780, he was made a Lieutenant-Colonel, followed by Colonel in the Gendarmerie in January 1784. He was presented to the King at Versailles in 1787 under the title of Marquis de Gizeux. In March 1782, he was made second colonel of the Anjou-infantry regiment before becoming a colonel of the regiment in May 1791.