BETHUNE (FAMILY)

This article appears in Volume V03, Page 830 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: BER-BLA

BETHUNE (FAMILY) . The seigneurs of Bethune, avoues (advocati) of the

great

GREAT

abbey of Saint-Vaast at Arras from the 11th century, were the ancestors of a

great

GREAT

French

house

HOUSE
HOUSE (O. Eng. hiss, a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Dut. huis, Ger. Haus; in
Gothic
- GOTHIC
it is only found in gudhiss, a temple; it may be ultimately connected with the root of " hide," conceal)

whence sprang the dukes of Sully, Charost, Orval, and Ancenis; the marquises of Rosny, Courville and Chabris; the

counts

COUNTS

of Selles and the princes of Boisbelle and Henrichemont. Conon de Bethune (q.v.), the crusader and poet, was an early forebear. The most illustrious member of the Bethune family was Maximilien, baron of Rosny, and afterwards duke of Sully (q.v.), minister of

Henry

IV. His brother Philip, count of Selles and of Charost, was

ambassador

AMBASSADOR (also EMBASSADOR, the form sometimes still used in America; from the Fr. ambassadeur, with which compare Ital. ambasciatore and Span. embajador, all variants of the Med. Lat. ambassiator, ambassiator, ambasator, &c., derived from Med. Lat. amba

to Scotland, Rome, Savoy and Germany, and died in 1649. Hippolyte de Bethune, count of Selles and marquis of Chabris, who died in 1665, bequeathed to the king a magnificent collection of historical documents and works of art. The Charost branch of the family gave France a number of generals during the 17th and 18th centuries.
The last duke of Charost, Armand Joseph de Bethune (1738-1800), French economist and philanthropist, served in the army during the Seven Years' War, after which he retired to his estates in

Berry

, where, and also in Brittany and Picardy, he sought to ameliorate the lot of his peasants by abolishing feudal dues, and introducing reforms in agriculture. During the Terror he was arrested, but was liberated after the 9th Thermidor. He was mayor of the loth arrondissement of Paris under the Consulate, and died at Paris on the 27th of October 'Soo, of small-pox, contracted during a visit to a workshop for the blind which he had founded. He published essays on the way to destroy mendicancy and to improve the condition of the labourers, and also on the

establishment

ESTABLISHMENT (0. Fr. establissement, Fr. etablissement,
late
- LATE
Norm. Fr. establishement, from O. Fr. establir, Fr. etablir, Lat. stabilire, to make stable)

of a fund for rural relief and the organization of rural education. His life throws light on some phases of the ancien regime which are often over-looked by historians. Louis XV. said of Charost, " Look at this man, his appearance is insignificant, but he has put new life into three of my provinces." His only son, Armand Louis de Bethune, marquis de Charost, was beheaded on the 28th of April 1794.

End of Article: BETHUNE (FAMILY)

If you wish, you can link directly to this article.

<a href="http://jcsm.org/StudyCenter/Encyclopedia/BER_BLA/BETHUNE_FAMILY_.html">
BETHUNE (FAMILY)
</a>

(Previous)
BETHUNE

(Next)
BETHUNE, CONON

JCSM was founded in 1997 and exists to help the community and bring people into a life-changing and productive relationship with Jesus Christ. JCSM offers over 200,000 free web pages, including its weekly inspirational emails that were sent continuously for over a decade.

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries
P.O. Box 9297
San Diego, CA 92169
1-888-887-0417 or Email