Jean Charles de Saint-Nectaire

Jean Charles, marquis de Saint-Nectaire (11 November 1685 - 23 January 1771, château de Didonne, Saintonge) was a French general. He was also lord, marquis of Brinon-sur-Sandres, baron of Didonne and of Saint-Germain-sur-Vienne in the Marche, lord of Brillac and other lands in the Auvergne, count of Saint-Victour. He became a marshal of France in 1757.

Life
He was the son of François de Saint-Nectaire (died 1710), count of Brinon (known as 'count of Senneterre') and of Marie de Béchillon. He rose from lieutenant to captain and then colonel (1705) of the Senneterre dragoon regiment, serving in Italy in 1703 and 1704 and in Flanders and on the Rhine from 1705 to 1713. Becoming a brigadier in 1719 and colonel of the Marche infantry regiment in 1731, he was made a maréchal de camp in 1734 and sent on an embassy to the king of Sardinia

He was next promoted to lieutenant general, before fighting in the Italian campaigns of 1734 and 1735 under marshal François de Franquetot de Coigny. He served in the same theatre durnig the War of the Austrian Succession and commanded the central division in the attack on the fortifications at Villefranche in 1744. In 1745 he led the siege operations against Casal and the following year took part in marshal de Maillebois's retreat in the face of superior Austrian and Sardinian forces. De Saint-Nectaire was summoned to join the French force in Flanders in 1747 and 1748 and on 24 February 1757 he was made a marshal of France.

Around 1730, he expanded the château de Didonne, now the musée du Matériel agricole, making it his main country residence. He also considerably expanded his lands by buying those of the marquisate of Pisany around 1738, the baronies of Arvert and Saujon around 1758, the chatellenie of Le Chay in 1764, the lordship of Chesnaumoine and finally part of the lordship of Brézillas. His son the count of Sénectère continued his father's work - his domains then passed to the marshal's grandson, married to the marquis of Armentières.

Marriage and issue
On 7 October 1711 he married Marie-Marthe de Saint-Pierre, daughter of Henri, marquis of Saint-Pierre and of Saint-Julien-sur-Collonge, and of Marie-Madeleine Boisseret d'Herblay. They had only one child, Henri Charles (3 July 1714 - 1785), marquis of Saint-Nectaire, who became an infantry colonel and who in 1738 married Marie Louise (born August 1721), daughter of Philippe Emmanuel de Crussol d'Uzès (1685 † 1761), marquis of Saint-Sulpice. She and Henri Charles had two children - :
 * Marie Charlotte (14 November 1750 -26 July 1794, Paris), lady of Songeons (1777-1778), who in 1770 married Louis de Conflans, marquis of Armentières (1711-1774), with issue ;
 * Charles Emmanuel (born 1752), second in command of the régiment de Hainaut.