Charles Alexandre de Luxembourg de Brienne

Alexandre, Duc de Limbourg (Charles Alexandre; born 3rd May 1737) is a member of the House of Luxembourg de Brienne, being the head of the unofficial Limbourg branch of that house. At birth, he was known as Prince de Richebourg, which was not a legal title - being used as a courtesy only. Upon the death of his legal father, he succeeded as Duc de Limbourg. Despite his inheritance and his position as heir, it was a commonly held theory that Alexandre was not the son of the Duc de Limbourg at all - rather, Alexandre was the son of the late Prince de Vaudémont. This was primarily supported by Alexandre's appearance, which bore a more than striking resemblance to the Prince. It was also supported by his mother's known relationship with Vaudémont. It would appear that the Duc de Limbourg also believed the rumours, as he prohibited Alexandre from attending court for much of his life, though he did not claim that Alexandre wasn't his.

Alexandre was known to be stern and harsh, though he could be courteous and calm when required. He was known for his reliability, capability and hard-working nature, though he could also be difficult to work with when agitated. He was further known for his stalwart demeanour, having a great loyalty to the crown - which was uncommon amongst the Lorrainer nobility during the minority of Léopold IV. He was further known for his tactical ability, his skill in the field earning him an appointment as Maréchal de Lorraine - though this appointment was also helped along by a bribe from his mother. He was also known as somewhat reclusive, perhaps due to the forced seclusion imposed upon him by his father for most of his early life.

Birth and Baptism
Charles Alexandre de Luxembourg de Brienne was born on May 3rd, 1737 at the Château de Lunéville. Officially, he was the eldest son of Louis-Guillaume Nicolas de Luxembourg de Brienne, Duc de Limbourg, and his wife Claudine Antoinette de Grimaldi de Bueil. Most were unsure of the truth of the official story, as a common court rumour at the time was that the heir-apparent, Prince Auguste Gabriel, was the true father of the infant. It was said by contemporaries who witnessed the birth that the similarities between Auguste Gabriel and the newborn were apparent immediately - down to the same eye colour, similar shaped noses and similar ears. In fact, Alexandre seemed to share no distinguishable features with his supposed father, Limbourg. Despite this, he was legally noted as Limbourg's son and heir - being given the courtesy title ''Prince de Richebourg. ''

In accordance with his mother's wishes, he was baptised on the same day as his birth. Selected as his godparents were, rather suspiciously, the Prince de Vaudémont himself and the Princesse d'Orange - an acquaintance of his mother's.

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