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By the time he was 38, Marc de Beauvau-Craon had risen to be Conn�table (Prime Minister) of Lorraine. He was responsible for Lorraine's diplomatic negotiations throughout Europe including the deployment of its army, as well as being the tutor of Fran�ois III, Duke Leopold's son. (Fran�ois III's daughter, Marie-Antoinette later married Louis XVI and became the Queen of France). Ch�teau de Harou� gives a rare glimpse of the glamour and opulance that this independant region once enjoyed. The Ch�teau was decorated by the same artists who worked for Duke Leopold and King Stanislas including Jean Lamour (1698 - 1771) and Jean Pillement (1728 - 1808) and Barth�lemy Guibal (1699 - 1757). The golden salon (pictured above) and the Pillement tower with its chinese paintings (Ch�teau & Gardens page) are unique in France. In 1737 Marc de Beauvau-Craon was appointed Vice Roi of Tuscany, and as a consequence, various parts of the Ch�teau are influenced by this region. He returned to live permanently in Harou� in 1749 until his death in 1754.
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