Antoine Hamilton

Anthony Hamilton PC (Ire) ( – 1719), also known as Antoine and comte d'Hamilton, was a soldier and a writer. As a Catholic of Irish and Scottish ancestry, his parents brought him to France as a child in 1651 when Cromwell's army overran Ireland. At the Restoration the family moved to England and lived at the court of Charles II. When Catholics were excluded from the army, Anthony followed his brother George into French service and fought in the Franco-Dutch War (1672–1678). He was wounded in the battle of Battle of Entzheim. After the accession of the Catholic king James II in 1685, he joined the Irish Army and fought for the Jacobites in the Williamite War (1689–1691). He saw action in the battles of Newtownbutler and the Boyne. The defeat led him to his final French exile. Hamilton sought refuge at the exile court at Saint-Germain-en-Laye where he became a courtier, poet, and writer. He chose French as his language and adopted a light and elegant style, seeking to amuse and entertain his reader. He is known for the Mémoires du Comte de Grammont, which focus on the time his brother-in-law Philibert de Gramont, spent at the court of Charles II. These Mémoires are a classic of French literature and a document of the history of the Stuart Restoration. He also wrote many letters, poems, and five tales. Birth and origins Anthony was born in 1644 or 1645 in Ireland, probably in Nenagh, County Tipperary. He was the third son of George Hamilton and his wife Mary Butler.