Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

duc de Retz Seigneurs and Dukes of Retz owned the district of Retz or Rais, is in South Brittany. History Rais belonged in early times to a house which bore its name, and of which the eldest branch became extinct in the 13th century in the . From the Chabot ...

marshal of France Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1 ...

Gondi family The Florentine banking family of the Gondi were prominent financial partners of the Medici. Unlike the Medici, they were of the old Florentine nobility, tracing their line traditionally from the legendary Philippi, said to have been ennobled by Cha ...

Italian Wars The Italian Wars, also known as the Habsburg–Valois Wars, were a series of conflicts covering the period 1494 to 1559, fought mostly in the Italian peninsula, but later expanding into Flanders, the Rhineland and the Mediterranean Sea. The pr ...

Battle of Renty The Battle of Renty was fought on 12 August 1554, between France and the Holy Roman Empire at Renty, a northern French secondary theatre of the Italian Wars. The French were led by Francis, Duke of Guise, while the Imperial forces were led by Emp ...

Italian Wars The Italian Wars, also known as the Habsburg–Valois Wars, were a series of conflicts covering the period 1494 to 1559, fought mostly in the Italian peninsula, but later expanding into Flanders, the Rhineland and the Mediterranean Sea. The pr ...

French Wars of Religion The French Wars of Religion is the term which is used in reference to a period of civil war between French Catholic Church, Catholics and Protestantism, Protestants, commonly called Huguenots, which lasted from 1562 to 1598. According to estim ...

Catherine de Medici Catherine de' Medici ( it, Caterina de' Medici, ; french: Catherine de Médicis, ; 13 April 1519 – 5 January 1589) was an Florentine noblewoman born into the Medici family. She was Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 by marriage to King H ...

Guise Guise (; nl, Wieze) is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. The city was the birthplace of the noble family of Guise, Dukes of Guise, who later became Princes of Joinville. Population Sights The remains ...

Jarnac Jarnac (; ; Saintongese: ''Jharnat'') is a commune in the Charente department, southwestern France.Moncontour. Alongside his military potential the court saw his diplomatic potential and he played a role in the marriages of the king, and of his sister. In 1572 he was deeply implicated in the decision to massacre the Protestant leadership in Paris that spiralled out into the

Massacre of Saint Bartholomew The St. Bartholomew's Day massacre (french: Massacre de la Saint-Barthélemy) in 1572 was a targeted group of assassinations and a wave of Catholic mob violence, directed against the Huguenots (French Calvinist Protestants) during the French War ...

. Again entrusted as a diplomat he was sent to England to negotiate the marriage of the king's brother. On his return he fought at the

siege of La Rochelle The siege of La Rochelle (, or sometimes ) was a result of a war between the French royal forces of Louis XIII of France and the Huguenots of La Rochelle in 1627–28. The siege marked the height of the struggle between the Catholics and the Pr ...

where he was shot in the stomach. Soon thereafter he was elevated to the Marshalate with the death of

Tavannes Tavannes is a municipality in the Jura bernois administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is located in the French-speaking part of the canton in the Jura mountains. History The area around Tavannes was traversed by ...

. Tavannes had also agreed that Retz would inherit his governorship of

Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...

in return for Retz ceding his governorship of

Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...

to Tavannes' son. In the fifth civil war Retz led an army into Provence against Damville. Returning to the role of diplomat he negotiated with

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 ...

to smooth over the French seizure of

Cambrai Cambrai (, ; pcd, Kimbré; nl, Kamerijk), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department and in the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, regio ...

. In 1594 he took a role in the ''conseil des finances'' after the death of

François d'O François d'O, seigneur de Fresne et de Maillebois (1545/50-) was a French soldier, statesman and favourite of Henri III. Rising to prominence through his association with the dauphin Henri, he served with the prince at the siege of La Rochelle. Wh ...

.

Early life and family

Albert de Gondi was the son of Guidobaldo, seigneur de Perron, who became a banker at Lyon, and his mother was Marie Catherine Gondi. His siblings included cardinal

Pierre de Gondi Pierre de Gondi, cardinal de Retz (1533–1616) was a French bishop and cardinal of the Gondi family. Life Born in Lyon, he was a brother of Albert de Gondi (two of whose sons, Henri and Jean-François, succeeded Pierre as bishop of Paris) and a ...

. The Gondi family were fairly recent elevations to nobility, having been ennobled in the fifteenth-century. On 4 September 1565, he became the second husband of Claude Catherine de Clermont-Tonnerre, baroness of

Retz Retz is a town with a population of 4,168 in the Hollabrunn District in Lower Austria, Austria. Geography Retz is located in the north western Weinviertel in Lower Austria. The municipality's area covers 45,01 km². 11.83 percent of this ...

and of Dampierre, daughter of Claude de Clermont-Tonnerre, baron de Dampierre, with whom he had 10 children: *

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...

(1569-1596), marquis de Belle-Isle, général des Galères de France, whose descendants end with the women of the 18th century ; * Claude-Marguerite (1570-1650), who married Florimond, marquis de Piennes (+1592) ; * Françoise (+1627), who married Lancelot Grognet de Vassé ; * Gabrielle who married Claude de Bossut, seigneur d'Escry ; * Hyppolite (+1646) who married Léonor de Magdelaine marquis de Ragny ; * Henri de Gondi, cardinal de Retz (1572-1622),

bishop of Paris The Archdiocese of Paris (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Parisiensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Paris'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. It is one of twenty-three archdioceses in France ...

. * Louise (1572-1661), nun ; * Madelaine (+1662), nun ; * Philippe-Emmanuel (1581-1626), comte de Joigny, marquis de Belle-Isle, baron de Montmirel, général des Galères de France, who married Françoise de Silly (+1625), dame de Commercy, daughter of Antoine, comte de La Rochepot, whose descendants end with the 18th century women. * Jean-François de Gondi, cardinal de Retz (1584-1654), first archbishop of Paris.

Reign of Henri II

He joined the court of

Henry II of France Henry II (french: Henri II; 31 March 1519 – 10 July 1559) was King of France from 31 March 1547 until his death in 1559. The second son of Francis I and Duchess Claude of Brittany, he became Dauphin of France upon the death of his elder bro ...

on his accession in 1547 and around 1550 joined a company of chevau-légers. On 13 August 1554 he served at the

battle of Renty The Battle of Renty was fought on 12 August 1554, between France and the Holy Roman Empire at Renty, a northern French secondary theatre of the Italian Wars. The French were led by Francis, Duke of Guise, while the Imperial forces were led by Emp ...

and soon afterward Henry II made him a

gentleman of the chamber ''Valet de chambre'' (), or ''varlet de chambre'', was a court appointment introduced in the late Middle Ages, common from the 14th century onwards. Royal households had many persons appointed at any time. While some valets simply waited on t ...

and master of the wardrobe to Charles of France. He continued to occupy these posts under Charles IX and Henry III. In 1555, he made a name for himself in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, at the sieges of Ulpiau and Coni and the taking of Verceil. He also served with great distinction in the expeditions into

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

and

Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...

. On 10 August 1557 he participated in the Battle of Saint-Quentin and on 13 July 1558 at the battle of Gravelines. He was in 1559 made captain of a company of

gendarmes Wrong info! --> A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to "men-at-arms" (literally, " ...

.

Reign of Charles IX

Early civil wars

As Catherine sought to separate herself and her son from the great families who had dominated the throne over the past decade she increasingly turned to uncommitted Catholics such as Vielleville and new courtiers who's loyalty could be more easily tied to the throne, most prominent among them Retz. In 1565 Retz became comte de Retz. The following year he was made governor of the king. He fought with his company at their head at the battle of Saint-Denis on 10 November 1567, at

Jarnac Jarnac (; ; Saintongese: ''Jharnat'') is a commune in the Charente department, southwestern France.Moncontour on the following 3 October.

Diplomat

With many connections in imperial circles, Retz was entrusted to pick up Elizabeth of Austria from the imperial court at

Wien en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

to bring her to her new husband, Charles. Charles met them at Sedan and the two were wed at

Charleville-Mézières or ''Carolomacérienne'' , image flag=Flag of Charleville Mezieres.svg Charleville-Mézières () is a commune of northern France, capital of the Ardennes department, Grand Est. Charleville-Mézières is located on the banks of the river Meuse. ...

the same day. Knighted on the king's orders, he won a place as conseiller d’État. On the death of marshal Vieilleville, the comte de Retz was made governor and lieutenant-general in the pays messin, and governor of the town of Metz, by provisions granted at Duretal on 30 November 1571. He was then made captain of the first company of gentlemen of the king's household after the death of the duc de Roannois in December the same year. As war with Spain increasingly loomed as a possibility in mid 1572 after the debacle of the Genlis expedition, Retz was alleged to have assured several ambassadors that he would ensure the council voted against war. In response leading Protestant nobles threatened to kill him. Retz acted as an intermediary between Catherine and the clergy of Paris as their approval for the marriage of

Navarre Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...

and

Margaret of Valois Margaret of Valois (french: Marguerite, 14 May 1553 – 27 March 1615), popularly known as La Reine Margot, was a French princess of the Valois dynasty who became Queen of Navarre by marriage to Henry III of Navarre and then also Queen of France ...

was sought. Unable to find many theologians in the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

who would assent, it was agreed the act of having consulted them would suffice.

Massacre of Saint Bartholomew

After the attempt on Coligny's life on 22 August, Retz attended the wounded Admirals bedside with the king, urging him to accept residence in the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

while he recovered, Coligny declined. He was among those who held council with Catherine when the policy of liquidation of the Protestant leadership was agreed upon the following evening. When blame is cast for the figure on the council who convinced Charles to order the killings, Retz is often blamed by historians.

England

Retz travelled to England at the request of Catherine as a proxy for

Alençon Alençon (, , ; nrf, Alençoun) is a commune in Normandy, France, capital of the Orne department. It is situated west of Paris. Alençon belongs to the intercommunality of Alençon (with 52,000 people). History The name of Alençon is firs ...

during the negotiations between France and England for a prospective marriage between

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

and Alençon. Retz was treated with great pomp during his stay, despite his recorded involvement in the recent massacre. Elizabeth was concerned however about the prince's appearance and Retz promised to provide a more flattering portrait, returning to France in September. Upon his return Retz commanded a squadron and forced count Montgomery to abandon Belle-Isle. The French king raised this town to a marquisate and granted it to Retz. With La Rochelle entering revolt in the wake of the Massacre, Retz fought in the siege that followed. During the siege Charles urged

Anjou Anjou may refer to: Geography and titles France * County of Anjou, a historical county in France and predecessor of the Duchy of Anjou **Count of Anjou, title of nobility *Duchy of Anjou, a historical duchy and later a province of France **Duk ...

to follow the military suggestions of Retz for the conduct of the campaign. Retz would be shot in the kidney by the defenders during the attempted capture of the city.

Marshal

Retz was granted the governorship of

Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...

upon the death of Honorat I de Savoie. The governorship had originally gone to

Tavannes Tavannes is a municipality in the Jura bernois administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is located in the French-speaking part of the canton in the Jura mountains. History The area around Tavannes was traversed by ...

however he had agreed to resign it on his death, which occurred in June 1573, in favour of Retz on condition Retz resigned his governorship of the city of

Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...

to Tavannes' son. As a result of Tavannes' death there was also a vacancy in the marshalate, Retz was granted the honour at the château de Boulogne on 6 July 1573Histoire généalogique de la maison de Gondi, tom. II, pag. 360 ; les comptes de l’ordinaire des guerres et dans les registres de la connétablie. Moréri et l’historien des Grands Officiers de la Couronne se trompent donc, lorsqu’ils datent cette nomination, le premier de 1567, le second de 1574.

Reign of Henri III

Commonwealth

Upon travelling to

the Commonwealth The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the ...

with Henri, the new king awarded him a large pension of several hundred thousand livres. he was instructed on the king's return to spend some time in Germany, to be able to report to the court on the situation there. Upon his return to France he resigned the office of Constable which he had held with Henri in his role as king of the Commonwealth. While no longer Constable he was granted the office of first gentleman of the chamber, a post he shared with Villequier each taking six months of the year.

Fifth civil war

As civil war again resumed in 1574, with the rebellion of the Politique's Retz was among the 'foreign influences',

Henri I de Montmorency Henri I de Montmorency (15 June 1534 in Chantilly, Oise – 2 April 1614), Marshal of France, and Constable of France, seigneur of Damville, served as Governor of Languedoc from 1563 to 1614. Biography Born on 15 June 1534, Henri was the son ...

railed against in his declaration of rebellion. Retz was assigned to lead one of the armies against Damville, campaigning in

Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...

. Retz was again attacked in Alençon's manifesto when he joined Damville in rebellion the following year. In 1578 despite the protests of the recent

Estates General of 1576 Estate or The Estate may refer to: Law * Estate (law), a term in common law for a person's property, entitlements and obligations * Estates of the realm, a broad social category in the histories of certain countries. ** The Estates, representati ...

about the practice, Retz resigned his governorship of Provence in favour of a successor of his choosing, the comte de Suze. Before the reign of Henri II a governor being allowed to name their successor had been exceedingly rare. Still loyal to his patron Catherine, he continued to champion her policy at court even after she herself reduced her involvement in the council of state.

Eclipsed

After having held the office of first gentleman of the chamber for 15 years, he was obliged to surrender it in 1581, so that the king's favourite

Anne de Joyeuse Anne de Batarnay de Joyeuse, Baron d'Arques, Vicomte then Duke of Joyeuse (1560 – 20 October 1587) was a royal favourite and active participant in the French Wars of Religion. An intimate friend of Henry III of France, he was keeper of the kin ...

could assume the role. Upon the death of

Alençon Alençon (, , ; nrf, Alençoun) is a commune in Normandy, France, capital of the Orne department. It is situated west of Paris. Alençon belongs to the intercommunality of Alençon (with 52,000 people). History The name of Alençon is firs ...

in 1584, the prince willed

Cambrai Cambrai (, ; pcd, Kimbré; nl, Kamerijk), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department and in the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, regio ...

to the king. Henri in turn offered the city to his mother who accepted. Retz was sent to negotiate with the Spanish leader

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 ...

who angrily demanded the city back. Parma was ill-inclined to go to war over Cambrai and a truce was agreed in December 1584. When the king proposed in 1587, that he would meet the invading German army personally, Retz was among those councillors who virulently opposed such a plan, however he was unable to convince the king. While the estates of Blois met in 1588, it was a ''ligue'' dominated body. Retz paid them little mind, like many of the politiques around Henri he was more interested in the duels of court than the legal wranglings of the estates. Retz also patronised the ''Académie du Palais'' which undertook philosophical debates during this time.

Reign of Henri IV

After the death of

François d'O François d'O, seigneur de Fresne et de Maillebois (1545/50-) was a French soldier, statesman and favourite of Henri III. Rising to prominence through his association with the dauphin Henri, he served with the prince at the siege of La Rochelle. Wh ...

in 1594, his role in the ''conseil des finances'' was assumed by a collaboration of important nobles, among them Retz. As a body they attempted every fiscal mechanism they could conceive of in hopes of getting out of the massive deficit the regime was in by this point. Blason Albert de Gondi (1522-1602)

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

References

* Chronologie militaire, tom. II, pag. 322 ; Histoire généalogique de la maison de Gondi, Histoire des Grands Officiers de la Couronne, de Thou, et Moréri.
Maison de Gondi on web.genealogie
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gondi 1522 births 1602 deaths Marshals of France Nobility from Florence French courtiers 16th-century French people 17th-century French people Court of Henry II of France Household of Catherine de' Medici Court of Charles IX of France Court of Henry III of France