Artus de Cossé-Brissac (1512–1582), lord of Gonnor and Comte de Secondigny, was a
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 ( ...
, an office he was elevated to in 1567. He served to administer the armies finances during the first of the
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 Catholics and Protestants, commonly called Huguenots, which lasted from 1562 to 1598. According to estimates, between two and four mi ...
and would lead the royal army in its pursuit of
the Prince of Condé during the second civil war. His failure to catch the army led to his dismissal from overall royal command. During the third civil war he would again lead troops, beating a small Protestant force, before being defeated in the final days of the war at
Arney-le-Duc. His long history of
Politique
During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, ''politiques'' () were those in a position of power who put the success and well-being of their state above all else. During the Wars of Religion, this included moderates of both religious faiths ( ...
leanings would push him into the orbit of the
Malcontents for which he would be arrested in 1574. In 1576 he would be released and restored to favour before he died in 1582.
Family and early life
The Cossé family was ennobled in the fourteenth century. Artus de Cossé-Brissac was the brother of the Marshal
Brissac who had been elevated to the title during the reign of
Henri 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 broth ...
, he would predecease Cossé, dying in 1563. The two boys had been raised in the royal household at Blois, as their father,
René de Cossé-Brissac and mother
Charlotte Gouffier de Boisy
Charlotte Gouffier de Boisy, Madame de Cossé-Brissac (born 1482) was a French noblewoman and courtier who served as the Governess of the Children of France.
Biography
Gouffier de Boisy was born in 1482 to Guillaume Gouffier, Lord of Boisy a ...
were governors for the royal children of
Francis I of France
Francis I (french: François Ier; frm, Francoys; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin on ...
. As such the two were ''enfants d'honneur''.
Reign of Henri II
Cossé fell into the orbit of
Anne de Montmorency as a client after his former childhood playmate had become king. When Metz was taken by the French in 1552, the king wanted to appoint
Marshal Vielleville as its governor, but Montmorency strongly objected, and proposed Cossé. The king conceded to this choice. Frustrated by his defeat at Metz the emperor struck back the following year, in April 1553 his army
razed Thérouanne. In the wake of this embarrassment,
Francis, Duke of Guise
Francis de Lorraine II, the first Prince of Joinville, also Duke of Guise and Duke of Aumale (french: François de Lorraine; 17 February 1519 – 24 February 1563), was a French general and statesman. A prominent leader during the Italian War of ...
was able to leverage the disfavour Montmorency fell into to have Cossé replaced with Vielleville as governor of Metz.
Reign of Charles IX
First civil war
In 1562, Cossé was responsible for the financial administration of the army. In late 1562 he received the role of lieutenant general of the city of
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, succeeding his brother who had previously been given the role in May 1562. In this role he coordinated defence of the city and connected the royal administration with the ''Parlement''.
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 ...
wrote to him later in the year, complaining that the veteran infantry in
Calais had not been paid for months. His brother Brissac likewise complained for funds concerning his troops in
Rouen. After the first civil war had concluded, in 1564, Cossé was appointed to the finance office of ''surintendant-général des finances'' the chief post for the financial administration of the kingdom. In this capacity he would attempt to introduce a tax on weddings and baptisms, however this move would be blocked by the ''Parlement.''
Second civil war
As the peace deteriorated, rumours reached court in September that Protestant cavalry was assembling near
Montargis
Montargis () is a commune in the Loiret department, Centre-Val de Loire, France.
Montargis is the seventh most populous commune in the Loiret, after Orléans and its suburbs. It is near a large forest, and contains light industry and farming, ...
, Catherine instructed Cossé to investigate the matter and report back to her. Shortly thereafter the Protestant nobility would execute the
Surprise of Meaux
The surprise of Meaux (''La surprise de Meaux'') was a failed coup attempt by leading aristocratic Huguenots which precipitated the second French War of Religion. Dissatisfied with their lot, and under the pretext of fear of extermination, Loui ...
, utilising the assembled cavalry in an attempt to seize the king, however this would be a failure. Following this, the rebel attempt to besiege Paris to where the king had fled, however this would be dealt a blow in the
battle of Saint-Denis. The remnants of Condé's army retreating over the French border to regroup. Cossé was tasked with leading the army to intercept him and his failure to successfully do so, combined with his suspected Protestant leanings led to his dismissal from army command by Catherine in favour of
Marshal Tavannes.
With peace established in early 1568 Cossé would be responsible for monitoring the frontier, which many Huguenot nobles were attempting to cross in the wake of
Alva's operations in the
Spanish Netherlands
Spanish Netherlands (Spanish: Países Bajos Españoles; Dutch: Spaanse Nederlanden; French: Pays-Bas espagnols; German: Spanische Niederlande.) (historically in Spanish: ''Flandes'', the name "Flanders" was used as a ''pars pro toto'') was the H ...
. Refugee nobles found much support among the Protestant nobility in Picardy, and attempted to re-enter the Netherlands under arms in July under the captains Mouvans and Cocqueville. Cossé was able to intercept and destroy this attempted border crossing. Cossé had Cocqueville summarily executed, while Catherine instructed him to hand the Flemish prisoners over to Alva, while the French prisoners would be sent to the galleys. Alongside these military actions, Cossé was instructed to locate Condé so as to instruct him to ensure the terms of peace would be obeyed in
Orléans
Orléans (;["Orleans"](_blank)
(US) and [Blois
Blois ( ; ) is a commune and the capital city of Loir-et-Cher department, in Centre-Val de Loire, France, on the banks of the lower Loire river between Orléans and Tours.
With 45,898 inhabitants by 2019, Blois is the most populated city of the ...]
.
Third civil war
As a man of ''politique'' leanings, when informed of the plan to arrest the Huguenot leadership and revoke the
Peace of Longjumeau
The Peace of Longjumeau (also known as the Treaty of Longjumeau or the Edict of Longjumeau) was signed on 23 March 1568 by Charles IX of France and Catherine de' Medici. The edict brought to an end the brief second French Wars of Religion with t ...
that had ended the second civil war, he was hesitant to enforce the orders. Once formal civil war had resumed however, he would serve the crown loyally, first assisting with 15 companies of men-at-arms and 2000 footmen in the effort to guard the frontier in
Picardy
Picardy (; Picard and french: Picardie, , ) is a historical territory and a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region of Hauts-de-France. It is located in the northern part of France.
Hi ...
from penetration by
Prince of Orange
Prince of Orange (or Princess of Orange if the holder is female) is a title originally associated with the sovereign Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France and subsequently held by sovereigns in the Netherlands.
The title ...
. This would be a failure, and he would enter France in December 1568. Nevertheless in this capacity he would be responsible for handing over several prisoners to
the Duke of Alba for punishment. He would then move south, fighting alongside the
Duke of Montpensier
The French lordship
A lordship is a territory held by a lord. It was a landed estate that served as the lowest administrative and judicial unit in rural areas. It originated as a unit under the feudal system during the Middle Ages. In a lordshi ...
, successfully crushing the viscounts of
Quercy
Quercy (; oc, Carcin , locally ) is a former province of France located in the country's southwest, bounded on the north by Limousin, on the west by Périgord and Agenais, on the south by Gascony and Languedoc, and on the east by Rouergue and ...
and
Languedoc
The Province of Languedoc (; , ; oc, Lengadòc ) is a former province of France.
Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately ...
when they sought to reach junction with the army under
the Prince of Condé in
Périgord
Périgord ( , ; ; oc, Peiregòrd / ) is a natural region and former province of France, which corresponds roughly to the current Dordogne department, now forming the northern part of the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It is div ...
. In October 1569, Cossé's forces were present at the decisive
Battle of Moncontour and played a critical role in the crowns victory.
After the destruction of the Protestant army Cossė was among those advocating for the king to seize the moment to gain a favourable peace, the crown was however uninterested, and set about sieging
St. Jean-d'Angély in what would prove a costly battle of attrition. As the siege dragged on with little progress, the king reconsidered the proposal, and Cossé was sent with de Losses to meet with
Jeanne d'Albret
Jeanne d'Albret ( Basque: ''Joana Albretekoa''; Occitan: ''Joana de Labrit''; 16 November 1528 – 9 June 1572), also known as Jeanne III, was Queen of Navarre from 1555 to 1572.
Jeanne was the daughter of Henry II of Navarre and Margar ...
in
La Rochelle
La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. Wi ...
to talk terms, however she was uninterested. In early 1570, Cossé was tasked with seizing the strategic city of
La Charité, to deny the Huguenots their primary means of communication across the
Loire
The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône ...
river. As
Coligny marched on Paris in the final months of the war, Cossé's army would be defeated during their attempt to intercept him at the
Battle of Arnay-le-Duc in June.
St Bartholomew and its aftermath
With
peace declared in 1570, France entered a period of uneasy co-existence between Protestantism and Catholicism. Coligny, who had become the military leader of the Protestant rebels was hesitant to return to court, demanding many assurances for his safety before he would assent, when at last he was prepared to return, Cossé escorted him from his stronghold in
La Rochelle
La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. Wi ...
to the capital. As part of the peace a marriage was arranged between
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 ...
for which the leading nobility assembled in Paris. After the wedding, an
assassin wounded Coligny, in the heated atmosphere of recriminations after the attempt, it was decided to liquidate the Protestant leadership in a lightning strike. The attempted assassinations would however slip out of the control of their perpetrators into
a general massacre, leaving the ''politique'' Cossé in great fear for his life as Catholics considered soft on Protestantism were also targeted.
Having survived the massacre, in 1574 he would find himself involved in the conspiracy of the
Malcontents against the crown. Cossé had rallied to
Alençon's, hurrying to his apartments as the young prince increasingly moved into opposition. With the conspiracy exposed, he, alongside
François de Montmorency
François de Montmorency, Duc de Montmorency (17 July 1530 – 6 May 1579) was a French soldier, diplomat and peer who served as governor of Paris. He was Duke of Montmorency, Count of Dammartin, Baron of Châteaubriant and Lord of L'Isle-Ada ...
would be imprisoned in the
Bastille
The Bastille (, ) was a fortress in Paris, known formally as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. It was stor ...
. With peace declared between the Malcontents and the crown in 1576, Cossé would have his freedom and offices restored as a term of the peace at the insistence of Alençon.
Reign of Henri III
The Dutch enterprise
During the negotiations between Alençon and the Dutch States General in 1579, Cossé remained close to the prince and was a member of his council during the negotiations for Alençon becoming monarch of the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. In 1580 Alençon dispatched Cossé to Henri III to ensure his support for sending an army with Alençon as he moved into his new kingdom. Henri informed Cossé he had no opposition to the prospect but that his priority at the moment was establishing peace in the Midi.
Sources
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cosse-Brissac, Artus de
Marshals of France
Military leaders of the Italian Wars
1512 births
1582 deaths