Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne (26 March 1554 – 3 October 1611), or Charles de Guise, was a French nobleman of the
house of Guise
The House of Guise (pronunciation: ˇÉĄiz Dutch: ''Wieze, German: Wiese'') was a prominent French noble family, that was involved heavily in the French Wars of Religion. The House of Guise was the founding house of the Principality of Joinvill ...
and a military leader of the
Catholic League, which he headed during 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 Catholic Church, Catholics and Protestantism, Protestants, commonly called Huguenots, which lasted from 1562 to 1598. According to estim ...
, following the assassination of his brothers at Blois in 1588. In 1596, when he made peace with
Henry IV of France
Henry IV (french: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry or Henry the Great, was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarc ...
, the wars were essentially at an end.
Lieutenant to the Duke of Mayenne
Mayenne was the second son of
Francis of Lorraine, Duke of Guise and
Anna d'Este
Anna d'Este (16 November 1531 – 17 May 1607) was an important princess with considerable influence at the court of France and a central figure in the French Wars of Religion. In her first marriage she was Duchess of Counts and Dukes of Aumale, ...
, the daughter of
Ercole II d'Este, Duke of Ferrara
Ercole II d'Este (5 April 1508 – 3 October 1559) was Duke of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio from 1534 to 1559. He was the eldest son of Alfonso I d'Este and Lucrezia Borgia.
Biography
Through his mother, Ercole was a grandson of Pope Alexande ...
and
Renée of France
RenĂ©e of France (25 October 1510 – 12 June 1574), was List of Ferrarese consorts, Duchess of Ferrara from 31 October 1534 until 3 October 1559 by marriage to Ercole II d'Este, grandson of Pope Alexander VI. She was the younger surviving ch ...
. By 1570, he was pressuring his brother, Henry, to buy him a house in Paris and had taken the dangerous habit of wearing the color green which represented the House of Anjou, the current heir to the throne. In 1572, Mayenne left France, without royal dispensation, to fight the Ottoman Turks in Greece. Lorraine was forced to send a grovelling letter to Charles asking for the kings forgiveness of the "poor, hopeless and debauched boy", Mayenne himself would also have to seek the kings pardon.
Mayenne took part in 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 ...
, and was elevated from marquis to duke and
peer of France
The Peerage of France (french: Pairie de France) was a hereditary distinction within the French nobility which appeared in 1180 in the Middle Ages.
The prestigious title and position of Peer of France (french: Pair de France, links=no) was ...
that same year. He went with Henry of Valois, Duke of Anjou (later
Henry III of France
Henry III (french: Henri III, né Alexandre Édouard; pl, Henryk Walezy; lt, Henrikas Valua; 19 September 1551 – 2 August 1589) was King of France from 1574 until his assassination in 1589, as well as King of Poland and Grand Duke of ...
), on his election as king of Poland, but soon returned to France to become the energetic supporter and lieutenant of his brother,
Henry I, Duke of Guise
Henry I, Prince of Joinville, Duke of Guise, Count of Eu (31 December 1550 – 23 December 1588), sometimes called ('Scarface'), was the eldest son of Francis, Duke of Guise, and Anna d'Este. His maternal grandparents were Ercole II d'Este, Du ...
.
In 1576, at the head of an unpaid royal army, Mayenne was unable to deter the 25,000 German army under
John Casimir from reaching Moulins on 4 March. He gained conspicuous successes over the
Huguenot
The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...
forces in
Poitou
Poitou (, , ; ; Poitevin: ''Poetou'') was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers. Both Poitou and Poitiers are named after the Pictones Gallic tribe.
Geography
The main historical cities are Poitiers (historical c ...
in 1577. After
Henry III of France
Henry III (french: Henri III, né Alexandre Édouard; pl, Henryk Walezy; lt, Henrikas Valua; 19 September 1551 – 2 August 1589) was King of France from 1574 until his assassination in 1589, as well as King of Poland and Grand Duke of ...
signed the
Edict of Beaulieu
The Edict of Beaulieu (also known at the time as the Peace of Monsieur) was promulgated from Beaulieu-lès-Loches on 6 May 1576 by Henry III of France, who was pressured by Alençon's support of the Protestant army besieging Paris that spring.
Th ...
, Mayenne was forced to swear to support the edict, due to the suspicion of him being the leader of the League of Peronne.
As governor of
Burgundy
Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The c ...
, Mayenne raised the province in the cause of the
Catholic League in 1585. After the death of the heir to the throne, Francis, Duke of Anjou, on 10 June 1584, Mayenne and his brother, Henry, founded an association to keep
Henry of Navarre
Henry IV (french: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry or Henry the Great, was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarch ...
from the throne of France. Mayenne, following his brother lead, captured
Dijon
Dijon (, , ) (dated)
* it, Digione
* la, DiviĹŤ or
* lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920.
The earlies ...
, Macon and
Auxonne
Auxonne ( or ) is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of eastern France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Auxonnais'' or ''Auxonnaises''.
Auxonne is one of the sites of the defensive structu ...
.
The assassination of his brother, Henry, at
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 ...
on 23–24 December 1588 left Mayenne at the head of the
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
party.
Head of the Catholic League
The ambassador of the
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...
, Giovanni Mocenigo, states that Mayenne had warned Henry III that there was a plot afoot to seize his person and to send him by force to
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 ...
. At the time of the murder he was at
Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
, where he received a letter from the king saying that he had acted on his warning, and ordering him to retire to his government.
Mayenne professed obedience, but immediately made preparations for marching on Paris. After a vain attempt to recover those of his relatives who had been arrested at Blois, he proceeded to recruit troops in his government of Burgundy and in
Champagne
Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...
. Paris was devoted to the
house of Guise
The House of Guise (pronunciation: ˇÉĄiz Dutch: ''Wieze, German: Wiese'') was a prominent French noble family, that was involved heavily in the French Wars of Religion. The House of Guise was the founding house of the Principality of Joinvill ...
and had been roused to fury by the news of the murder. Mayenne entered
Gournay-sur-Marne
Gournay-sur-Marne (, literally ''Gournay on Marne'') is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France in the Seine-Saint-Denis department. It is located from the center of Paris.
Population
Heraldry
Transport
Gournay-sur-Marne is served ...
in 1589, while Paris would not fall until 1590. He found it dominated by representatives of the sixteen quarters of Paris, all staunch supporters of the League.
He formed a council general to direct the affairs of the city and to maintain relations with the other towns faithful to the League. Each quarter sent four representatives, and Mayenne added representatives of the various trades and professions of Paris in order to counterbalance this revolutionary element. He constituted himself "lieutenant-general of the state and crown of France," taking his oath before the
parlement of Paris
The Parliament of Paris (french: Parlement de Paris) was the oldest ''parlement'' in the Kingdom of France, formed in the 14th century. It was fixed in Paris by Philip IV of France in 1302. The Parliament of Paris would hold sessions inside the ...
.
In April Mayenne advanced on
Tours
Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 ...
. Henry III in his extremity sought an alliance with the Huguenot,
Henry of Navarre
Henry IV (french: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry or Henry the Great, was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarch ...
(the future
Henry IV of France
Henry IV (french: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry or Henry the Great, was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarc ...
), and the allied forces drove the leaguers back, and had laid siege to Paris when the assassination of Henry III by a
Dominican friar changed the face of affairs and gave new strength to the Catholic party.
King-maker
Mayenne was urged to claim the crown for himself, but he was faithful to the official programme of the League and proclaimed
Charles, Cardinal de Bourbon
Charles de Bourbon (22 September 1523 – 9 May 1590) was a French cardinal. The Catholic League considered him the rightful King of France as Charles X after the death of Henry III in 1589. His claim was recognized as part of the secret Treaty ...
, at that time a prisoner in the hands of Henry IV, as Charles X of France, although this numbering is not accepted by historians. Henry IV retired to
Dieppe
Dieppe (; Norman: ''Dgieppe'') is a coastal commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France.
Dieppe is a seaport on the English Channel at the mouth of the river Arques. A regular ferry service runs to Newha ...
, followed by Mayenne, who joined his forces with those of his cousin
Charles, Duke of Aumale
Charles of Guise, duc d'Aumale (25 January 1555 – 1631, Brussels) was the son of Claude, Duke of Aumale and Louise de BrĂ©zĂ©.
Biography
One of the leaders of the Catholic League, he was at times governor of Picardy and Grand Veneur of F ...
, and
Charles II de Cossé
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was " ...
, comte de Brissac, in a succession of
fights in the neighbourhood of Arques (September 1589). He was defeated and out-marched by Henry IV, who moved on Paris, but retreated before Mayenne's forces.
In 1590 Mayenne received additions to his army from the
Spanish Netherlands
Spanish Netherlands (Spanish: PaĂses 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 Ha ...
, and took the field again, only to suffer complete defeat at
Ivry (14 March 1590). He then escaped to
Mantes
Mantes-la-Jolie (, often informally called Mantes) is a commune in the Yvelines department in the ĂŽle-de-France region of north-central France. It is located to the west of Paris, from the centre of the capital. Mantes-la-Jolie is a subpre ...
and in September collected a fresh army at
Meaux
Meaux () is a commune on the river Marne in the Seine-et-Marne department in the ĂŽle-de-France region in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is east-northeast of the centre of Paris.
Meaux is, with Provins, Torcy and Fontainebleau, ...
, and with the assistance of
Alexander Farnese Alessandro Farnese may refer to:
* Pope Paul III (1468–1549), Roman Catholic Bishop of Rome
*Alessandro Farnese (cardinal) (1520–1589), Paul's grandson, Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal-nephew
* Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma (1545–1592), ...
,
Duke of Parma
The Duke of Parma and Piacenza () was the ruler of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza, a historical state of Northern Italy, which existed between 1545 and 1802, and again from 1814 to 1859.
The Duke of Parma was also Duke of Piacenza, except ...
, sent by
Philip II of Spain
Philip II) in Spain, while in Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from ...
, raised the
siege of Paris, which was about to surrender to Henry IV. Mayenne feared with reason the designs of Philip II, and his difficulties were increased by the death of the
Cardinal
Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to:
Animals
* Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae
**''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...
, the "king of the league."
Peacemaker
The extreme section of the party, represented by the radical "Paris Sixteen", urged him to proceed to the election of a Catholic king and to accept the help and the claims of their Spanish Habsburg allies. Mayenne lacked the popular gifts of his brother, the Duke of Guise, and had no sympathy with the urban demagogues, inclining to the moderate side of his party, which began to urge reconciliation with Henry IV. He maintained the ancient forms of the constitution against the revolutionary policy of the Sixteen, who during his absence from Paris took the law into their own hands and in November 1591 executed one of the leaders of the more moderate party,
Barnabé Brisson
Barnabé Brisson (Latinised: Barnabas Brissonius) (1531 – 15 November 1591) was a French jurist and politician.
Biography
Born as the son of the king's lieutenant in Fontenay-le-Comte, Vendée, Brisson studied law in Orléans, Bourges and ...
, president of the ''parlement''. He returned to Paris and executed four of the chief malcontents. The power of the Sixteen diminished from that time, and with it the strength of the League.
Mayenne entered into negotiations with Henri IV while he was still appearing to consider with Philip II the succession to the French crown of the
Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain
Isabella Clara Eugenia ( es, link=no, Isabel Clara Eugenia; 12 August 1566 – 1 December 1633), sometimes referred to as Clara Isabella Eugenia, was sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands in the Low Countries and the north of modern France with ...
, daughter of
Elizabeth of Valois
Elisabeth of France or Elisabeth of Valois ( es, Isabel de Valois; french: Élisabeth de France) (2 April 1545 – 3 October 1568) was Queen of Spain as the third spouse of Philip II of Spain. She was the eldest daughter of Henry II of France ...
and granddaughter of
Henri II. He demanded that Henri IV complete his conversion to Catholicism before he was recognized by the adherents of the League. He also desired the continuation to himself of the high offices which had accumulated in his family and the reservation of their provinces to his relatives among the Leaguers.
In 1593 he summoned the
States-General to Paris and placed before them the claims of the Infanta, but they protested against foreign intervention. Mayenne signed a truce at
La Villette on 31 July 1593. The internal dissensions of the league continued to increase, and the principal chiefs submitted. In 1595, Mayenne and
Juan Fernández de Velasco
''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...
moved to take Dijon with a
Catholic League army. They were defeated by King Henry IV at
Fontaine-Française
Fontaine-Française () is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the CĂ´te-d'Or department
The following is a list of the 698 communes of the CĂ´te-d'Or department of France.
The comm ...
, 6 June 1595. Mayenne finally made his peace only in October 1595. Henri IV allowed him the possession of
Chalon-sur-SaĂ´ne
Chalon-sur-Saône (, literally ''Chalon on Saône'') is a city in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France.
It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is the largest city in the department; h ...
, of
Seurre
Seurre () is a commune in the CĂ´te-d'Or department in eastern France.
This commune lies at the crossroad of routes to Dijon, Chalon-sur-SaĂ´ne, Dole, Beaune, and Louhans.
Population
See also
*Communes of the CĂ´te-d'Or department
Th ...
and
Soissons
Soissons () is a commune in the northern French department of Aisne, in the region of Hauts-de-France. Located on the river Aisne, about northeast of Paris, it is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital ...
for three years, made his son
Henry
Henry may refer to:
People
*Henry (given name)
* Henry (surname)
* Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry
Royalty
* Portuguese royalty
** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal
** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...
governor of the
ĂŽle-de-France
, timezone1 = CET
, utc_offset1 = +01:00
, timezone1_DST = CEST
, utc_offset1_DST = +02:00
, blank_name_sec1 = Gross regional product
, blank_info_sec1 = Ranked 1st
, bla ...
and paid a large indemnity.
Marriage and children
On 6 August 1576, Charles married Henriette of Savoy, Marquise of Villars, daughter of
Honorat II of Savoy
Honorat de Savoie, marquis of Villars (c. 1511Comte Henri de Panisse-Passis, Les comtes de Tende de la maison de Savoie', Firmin-Didot (Paris), 1889, p.137. - 20 September 1580, Le Grand-Pressigny) was a marshal of France and admiral of France. Bo ...
. They had:
*
Renée de Lorraine (d. 1638) married Mario Sforza and had issue
*
Henri, Duke of Mayenne (1578–1621) married
Henriette Gonzaga, daughter of
Louis Gonzaga, Duke of Nevers
Louis de Gonzague, Duke of Nevers ( it, Ludovico, italic=no or Luigi di Gonzaga-Nevers; 18 September 1539 – 23 October 1595) was a soldier, governor and statesman during the French Wars of Religion. Of Italian extraction, his father and br ...
*
Charles Emanuel, Count of Sommerive
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 ...
(1581–1609) never married;
*
Catherine of Lorraine (1585–1618) married
Charles Gonzaga
See also
*
Duc de Mayenne
*''
Love's Labour's Lost
''Love's Labour's Lost'' is one of William Shakespeare's early comedies, believed to have been written in the mid-1590s for a performance at the Inns of Court before Elizabeth I of England, Queen Elizabeth I. It follows the King of Navarre and ...
'' - Charles served as the basis for the character of Dumaine in the play.
Notes
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mayenne, Charles, Duc De
1554 births
1611 deaths
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 ...
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 ...
Charles of Lorraine
Charles of Lorraine
French people of the French Wars of Religion
Grand Chamberlains of France
Admirals of France
Military personnel from Alençon
16th-century peers of France
17th-century peers of France