![Orn ext Maréchal de France](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Orn_ext_Mar%C3%A9chal_de_France.svg)
Charles de Cossé, comte de Brissac (1505 (
O.S.)/06 – 1563), was a French courtier and soldier, named ''beau Brissac'' at court and remembered as the ''Maréchal Brissac''. A member of the nobility of
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
**Duke ...
, he was appointed in 1540 to his father's prestigious former post of
Grand Falconer of France
The Grand Falconer of France (french: Grand Fauconnier de France) was a position in the King's Household in France from the Middle Ages to the French Revolution.
History
The position first appeared in 1250 as "Master Falconer of the King" (''Ma ...
, one of the
Great Officers of the Maison du Roi. This was not purely honorary, as the king still
hunted with falcons. Brissac was also
''Grand Panetier'', and his position as
colonel general
Colonel general is a three- or four-star military rank used in some armies. It is particularly associated with Germany, where historically general officer ranks were one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, and was a ra ...
of the cavalry (1548–49) was a court appointment. Raised to
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 ...
in 1550, he was Grand Master of the Artillery. He was eventually given the title of Count of Brissac. His son,
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 " ...
, became the first
Duke of Brissac
Duke of Brissac (french: duc de Brissac) is a title of French nobility in the Peerage of France, which was originally created in 1611 for Charles II de Cossé, Count of Brissac. This title has been held since April 2021 by Charles-André de Coss ...
.
Early life and family
The son of René de Cossé, seigneur of Brissac and of Cossé in
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
**Duke ...
, ''grand fauconnier du Roi'', and of his wife
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 an ...
, he was an ''enfant d'honneur'' in the household of
the dauphin François, son of King
François I
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 once ...
. The young prince made him his ''premier écuyer''.
He married Charlotte Le Sueur d'Esquetot and had four children. His younger son was
Charles II de Cossé, Duke of Brissac
Charles II de Cossé (1550June 1621) was the first Duke of Brissac, a title he was granted in 1611. He was a prominent French soldier and became a Marshal of France, a position conferred upon him by Henry IV of France in 1594.
He was the second ...
, who was the first
Duke of Brissac
Duke of Brissac (french: duc de Brissac) is a title of French nobility in the Peerage of France, which was originally created in 1611 for Charles II de Cossé, Count of Brissac. This title has been held since April 2021 by Charles-André de Coss ...
. This son headed forces loyal to the
Catholic League 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 ...
.
Reign of François I
Not robust by nature, he made himself an agile swordsman and horseman. Sent to the siege of Naples in 1528, he made a name for himself when his forces were being attacked by the Spanish. Upon embarking from the galleys, he was forced back to the shore's edge. There, helmetless and without his
cuirass
A cuirass (; french: cuirasse, la, coriaceus) is a piece of armour that covers the torso, formed of one or more pieces of metal or other rigid material. The word probably originates from the original material, leather, from the French '' cuira ...
, afoot, sword in hand, he made prisoner the armed knight on horseback who attacked him. Later, he commanded a hundred light cavalry at the taking of
Avigliana
Avigliana (Piedmontese: ''Vijan-a'' ; French : ''Veillane'') is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Piedmont region or Italy, with 12,480 inhabitants as of January 1, 2017. It lies about west of Turin i ...
and at the castle of
Susa
Susa ( ; Middle elx, 𒀸𒋗𒊺𒂗, translit=Šušen; Middle and Neo- elx, 𒋢𒋢𒌦, translit=Šušun; Neo-Elamite and Achaemenid elx, 𒀸𒋗𒐼𒀭, translit=Šušán; Achaemenid elx, 𒀸𒋗𒐼, translit=Šušá; fa, شوش ...
in 1537.
''Grand fauconnier de France'' since 1540, he was named in 1542 as ''colonel général des gens de guerre français, à pied, de là les monts''. At the siege of
Perpignan
Perpignan (, , ; ca, Perpinyà ; es, Perpiñán ; it, Perpignano ) is the prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France, in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the ...
, fighting under the new Dauphin (later King
Henri II), he covered himself with glory when the besieged forces surprised the unwary young nobles engaged in gaming in the Dauphin's tent, defended the pieces of artillery until the infantry regrouped and relieved him.
As colonel general, he was in command of all the light cavalry in Piedmont in 1543 and that same year followed the king to Flanders, where he took 600 prisoners. In the following retreat of Habsburg forces and their allies, he took prisoner
Francesco d'Este, brother of the
Duke of Ferrara
Emperor Frederick III conferred Borso d'Este, Lord of Ferrara, with the Duchy of Modena and Reggio in 1452, while Pope Paul II formally elevated him in 1471 as Duke of Ferrara, over which the family had in fact long presided. This latter territo ...
. In the return to France, he took the exposed position of rear guard at great personal danger.
In 1544, with his light cavalry, he was sent to harass Imperial forces at
Vitry-en-Perthois
Vitry-en-Perthois () is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France.
History
Vitry-en-Perthois was called ''Vitry-le-Brûlé'' (Vitry the burnt) after being burnt two times; in 1142 by the armies of Louis VII of France and in 1544 ...
, was twice taken prisoner and twice rescued by his troops. The following year, he fought at Oye in the Boulonnais. Following the peace that was agreed in 1546, he was made Grand Master of Artillery.
Reign of Henri II
In the
Italian War of 1551–1559
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
and the
War of Parma
War is an intense armed conflict between State (polity), states, governments, Society, societies, or paramilitary groups such as Mercenary, mercenaries, Insurgency, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violenc ...
, as
Maréchal de 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 ...
(1550), Brissac was sent as governor to French-occupied
Piedmont
it, Piemontese
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, where he distinguished himself by the strict discipline kept in the occupying army, maintained in fighting trim by regular military exercises and forbidden to harass peasants, merchants or bourgeois, which was considered remarkable at the time.
![Charles Ier de Cossé (1550)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/Charles_Ier_de_Coss%C3%A9_%281550%29.jpg)
In 1551, Brissac established himself at Chieri and several other Piedmontese cities, obliging Gonzaga to raise the siege of
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 ...
. In 1553, he took
Vercelli
Vercelli (; pms, Vërsèj ), is a city and ''comune'' of 46,552 inhabitants (January 1, 2017) in the Province of Vercelli, Piedmont, northern Italy. One of the oldest urban sites in northern Italy, it was founded, according to most historians, ...
and pillaged the treasury of
Charles III, Duke of Savoy
Charles III of Savoy (10 October 1486 – 17 August 1553), often called Charles the Good, was Duke of Savoy from 1504 to 1553, although most of his lands were ruled by the French between 1536 and his death.
Biography
He was a younger son of P ...
, which had been transported there as an impregnable place of safety. Though he was unable to take the citadel for lack of cannon, the energetic presence of Brissac in Piedmont forced the Duke to reinforced his garrisons, weakening his forces in the field, as Brissac hoped. Perennially short of cash from the king of France, Brissac held his troops together through the force of their loyalty to him. In 1554, he occupied the hilly district of
Langhe
The Langhe (; ''Langa'' is from old dialect Mons Langa et Bassa Langa) is a hilly area to the south and east of the river Tanaro in the province of Cuneo and in the province of Asti in Piedmont, northern Italy.
It is famous for its wines, chees ...
and finished his campaign with the conquest of
Ivrea
Ivrea (; pms, Ivrèja ; ; lat, Eporedia) is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. Situated on the road leading to the Aosta Valley (part of the medieval Via Francigena), it stradd ...
, which opened a route for the auxiliary Swiss forces. In 1555, by a daring move, he surprised and took
Casale, where the nobles of the Imperial forces, gathered for a festive
tourney
A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:
# One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...
, had barely time to fortify themselves in the citadel. Brissac, forbidding his troops to pillage the city, secured the capitulation of the fortress and all its armaments, and paid his soldiers through the
ransom
Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or the sum of money involved in such a practice.
When ransom means "payment", the word comes via Old French ''rançon'' from Latin ''red ...
of their captives. Henri II made a present of his own sword to Brissac.
These and other episodes of his military role were recounted by
François de Boivin. His portrait, attributed to
Corneille de Lyon
Corneille de Lyon (early 16th century – 8 November 1575 (buried)) was a Dutch painter of portraits who was active in Lyon, France, from 1533 until his death. In France and the Netherlands he is also still known as ''Corneille de La Haye'' ( n ...
, is conserved in the
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...
.
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cosse, Charles De, Comte De Brissac
1505 births
1563 deaths
Marshals of France
French people of the French Wars of Religion
Counts of France
French hunters
Military leaders of the Italian Wars
Court of Henry II of France