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 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 ( ...

, a position conferred upon him by

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 monar ...

in 1594. He was the second son of

Charles de Cossé, Count of Brissac 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, he was appointed in 1540 to his fath ...

and

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" (' ...

. His elder brother was Timoléon de Cossé, 2nd Count of Brissac. After the latter's death in 1569, he became the Grand Falconer and the 3rd Count of Brissac. He did battle in 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 mil ...

on the side of the

House of Guise The House of Guise (pronunciation: �ɥiz 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 Joinvil ...

. He fought for the Catholic League and, as

military governor of Paris The Military governor of Paris is a post within the French Army. He commands the garrison of Paris and represents all the military based in Paris at high state occasions. He is also responsible (subordinate to the President of France) for organiz ...

, opened the gates of that city to

, who appointed him

in 1594. The County of Brissac was raised in status to a

Duchy A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a medieval country, territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or queen in Western European tradition. There once existed an important difference between ...

in the

Peerage 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 ...

in 1611. At that point, Charles became the first Duke of Brissac. Charles had married his first wife, Judith, in 1579. They had a daughter and two sons, including Francis, who succeeded him as 2nd Duke of Brissac. Judith died in 1598 and he remarried four years later. After falling ill during the Siege of Saint-Jean-d'Angély, he died in June 1621 at his home, the

Château de Brissac The Château de Brissac is a French château in the Brissac-Quincé area of the commune of Brissac Loire Aubance, located in the department of Maine-et-Loire, France. The property is owned by the Cossé-Brissac family, whose head bears the Fr ...

Sources

16th-century births 1621 deaths Marshals of France

Charles 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 " ...

Peers created by Louis XIII French hunters {{France-noble-stub