Jean-Louis de Marillac, ''comte de

Beaumont-le-Roger Beaumont-le-Roger () is a commune in the department of Eure in Normandy region in northern France. Geography The commune is located in the valley of the Risle on the edge of the forest with which it shares its name. It is crossed by the Pari ...

'' (1572 – 10 May 1632) was an important French noble and military leader during the reign of

Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown ...

. He held the office of

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 ( ...

, as well as lieutenant-general of Trois-Évêchés and governor 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 ...

Biography

Early life

The Marillacs, the family of Louis de Marillac, were a family of former low and robe nobility. Guillaume de Marillac, Louis's father, was valet of the chamber to Henry II who first appointed him Superintendent of the Finances of Paris, then Superintendent ''des comptes'' and finally

Controller-General of Finances The Controller-General or Comptroller-General of Finances (french: Contrôleur général des finances) was the name of the minister in charge of finances in France from 1661 to 1791. It replaced the former position of Superintendent of Finances ('' ...

. Louis's mother was Geneviève de Boislevêque, the former widow of a

Maître des requêtes A Master of Requests () is a counsel of the French ''Conseil d'État'' (Council of State), a high-level judicial officer of administrative law in France. The office has existed in one form or another since the Middle Ages. The occupational title ...

. Louis's elder half-brother from his father's first marriage was Michel de Marillac, who went on to become Superintendent of Finances and

Keeper of the Seals The title keeper of the seals or equivalent is used in several contexts, denoting the person entitled to keep and authorize use of the great seal of a given country. The title may or may not be linked to a particular cabinet or ministerial offi ...

Career

As many other nobles, Louis was trained in strategy. He had his first assignments under Henry IV: At

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...

, he commanded a company of 100 Cheveau-légers. Due to his splendid service, the king appointed him Gentleman of the Chamber. After Henry IV's death in 1610, Louis remained a prominent person at court. From 1611 to 1616 he was ambassador to several countries and negotiated the

Treaty of Loudun The Treaty of Loudun was signed on 3 May 1616 in Loudun, France, and ended the war that originally began as a power struggle between queen mother Marie de Medici's favorite Concino Concini (recently made Marquis d'Ancre) and Henry II de Condé, ...

. In 1617, Louis XIII appointed him Commissioner General of the Camps and Armies. In 1621, at the

Siege of Montauban The siege of Montauban (French: siège de Montauban) was a siege conducted by the young French king Louis XIII from August to November 1621, against the Protestant stronghold of Montauban. This siege followed the siege of Saint-Jean-d'Angély, i ...

he was appointed Maréchal de camp. During the king's war with the

Huguenots 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 ...

, Marillac was an important participator. He participated in every action against the Huguenots in

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 ...

till the

Peace of Montpellier The Treaty of Montpellier (or the Peace of Montpellier) was signed in Montpellier on 18 October 1622 between King Louis XIII of France and Duke Henry II of Rohan. The treaty followed the siege of Montpellier and ended hostilities between French ...

. After the reconciliation of Louis XIII with the queen mother in 1620, Louis de Marillac was given many high and honourable positions, including captain of the Queen's guards and lieutenant-general of the Three bishoprics ( Trois-Évêchés). This was because of Louis de Marillac standing in high favour of

Marie de Medici Marie de' Medici (french: link=no, Marie de Médicis, it, link=no, Maria de' Medici; 26 April 1575 – 3 July 1642) was Queen of France and Navarre as the second wife of King Henry IV of France of the House of Bourbon, and Regent of the Kingdom ...

and Louis XIII seeking for a harmless way of pleasing her. As Louis de Marillac was one of the persons Louis XIII liked too, he did it rather than to other favourites of Marie de Medici. Due to his dévot position and his support for

and especially Gaston, Duke of Orléans after the Day of Dupes, the king arrested Marillac while he was in Savoy as a military commander at the Mantuan War of Succession. Despite heavy protests and riots (for Marillac was considered as a very religious and honest man) he was decapitated on 10 May 1632 at the

Place de Grève Place may refer to: Geography * Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population ** Census-designated place, a populated area lacking its own municipal government * "Place", a type of street or road name ** Often ...

in Paris. After Louis XIII's death, Louis de Marillac was rehabilitated by 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 ...

Coat of arms

In popular culture

Louis de Marillac was the uncle of St. Louise de Marillac,Glass, Joseph: "Ven. Louise Marillac Le Gras". ''The Catholic Encyclopedia''. Vol. 9. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. an important saint of 17th century France. However, his elder brother Louis only claimed to be her brother and it is more likely that one of his younger and experienced brothers was her father. So, possibly the younger Louis was her father.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:de Marillac, Louis Louis XIII 1572 births 1632 deaths French generals 16th-century French nobility 17th-century French nobility Marshals of France