Pierre de Brézé (or de Brezé) ( 1410 – 16 July 1465) was a French soldier and courtier in the service of kings Charles VII and Louis XI.

Early life

Pierre de Brézé was born circa 1410.

Career

De Brézé rose to prominence during the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French Crown, ...

. In 1433 he joined Yolande of Aragon and

constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

Arthur de Richemont Arthur III ( br, Arzhur), more commonly known as Arthur de Richemont (24 August 139326 December 1458), was briefly Duke of Brittany from 1457 until his death. He is noted primarily, however, for his role as a leading military commander during ...

in forcing Charles VII's minister Georges de La Trémoille from power. He was knighted by Charles of Anjou in 1434 and subsequently joined the royal council. In 1437 he became

seneschal The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...

of Anjou, and in 1440 of Poitou. During the Praguerie he served with the king's forces against those of the rebel nobles and the dauphin (heir apparent) Louis XI, who would bear a lasting grudge against him. De Brézé fought against the English in Normandy in 1440–1441, and in Guienne in 1442. He was granted the title of

Comte d'Évreux ''Comte'' is the French, Catalan and Occitan form of the word 'count' (Latin: ''comes''); ''comté'' is the Gallo-Romance form of the word 'county' (Latin: ''comitatus''). Comte or Comté may refer to: * A count in French, from Latin ''comes'' * A ...

in 1441 for his role in the strategic maneuvers during Charles VII's

Siege of Pontoise The siege of Pontoise (6 June – 19 September 1441) took place during the Hundred Years War. French forces led by King Charles VII of France besieged and captured the last English stronghold in Île de France, eliminating the English threat to ...

, which finally expelled the English from Île-de-France. The following year he became chamberlain to Charles VII and, through the influence of royal mistress Agnès Sorel, surpassed in power his old allies Arthur de Richemont and Charles of Anjou. The six years (1444–1450) of his ascendancy aligned with the most prosperous period of the reign of Charles VII. His most dangerous opponent in the royal court was the dauphin Louis, who in 1448 levied accusations against him, instigating a formal trial which ultimately resulted in his complete exoneration and his restoration to royal favor. He fought in Normandy from 1450 to 1451 and became seneschal of the province after the death of Agnès Sorel and the consequent decline of his influence at court. He made an ineffective raid on the English coast at Sandwich in 1457, and was preparing an expedition to England in support of

Margaret of Anjou Margaret of Anjou (french: link=no, Marguerite; 23 March 1430 – 25 August 1482) was Queen of England and nominally Queen of France by marriage to King Henry VI from 1445 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471. Born in the Duchy of Lorrain ...

(a supporter of the

House of Lancaster The House of Lancaster was a cadet branch of the royal House of Plantagenet. The first house was created when King Henry III of England created the Earldom of Lancasterfrom which the house was namedfor his second son Edmund Crouchback in 126 ...

in the War of the Roses) when the accession of Louis XI brought him disgrace and brief imprisonment. In 1462, however, his son Jacques married Louis's half-sister, Charlotte de Valois, daughter of Agnès Sorel. In 1462 he accompanied Margaret to Scotland with a force of 2,000 men, and after the defeat of House Lancaster at the Battle of Hexham he brought her back to Flanders. On his return, he was reconciled with Louis XI and reappointed seneschal of Normandy. He inherited the

Château du Bec-Crespin The Château du Bec-Crespin is a historic castle in Saint-Martin-du-Bec, Seine-Maritime, Upper Normandy, France, 20 km north of Le Havre. It is now a luxury hotel. History An earlier castle stood here in the tenth century. The castle was inheri ...

from his brother-in-law, Antoine Crespin, in 1454.

Death and legacy

De Brézé died in the

Battle of Montlhéry The Battle of Montlhéry was fought between Louis XI and the League of the Public Weal on 16 July 1465 in the vicinity of Longpont-sur-Orge. It had no clear winner and therefore did not decide the war. Insurgency of the Vassal countries Philip the ...

on 16 July, 1465. He was succeeded as seneschal of Normandy by his eldest son Jacques (c. 1440 – 1490), Count of Maulevrier. The best contemporary account of Pierre de Brézé is given in the ''Chroniques'' of the Burgundian chronicler, Georges Chastellain, who had been his secretary. Chastellain addressed a ''Déprécation'' to Louis XI on his behalf at the time of his disgrace.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Breze, Pierre De People of the Hundred Years' War 1410 births 1465 deaths French knights