Count Sebastiano de Montecuccoli, also spelt Montecucoli or Montecuculli (died 7 October 1536) was an Italian nobleman in the service of

Francis I of France 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 on ...

, executed for allegedly having poisoned the King's eldest son. Montecuccoli was secretary to the Dauphin Francis, the heir to the French throne. After the unexpected death of the Dauphin in Tournon on 10 August 1536, Montecuccoli was suspected of having poisoned the thirsty young man by bringing him a glass of cold water after a game of

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

on 2 August. The Dauphin had been over-heated. An autopsy report concluded the Dauphin died of natural causes. Nevertheless, suspicions were aroused. Some thought the Dauphin's younger brother

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, ...

and Henry's wife Catherine de' Medici might be behind it, since she benefited most from his death.Knecht 1998, p. 29. After the death of the Dauphin Francis, Henry and Catherine automatically became the new Dauphin and Dauphine, the first in line to become King and Queen of France. Others thought the

Holy Roman Emperor Charles V Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain ( Castile and Aragon) ...

might be involved. A book about

toxicology Toxicology is a scientific discipline, overlapping with biology, chemistry, pharmacology, and medicine, that involves the study of the adverse effects of chemical substances on living organisms and the practice of diagnosing and treating e ...

was found in Montecuccoli's possession, and he had previously been in the service of Charles V, but had come to France with Catherine. Under torture Montecuccoli confessed to having tried to poison King Francis and the Dauphin on behalf of the Emperor. Later he retracted his confession, but was executed by '' écartèlement'' at the Place de la Grenette in

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...

on 7 October 1536. This manner of execution was reserved for

regicides Regicide is the purposeful killing of a monarch or sovereign of a polity and is often associated with the usurpation of power. A regicide can also be the person responsible for the killing. The word comes from the Latin roots of ''regis'' ...

and meant that the victim was torn to pieces by four horses galloping into four different directions. Charles V officially protested against the charges levelled at his government.Frieda p. 62 The true cause of the Dauphin's death is believed to have been

pleurisy Pleurisy, also known as pleuritis, is inflammation of the membranes that surround the lungs and line the chest cavity ( pleurae). This can result in a sharp chest pain while breathing. Occasionally the pain may be a constant dull ache. Other sy ...

, or more likely

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

.Seward p. 192

Notes

References

* Frieda, Leonie (2005). ''Catherine de Medici''. London: Phoenix. . * Knecht, R. J. (1998). ''Catherine de' Medici''. London: Longman. . * Seward, Desmond (1974). ''Prince of the Renaissance: The Life of François I''. Cardinal. . 1536 deaths 16th-century Italian nobility 16th-century French people French regicides Executed Italian people 16th-century executions by France People executed by dismemberment Poisoners Year of birth unknown Executed assassins {{Italy-noble-stub