Odet de Foix, Vicomte de Lautrec (1485 – 15 August 1528) was a French military leader. As Marshal of France, he commanded the campaign to conquer Naples, but died from the

bubonic plague Bubonic plague is one of three types of plague caused by the plague bacterium (''Yersinia pestis''). One to seven days after exposure to the bacteria, flu-like symptoms develop. These symptoms include fever, headaches, and vomiting, as well a ...

in 1528.

Biography

Odet was the son of Jean de Foix-Lautrec and Jeanne d'Aydie. He and his two brothers, the seigneur de Lescun and the seigneur de l'Esparre or Asparros, served

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 once ...

as captains; and the influence of their sister, Françoise de Châteaubriant, who became the king's mistress, gained them high office. In 1516, as marshal of France, Odet was made governor-general of the

Milanese duchy Milan ( , , Lombard language, Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the List of cities in Italy, second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 ...

, but his severity made the French occupation insupportable. He was present at the

Field of the Cloth of Gold The Field of the Cloth of Gold (french: Camp du Drap d'Or, ) was a summit meeting between King Henry VIII of England and King Francis I of France from 7 to 24 June 1520. Held at Balinghem, between Ardres in France and Guînes in the English P ...

being in Francis I's royal entourage. Odet arrived to resume the siege of Brescia, and on 26 May 1521, the Spanish and German garrison surrendered. The surrender was caused by the dissonance between the two factions, while Brescia was given over to Venetian commissioner, Andrea Gritti. In 1521 he succeeded in defending the Milan against the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

army. In 1522, under pressure from unpaid Swiss troops, Odet attacked entrenched Spanish-Imperial positions and was completely defeated at the

Battle of Bicocca The Battle of Bicocca or La Bicocca ( it, Battaglia della Bicocca) was fought on 27 April 1522, during the Italian War of 1521–26. A combined French and Venetian force under Odet de Foix, Vicomte de Lautrec, was decisively defeated by an I ...

, losing Milan in the process. Odet fled back to France, and supervised the hostage exchange of Francis' sons following the latter's defeat at

Battle of Pavia The Battle of Pavia, fought on the morning of 24 February 1525, was the decisive engagement of the Italian War of 1521–1526 between the Kingdom of France and the Habsburg empire of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor as well as ruler of Spain, Au ...

. Sometime after his wife's death, Odet married Jeanne de Croy. In 1527 he received command of the army to conquer the

kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was ...

. The defection of

Andrea Doria Andrea Doria, Prince of Melfi (; lij, Drîa Döia ; 30 November 146625 November 1560) was a Genoese statesman, ', and admiral, who played a key role in the Republic of Genoa during his lifetime. As the ruler of Genoa, Doria reformed the Repu ...

and an outbreak of the

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pes ...

or cholera in the French camp brought on a fresh disaster. Odet himself caught a disease and died on 17 August 1528.

Marriage

Odet married Charlotte d'Albret (1495–1527) in 1520. They had: * Gaston (1522–28) * Henry (1523–40) * Claude (d.1549) * Francis (d.1528)

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Foix, Odet de, Vicomte de Lautrec 1485 births 1528 deaths

Odet The Odet ( br, Oded) is a river in western France (Finistère department), which runs from Saint-Goazec (near Leuhan, in the Montagnes Noires of Brittany) into the Atlantic Ocean at Bénodet. The name of the town of Bénodet comes from the river ...

Marshals of France Military leaders of the Italian Wars 16th-century deaths from plague (disease) Court of Francis I of France