Baron
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...
of Biron (, 152426 July 1592) was a soldier, diplomat and Marshal of France. Beginning his service during the
Italian Wars
The Italian Wars were a series of conflicts fought between 1494 and 1559, mostly in the Italian Peninsula, but later expanding into Flanders, the Rhineland and Mediterranean Sea. The primary belligerents were the House of Valois, Valois kings o ...
, Biron served in Italy under Marshal Brissac and Guise in 1557 before rising to command his own cavalry regiment. Returning to France with the
he took up his duties in Guyenne, where he observed the deteriorating religious situation that was soon to devolve into the
French Wars of Religion
The French Wars of Religion were a series of civil wars between French Catholic Church, Catholics and Protestantism, Protestants (called Huguenots) from 1562 to 1598. Between two and four million people died from violence, famine or disease di ...
in the first civil war. In the peace that followed he attempted to enforce the terms on the rebellious governorship of
Provence
Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterrane ...
.
Having fought for the crown during the decisive victory at
Battle of Moncontour
The Battle of Moncontour occurred on 3 October 1569 between the royalist Catholic forces of King Charles IX of France, commanded by Henry, Duke of Anjou, and the Huguenots commanded by Gaspard de Coligny.
Battle
Weeks before, Coligny had lifted ...
in 1569, he was elevated to the post of grandmaster of artillery. In this role he was tasked with reducing the town of
which proved resistant to his efforts. As the war dragged on he found himself increasingly involved in diplomatic efforts, meeting with
Jeanne d'Albret
Jeanne d'Albret (, Basque language, Basque: ''Joana Albretekoa''; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Joana de Labrit''; 16 November 1528 – 9 June 1572), also known as Jeanne III, was Queen of Navarre from 1555 to 1572.
Jeanne was the daughter of He ...
repeatedly to talk terms. With peace declared in August 1570 he continued his negotiations with Albret in the hopes of setting up a marriage between her son
Navarre
Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...
and
Margaret of Valois
Margaret of Valois (, 14 May 1553 – 27 March 1615), popularly known as , was List of Navarrese royal consorts, Queen of Navarre from 1572 to 1599 and Queen of France from 1589 to 1599 as the consort of Henry IV of France and III of Navarre.
Ma ...
. In the wake of the
Massacre of Saint Bartholomew
The Saint Bartholomew's Day massacre () in 1572 was a targeted group of assassinations and a wave of Catholic mob violence directed against the Huguenots (French Calvinist Protestants) during the French Wars of Religion. Traditionally believed ...
he was tasked with reducing the well defended city of
, commanding the artillery batteries he made limited progress over the following months, before
Anjou
Anjou may refer to:
Geography and titles France
*County of Anjou, a historical county in France and predecessor of the Duchy of Anjou
**Count of Anjou, title of nobility
*Duchy of Anjou, a historical duchy and later a province of France
** Du ...
Alençon
Alençon (, , ; ) is a commune in Normandy, France, and the capital of the Orne department. It is situated between Paris and Rennes (about west of Paris) and a little over north of Le Mans. Alençon belongs to the intercommunality of Alen� ...
who had become sovereign of the Dutch requested reinforcements to secure his position in the country. Biron led troops to support his administration. He would not be involved in the French Fury that saw Alençon's position collapse in the country. With the dominance of the ''Ligue'' in the following years Biron half heartedly pursued their objectives before supporting Henri when he broke with the ''Ligue'' in 1588. With the king's death in 1589, he transferred his loyalties to Navarre, aiding him in his campaigns in
Normandy
Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy.
Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
against the ''Ligue''. It was during a siege of a ''Ligue'' town that he was hit by a cannonball and killed.
Early life and family
His family, one of the numerous branches of the House of Gontaut, took its title from the territory of Biron, then in
, where on a hill between the Dropt and the Lède the Château de Biron still stands, begun by the lords of Biron in the 11th century.
Biron, born in 1524, served as a page of Queen
Marguerite de Navarre
Marguerite de Navarre (, ''Marguerite d'Alençon''; 11 April 149221 December 1549), also known as Marguerite of Angoulême and Margaret of Navarre, was a princess of France, Duchess of Alençon and Berry, and Queen of Navarre by her second mar ...
. He was a man of considerable literary attainments, and used to carry a pocketbook, in which he noted everything that appeared remarkable. Some of his letters are preserved in the
Bibliothèque nationale
A library is a collection of books, and possibly other materials and media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or digital (soft copies) materials, and may be a p ...
and in the
British Museum
The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...
Marshal of France
Marshal of France (, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to General officer, generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1793–1804) ...
in 1594. A grandson of his second son, Henry, was Charles-Armand de Gontaut, another Marshal of France.
Reign of Henri II
Biron attracted the notice of the Marshal Brissac, with whom he saw active service in
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
. A wound he received in his early years made him lame for life, and gave him the nickname ''Armand Le Boiteux'' (the limper). He did not however withdraw from his military career, and he held a command in Guise's regiment of light horse in 1557. A short while later he became chief of a
cavalry
Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...
regiment.
Reign of Francis II
In 1560 Biron reported to the crown concerning the situation he faced in
Guyenne
Guyenne or Guienne ( , ; ) was an old French province which corresponded roughly to the Roman province of '' Aquitania Secunda'' and the Catholic archdiocese of Bordeaux.
Name
The name "Guyenne" comes from ''Aguyenne'', a popular transform ...
with disaffected nobles turning to Protestantism.
Reign of Charles IX
First civil war
During the fighting of the first civil war, he fought for the crown at the
Edict of Amboise
The Edict of Amboise, also known as the Edict of Pacification, was signed at the Château of Amboise on 19 March 1563 by Catherine de' Medici, acting as regent for her son Charles IX of France. The Edict ended the first war of the French Wars ...
brought an end to the first war of religion in March 1563. To ensure that its terms would be followed across France, commissioners were sent out to oversee its implementation and resolve disputes. Biron was sent to Provence, where there were reports of problems in implementing the peace. Upon arriving he reduced the hold out town of Sisteron which had not relinquished its Protestant garrison. He further reinstalled the governor
Tende
Tende (; Italian language, Italian, Occitan language, Occitan and Royasc: ''Tenda'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Alpes-Maritimes Departments of France, department in southeastern France.
Geography
Tende is located within Mercanto ...
who had been chased out of Provence by his own son during the civil war. He reported back to the crown in April 1564 that both the commissioners and those who desired to lodge complaints about the enforcement were being intimidated by the local nobility. Specifically among the nobility he singled out Sommerive and Carcès as particularly troublesome and recommended they be called to court to answer for their actions. He further opined that only the full weight of royal authority on the region would bring about the obedience of the king's edict. In the same year, Biron wrote to Catherine asking to be relieved of his office in Guyenne.
Battle of Moncontour
The Battle of Moncontour occurred on 3 October 1569 between the royalist Catholic forces of King Charles IX of France, commanded by Henry, Duke of Anjou, and the Huguenots commanded by Gaspard de Coligny.
Battle
Weeks before, Coligny had lifted ...
several marshals advocated using the opportunity to secure a favourable settlement, among them Biron. The crown refused and pressed on to break the Huguenot strongholds in the south. The first stronghold in their way was that of
. Biron was raised to the post of grand master of artillery and starting on 26 October tasked with reducing the town. Progress was slow, several assaults were bloodily repulsed, disease and hunger ran rampant in the royal camp. By the time the city had surrendered on 2 December the royal army was a broken shell. Brantôme relates an anecdote where after the surrender, Biron attacked his men who dishonored the terms of surrender by pillaging from the captured garrison.
Diplomat
Alongside his military role in the war he also conducted diplomatic missions. When in February 1570 the Protestants sent demands to the court, Biron was sent along with de Mesmes to communicate the king's rejection of their terms. Having urged the king to keep the negotiations going, at the very least to learn the rebels intentions, he had a meeting with Coligny in March. Beyond the formal peace declared in August 1570, Biron's role as a negotiator would continue, now for the Navarre marriage instead of peace. He received
Albret
The House of Albret, which derives its name from the lordship (''seigneurie'') of Albret (Labrit), situated in the Landes of Gascony, Landes, was one of the most powerful feudal families of Kingdom of France, France and Kingdom of Navarre, Navarr ...
for an interview to negotiate the match in March 1571. His involvement in the negotiations continued over the following months until in December he prepared to escort her to Paris, to discuss directly with
Catherine de'Medici
Catherine de' Medici (, ; , ; 13 April 1519 – 5 January 1589) was an Italian Florentine noblewoman of the Medici family and Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 by marriage to King Henry II. She was the mother of French kings Franci ...
they continued on to the capital in January. With the marriage contract concluded, Biron arranged for the young
Navarre
Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...
's journey to Paris, and was with him when news of his mother's death arrived.
La Rochelle
Shortly after the
Massacre of Saint Bartholomew
The Saint Bartholomew's Day massacre () in 1572 was a targeted group of assassinations and a wave of Catholic mob violence directed against the Huguenots (French Calvinist Protestants) during the French Wars of Religion. Traditionally believed ...
Anjou
Anjou may refer to:
Geography and titles France
*County of Anjou, a historical county in France and predecessor of the Duchy of Anjou
**Count of Anjou, title of nobility
*Duchy of Anjou, a historical duchy and later a province of France
** Du ...
arrived in February, he had completed the investment of the town from land, but the harbour remained only partially closed, and no approach trenches had been dug. Anjou now took over as overall commander, successfully completing the closure at sea. By April the approach trenches had reached the walls. Assaults began in the following months, as the artillery reduced the area into a smouldering ruin. Desertions ran rampant and by the time the outer wall was breached in June Anjou was increasingly tired of the siege. He excoriated Biron for what he felt were his failings in conducting the siege. Concurrently Anjou had been elected king of Poland, and he took the excuse to negotiate a peace. As a term of this settlement, Biron was at last allowed his brief entry into the town. Throughout the siege, Biron's batteries had fired 25,000 rounds.
Reign of Henri III
Fifth civil war
With Henri's return to France from Spain, he was keen to counteract the military influence that
Retz
Retz is a town with a population of 4,168 in the Hollabrunn District in Lower Austria, Austria.
Geography
Retz is located in the north western Weinviertel in Lower Austria. The municipality's area covers 45,01 km2. 11.83 percent of this a ...
Languedoc
The Province of Languedoc (, , ; ) 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 .
History
...
, Biron and the young Guise were sent out to monitor the frontier. They arrived at
Langres
Langres () is a commune in France, commune in northeastern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Departments of France, department of Haute-Marne, in the Regions of France, region of Grand Est.
History
As the capital ...
with 8000 men. The king continued to send forces to
Langres
Langres () is a commune in France, commune in northeastern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Departments of France, department of Haute-Marne, in the Regions of France, region of Grand Est.
History
As the capital ...
Dormans
Dormans () is a commune located in the Marne department and in the Grand Est region of France.''Ligue'' sent out envoys to the key Protestant aristocrats, hoping to bring them into line such that formal conflict could be averted. Biron was sent with a message to
Navarre
Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...
Saintonge
Saintonge may refer to:
*County of Saintonge, a historical province of France on the Atlantic coast
* Saintonge (region), a region of France corresponding to the historical province
* Saintonge ware, a medieval pottery type produced in Saintes reg ...
and
Aunis
Aunis () is a historical Provinces of France, province of France, situated in the north-west of the department of Charente-Maritime. Its historic capital is La Rochelle, which took over from Châtelaillon-Plage, Castrum Allionis (Châtelaillon) t ...
in favour of the sieur de Belleville. Biron, as lieutenant-general of Guyenne was responsible for overseeing some of the concessions granted to the Protestants in the
, however he would not implement them all. As a result the Protestants of the region began re-arming, and Navarre took the excuse to seize the town of
Cahors
Cahors (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the western part of Southern France. It is the smallest prefecture among the 13 departments that constitute the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Region. The capital and main city of t ...
in May 1580. He took a brief leave in 1580 after he fell off a horse whilst campaigning at
Toulouse
Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...
, and while recovering appointed his son
Charles
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...
to lead his forces.
Netherlands
The king's younger brother
Alençon
Alençon (, , ; ) is a commune in Normandy, France, and the capital of the Orne department. It is situated between Paris and Rennes (about west of Paris) and a little over north of Le Mans. Alençon belongs to the intercommunality of Alen� ...
seeking advancement accepted the offer from
William the Silent
William the Silent or William the Taciturn (; 24 April 153310 July 1584), more commonly known in the Netherlands as William of Orange (), was the leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish Habsburg Netherlands, Habsburgs that set off the ...
to become sovereign of the
United Provinces of the Netherlands
The United Provinces of the Netherlands, commonly referred to in historiography as the Dutch Republic, was a confederation that existed from 1579 until the Batavian Revolution in 1795. It was a predecessor state of the present-day Netherla ...
in 1579, entering the country in 1582. In 1581 with Spanish fears about what Alençon might be planning, Biron was sent to Picardy to guard the border in case Spain took the offensive. The following year Alençon now in the low countries was struggling to exert control his army depleted by the harsh winter. Biron and Montpensier were tasked with reinforcing him. Biron arrived with 3500 foot and several companies of cavalry on 1 December 1582.
He would grow restless and unsatisfied with the territories he ruled, and sought to surprise the city of
Antwerp
Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...
to add it to his dominion. The attempt was a disaster, and his force was trapped in the city and destroyed during the French Fury, Biron and Montpensier were uninvolved in his attempt on the city. Bellièvre was sent to the Netherlands to smooth things other with the States. He achieved great success and the States invited Biron to relieve the siege of
Eindhoven
Eindhoven ( ; ) is a city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, located in the southern Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Brabant, of which it is the largest municipality, and is also locat ...
which was under attack by the Spanish. In April however Eindhoven capitulated and Biron moved his forces to
Roosendaal
Roosendaal () is both a city and a municipality in the southern Netherlands, in the province of North Brabant.
Towns/villages of the municipality
* Roosendaal (population: 66,760)
* Wouw (4,920)
* Heerle (1,900)
* Nispen (1,440)
* Wouwse ...
. Increasingly out of cash Biron begged for funds almost daily but without result, his army disintegrated from desertions before his eyes. Biron angrily blamed the estates for the failure of his expedition. Money was at last advanced from France to pay for the remnants of Biron's army to withdraw from the Netherlands.
With the death of Alençon the following year, Biron accompanied his body back to Paris for the lavish funeral overseen by Henri.
Ligue
Compelled by the ''Ligue'' to make war on the ''politiques'' in 1585, Henri tasked Matignon and Biron with prosecuting the war against Navarre in Guyenne. The two Marshals prosecuted the campaign half heartedly, and only the forces directly loyal to the ''Ligue'' under Mercœur conducted the war with any vigour. Biron secretly negotiated with Navarre in July 1586 and in the following month a truce was established by the two.
In 1587, with a German army invading in support of the Protestants under
Casimir
Casimir is a Latin version of the Polish male name Kazimierz (). The original Polish feminine form is Kazimiera, in Latin and other languages rendered as Casimira. It has two possible meanings: "preacher of peace" or alternatively "destroyer of p ...
a council was held by Henri to decide how to proceed. Henri announced to the assembled nobles his desire to lead the French army out to destroy the invader, explaining it would allow him to regain authority from the ''Ligue''. Biron and all the other councillors except
By 1588 the situation in Paris was tense, the ''Ligue'', increasingly dominant, orchestrated a coup in the city, with Guise at its head. Those out on the barricades threatened bloody violence on the loyalists, unless the royal and Swiss troops were removed from the city. Henri ordered the troops withdrawn to the
Louvre
The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...
, and tasked
François d'O
François d'O, seigneur de Fresne et de Maillebois (1545/50-) was a French soldier, statesman and favourite of Henri III of France, Henri III. Rising to prominence through his association with the dauphin Henri, he served with the prince at the Si ...
and Biron with leading them off the streets. Small fights would break out however, and the lives of the Swiss were at risk from the crowd. The king sent Biron to meet with the duke of Guise, and Guise agreed to provide them passage to safety from the violent crowd.
Reign of Henri IV
With the assassination of Henri III outside Paris, Biron was among the marshals that recognised the legitimacy of Navarre as king immediately, and went over to support him in his fights with the ''Ligue''. He fought alongside the king at the
Battle of Ivry
The Battle of Ivry was fought on 14 March 1590, during the French Wars of Religion. The battle was a decisive victory for Henry IV of France, leading French royal and English forces against the Catholic League by the Duc de Mayenne and Spani ...
in Normandy, where the leading ''Liguer'' Mayenne was defeated. He was killed by a
cannonball
A round shot (also called solid shot or simply ball) is a solid spherical projectile without explosive charge, launched from a gun. Its diameter is slightly less than the bore of the barrel from which it is shot. A round shot fired from a lar ...
at the siege of
Épernay
Épernay () is a Communes of France, commune in the Marne (department), Marne Departments of France, department of northern France, 130 km north-east of Paris on the mainline railway to Strasbourg. The town sits on the left bank of the Marne ...