Georges de la Trémoille (c. 1382 –6 May 1446) was
Count of Guînes from 1398 to 1446 and
Grand Chamberlain of France
The Grand Chamberlain of France () was one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France, a member of the ''Maison du Roi'' ("King's Household"), and one of the Great Offices of the Maison du Roi during the Ancien Régime. It is similar in name ...
to King
Charles VII of France
Charles VII (22 February 1403 – 22 July 1461), called the Victorious () or the Well-Served (), was King of France from 1422 to his death in 1461. His reign saw the end of the Hundred Years' War and a ''de facto'' end of the English claims to ...
. He sought reconciliation between
Philip, Duke of Burgundy and Charles VII during their estrangement in the latter part of the
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...
and was a political opponent of
Arthur de Richemont within the French court. Most historians take a poor view of his career and assess that he placed personal advancement before the public interest, but the traditional historical interpretation of the Grand Chamberlain as
Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc ( ; ; – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the Coronation of the French monarch, coronation of Charles VII o ...
's opponent has been revised.
De la Trémoille was captured at
Agincourt in 1415. He regained his freedom shortly afterward and dedicated the rest of his career to court life and diplomacy. He made an advantageous marriage to
Joan II of Auvergne (1378 –1424), Countess of Auvergne and Boulogne (1404 –1424). De la Trémoille served the Burgundian court for several years and then joined the
Armagnac
Armagnac (, ) is a distinctive kind of brandy produced in the Armagnac (region), Armagnac region in Gascony, southwest France. It is distilled from wine usually made from a blend of grapes including Baco 22A, Colombard, Folle blanche and Ugni ...
court of Charles VII.
De laTrémoille became a royal
favourite
A favourite was the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person. In Post-classical Europe, post-classical and Early modern Europe, early-modern Europe, among other times and places, the term was used of individuals delegated signifi ...
in After. He gained the title of Grand Chamberlain and was instrumental in Constable de Richemont's expulsion from the court that same year. After Joan of Arc's successful campaign to
Rheims
Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne.
Founded by ...
for the coronation of
Charles VII, de la Trémoille delayed a march on
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
with fruitless peace negotiations. He may have been responsible for the lack of royal support that doomed her military actions thereafter. The historical consensus is that personal jealousies led him to undermine France's two best military commanders during a low point in the war. In September 1432, he paid for
Rodrigo de Villandrando and his
routiers
Routiers () were mercenary soldiers of the Middle Ages. Their particular distinction from other paid soldiers of the time was that they were organised into bands (''rutta'' or ''routes''). The term is first used in the 12th century but is partic ...
to hold
Les Ponts-de-Cé against the assaults of
Jean de Bueil. That year, de Richemont returned to court and imprisoned de la Trémoille the following year. Charles VII did not intervene.
His daughter
Louise de La Trémoïlle (1432 –10 April 1474), Dame de Boussac, married
Bertrand VI of Auvergne
Bertrand may refer to:
Places
* Bertrand, Missouri, US
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* Bertrand, Michigan
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* Bertrand Creek, state of Washington
* Saint ...
and had three known children:
* Anne de la Tour d'Auvergne, second wife of
Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany
*
John III, Count of Auvergne
* Jeanne de La Tour d'Auvergne paternal grandmother of
Diane de Poitiers
Diane de Poitiers (9 January 1500 – 25 April 1566) was a French noblewoman and courtier who wielded much power and influence as King Henry II of France, Henry II's Maîtresse-en-titre, royal mistress and adviser until his death. Her position inc ...
De La Trémoïlle also had descents by his two mistresses: by Marie Guypaude, a daughter named Marguerite, who married
Jean Salazar, and a son named Jean the "bastard of La Tremoïlle" (legitimated and ennobled in 1445), and by Marie La Championne, Jacques, the other "bastard of La Tremoïlle", legitimized in 1466.
Ancestry
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:La Tremoille, Georges de
People of the Hundred Years' War
French diplomats
Tremoille, Georges of
1380s births
1446 deaths
Year of birth uncertain
Grand chamberlains of France
Georges
Medieval French diplomats
French prisoners of war in the Hundred Years' War
15th-century diplomats
Jure uxoris counts
Counts of Auvergne
Remarried jure uxoris officeholders