Louis de Brézé, Seigneur d'Anet and Comte de Maulevrier ( – 23 July 1531) was a French nobleman, the grandson of King Charles VII of France by his natural daughter with his mistress
Agnès Sorel
Agnès Sorel (; 1422 – 9 February 1450), known by the sobriquet ''Dame de beauté'' (Lady of Beauty), was a favourite and chief mistress of King Charles VII of France, by whom she bore four daughters. She is considered the first officially ...
.
Early life
Louis was the son of Jacques de Brézé,
Sénéchal Senechal or Sénéchal may refer to:
People
* Florian Sénéchal, French racing cyclist
* Marjorie Senechal (née Wikler), American mathematician and historian of science
* Michel Sénéchal, French tenor
* Robert Sénéchal, French industrialist/m ...
of Normandy, and Charlotte de Valois, the second of Charles VII's three illegitimate daughters by
Agnès Sorel
Agnès Sorel (; 1422 – 9 February 1450), known by the sobriquet ''Dame de beauté'' (Lady of Beauty), was a favourite and chief mistress of King Charles VII of France, by whom she bore four daughters. She is considered the first officially ...
. His paternal grandfather was
Pierre de Brézé
Pierre II de Brézé or de Brezé ( – 16 July 1465), Count of Maulevrier and Évreux (), was a French soldier and courtier in the service of kings Charles VII and Louis XI. He is sometimes distinguished from others of his house as Pierre II.
...
, noted for valour at Formigny, a grand steward of Normandy.
Career
In 1523, Louis uncovered a plot against
King Francis I
Francis I (; ; 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 removed and father-in-law Louis&nbs ...
. He did not know at the time that his father-in-law, Jean de Poitiers, Seigneur de Saint Vallier, was involved in the plot. Jean was condemned to death over that involvement, but reprieved by the king due to his having no direct involvement.
Louis was influential at court, being named Sénéchal of Normandy and Master of the Hunt. His home was the family seat, the
Château d'Anet
The Château d'Anet is a château near Dreux, in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France, built by Philibert de l'Orme from 1547 to 1552 for Diane de Poitiers, the mistress of Henry II of France. It was built on the former château at the ...
, which stood in a royal hunting preserve in the valley of the
Eure
Eure ( ; ; or ) is a department in the administrative region of Normandy, northwestern France, named after the river Eure. Its prefecture is Évreux. In 2021, Eure had a population of 598,934.Château du Bec-Crespin.
Before his death in 1531, Louis encouraged the marriage of Prince Henry to the Pope's great-niece,
Catherine de' Medici
Catherine de' Medici (, ; , ; 13 April 1519 – 5 January 1589) was an Italian Republic of Florence, Florentine noblewoman of the Medici family and Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 by marriage to Henry II of France, King Henry II. Sh ...
, thus setting up the triangle that was to continue until Henry's death, with his widow, Diane de Poitiers, becoming Henry's mistress. For Diane, King Henry II rebuilt the old
Château d'Anet
The Château d'Anet is a château near Dreux, in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France, built by Philibert de l'Orme from 1547 to 1552 for Diane de Poitiers, the mistress of Henry II of France. It was built on the former château at the ...
, which became one of the first
French Renaissance
The French Renaissance was the cultural and artistic movement in France between the 15th and early 17th centuries. The period is associated with the pan-European Renaissance, a word first used by the French historian Jules Michelet to define ...
châteaus, and she would be entrusted with much of the management of royal court business.
Personal life
Louis' first wife was Catherine de
Dreux
Dreux () is a Communes of France, commune in the Eure-et-Loir Departments of France, department in northern France.
Geography
Dreux lies on the small river Blaise (river), Blaise, a tributary of the Eure (river), Eure, about 35 km north of Cha ...
. Later, he married
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 ...
on 29 March 1515; she was 15, and he 39 years older. Together, they had:
* Françoise de Brézé, (b. 1518) married
Robert IV de La Marck
Robert IV de La Marck (15January 15124November 1556) was Duke of Bouillon, Seigneur of Sedan and a Marshal of France. He rose to prominence during the reign of Henri II of France as a favourite of both the king and his mistress Diane de Poitiers. ...
Claude, Duke of Aumale
Claude II de Lorraine, duc d'Aumale (18 August 1526, Joinville – 3 March 1573, La Rochelle) was a Prince étranger, military commander and French governor, during the latter Italian Wars and the early French Wars of Religion. The son of th ...
Louis died on 23 July 1531. It has been expressly stated in an old Norman manuscript, that his bowels were interred at Anet, his heart in the abbey of Coulombs near his father, and his body carried to Notre Dame at Rouen and placed near that of his grandfather Pierre. The tomb that his widow Diane erected for Louis in the cathedral of
Rouen
Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...
was one of the early projects of French Renaissance sculptor
Jean Goujon
Jean Goujon ()Thirion, Jacques (1996). "Goujon, Jean" in ''The Dictionary of Art'', edited by Jane Turner; vol. 13, pp. 225–227. London: Macmillan. Reprinted 1998 with minor corrections: . was a French Renaissance sculptor and architect.
Bio ...