Francis I de Bourbon-Saint-Pol, Count of St. Pol and of Chaumont (Ham, Somme

Ham, Somme

Ham is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Ham is situated on the D930 and D937 crossroads, some southwest of Saint-Quentin, in the far southeast of the department, near the border with the department of the Aisne....

, October 6, 1491 – Cotignan, near Reims

Reims

Reims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....

, 1 September 1545), was a French nobleman, Count of Saint-Pol, Duke of Estouteville

Duke of Estouteville

Duke of Estouteville was a title in the French nobility that is claimed today by the Prince of Monaco.It was created in 1537 by King Francis I of France for Adrienne d'Estouteville and her husband Francis de Bourbon, Count of St. Pol , son of Francis, Count of Vendôme and his wife Marie of...

 and important military commander during the Italian Wars

Italian Wars

The Italian Wars, often referred to as the Great Italian Wars or the Great Wars of Italy and sometimes as the Habsburg–Valois Wars, were a series of conflicts from 1494 to 1559 that involved, at various times, most of the city-states of Italy, the Papal States, most of the major states of Western...

.

Francis was the second son of Francis, Count of Vendôme and Marie of Luxembourg, Countess of Vendôme.

He was knighted by Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard

Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard

Pierre Terrail LeVieux, seigneur de Bayard was a French soldier, generally known as the Chevalier de Bayard. Throughout the centuries since his death, he has been known as "the knight without fear and beyond reproach"...

 after the Battle of Marignano

Battle of Marignano

The Battle of Marignano was fought during the phase of the Italian Wars called the War of the League of Cambrai, between France and the Old Swiss Confederacy. It took place on September 13 and 15, 1515, near the town today called Melegnano, 16 km southeast of Milan...

 in 1515.

He participated in the defence of Mézières in 1521, fought under Bonnivet

Guillaume Gouffier, seigneur de Bonnivet

Guillaume Gouffier, seigneur de Bonnivet was a French soldier.The younger brother of Artus Gouffier, seigneur de Boisy, tutor of Francis I of France, Bonnivet was brought up with Francis, and after the young king's accession he became one of the most powerful of the royal favourites. In 1515 he...

 and Bayard at the lost Battle of the Sesia (1524)

Battle of the Sesia (1524)

The Battle of the Sesia or Battle of the Sesia River, took place near the Sesia River , situated in north-western Italy, Lombardy, on 30 April, 1524, between the Spanish-Imperial forces commanded by Don Carlos de Lannoy, inflicted a decisive defeat to the French forces under the Admiral Guillaume...

 and was made prisoner in the Battle of Pavia

Battle of Pavia

The Battle of Pavia, fought on the morning of 24 February 1525, was the decisive engagement of the Italian War of 1521–26.A Spanish-Imperial army under the nominal command of Charles de Lannoy attacked the French army under the personal command of Francis I of France in the great hunting preserve...

 in 1525.

In 1527 he became governor of the Dauphiné

Dauphiné

The Dauphiné or Dauphiné Viennois is a former province in southeastern France, whose area roughly corresponded to that of the present departments of :Isère, :Drôme, and :Hautes-Alpes....

, and was as such responsible for the French operations against Savoy and Piedmont. His army was destroyed and he was taken prisoner in the Battle of Landriano

Battle of Landriano

The Battle of Landriano took place on 21 June 1529, between the French army under Francis de Bourbon, Comte de St. Pol and the Spanish army commanded by Don Antonio de Leyva, Duke of Terranova in the context of the War of the League of Cognac...

, until the Treaty of Cambrai in 1529.

He was also present at the meeting between Francis I of France

Francis I of France

Francis I was King of France from 1515 until his death. During his reign, huge cultural changes took place in France and he has been called France's original Renaissance monarch...

 and Pope Clement VII

Pope Clement VII

Clement VII , born Giulio di Giuliano de' Medici, was a cardinal from 1513 to 1523 and was Pope from 1523 to 1534.-Early life:...

 in Marseille in 1533.

In 1543, he was part of the French command against the English and Spanish in Picardy

Picardy

This article is about the historical French province. For other uses, see Picardy .Picardy is a historical province of France, in the north of France...

.

In the Italian War of 1542–1546, he was charged with the conquest of Savoy.
He advised against the Battle of Ceresole

Battle of Ceresole

The Battle of Ceresole was an encounter between a French army and the combined forces of Spain and the Holy Roman Empire during the Italian War of 1542–46...

 (1544), but was overruled by Blaise de Lasseran-Massencôme, seigneur de Montluc

Blaise de Lasseran-Massencôme, seigneur de Montluc

Blaise de Lasseran-Massencôme, seigneur de Montluc was a marshal of France.He was born at the family seat near Condom in the modern département of Gers. Despite being the eldest son of a good family, he had, like most gentlemen of Gascony, to rely on his sword. He was the brother of Jean de...

, who won the battle.

marriage and children

He married in 1534 with (died 1560) and had 2 children :

• Francis II de Bourbon-Saint-Pol (1536-1546)
• Marie (1539-1601), his successor, married Léonor d'Orléans, duc de Longueville.