Louis III de Bourbon, Duke of Montpensier
Encyclopedia
Louis de Bourbon was the second Duke of Montpensier. He was the great great grandfather of la Grande Mademoiselle.
. By his mother, he was the nephew of Charles de Bourbon, Duke of Bourbon
, whose lands were confiscated after his treason. As a member of the House of Bourbon
, he was a Prince of the Blood.
Under the orders of Anne de Montmorency
, he defended in 1536 Provence
, then Artois
against the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V
.
In 1538, he married Jacqueline de Longwy
, Countess of Bar-sur-Seine (died in Paris in 1561), daughter of John IV de Longwy, Baron of Pagny, and Jeanne of Angoulême
, illegitimate half-sister of King Francis I
. On the occasion of his marriage, the King of France returned the lands of Gilbert, Count of Montpensier
, and the Count
ies of Forez
, Beaujeu
and Dombes
to his mother. In 1543, he received the dauphinate of Auvergne
.
He took part in a number of wars against Charles V. He fought again at the Battle of St. Quentin (1557)
where his horse was killed under him and where he was taken prisoner. His involvement in the French Wars of Religion
reflected his opportunist character. He was initially favourable to the Protestants, under the influence of his wife.
In 1561, having inherited his mother's Duchy of Montpensier, he changed his alliance to satisfy his ambitions. He was made governor of Touraine
and Anjou
in 1562, and was charged with attacking the Huguenot
s. He made his own captains hate him.
In 1563, he reconquered Angoulême
and Cognac
. In 1569, he participated in the Battle of Jarnac
, was named governor of Brittany
and married, on February 4, 1570, Catherine de Lorraine (1552–1596), sister of Henry I, Duke of Guise
and of Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne
. He approved of the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre
, and fought the Protestants again in 1575 in Poitou
.
Biography
He was the son of Louis, Prince of La Roche-sur-Yon, and of Louise de Bourbon, first Duchess of MontpensierLouise de Bourbon, Duchess of Montpensier
Louise de Bourbon was the Duchess of Montpensier, suo jure from February 1538 to 1561. She was the great great great grandmother of La Grande Mademoiselle.- Inheritance :...
. By his mother, he was the nephew of Charles de Bourbon, Duke of Bourbon
Charles III, Duke of Bourbon
Charles III, Duke of Bourbon was a French military leader, the Count of Montpensier and Dauphin of Auvergne. He commanded the Imperial troops of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in what became known as the Sack of Rome in 1527, where he was killed.-Biography:Charles was born at Montpensier...
, whose lands were confiscated after his treason. As a member of the House of Bourbon
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...
, he was a Prince of the Blood.
Under the orders of Anne de Montmorency
Anne de Montmorency
Anne de Montmorency, duc de Montmorency, Honorary Knight of the Garter was a French soldier, statesman and diplomat. He became Marshal of France and Constable of France.-Early life:...
, he defended in 1536 Provence
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
, then Artois
Artois
Artois is a former province of northern France. Its territory has an area of around 4000 km² and a population of about one million. Its principal cities are Arras , Saint-Omer, Lens and Béthune.-Location:...
against the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
.
In 1538, he married Jacqueline de Longwy
Jacqueline de Longwy
Jacqueline de Longwy, Countess of Bar-sur-Seine , Duchess of Montpensier, Dauphine of Auvergne was a French noblewoman, and a half-niece of King Francis I of France. She was the first wife of Louis III de Bourbon, Duke of Montpensier, and the mother of his six children...
, Countess of Bar-sur-Seine (died in Paris in 1561), daughter of John IV de Longwy, Baron of Pagny, and Jeanne of Angoulême
Jeanne of Angouleme
Jeanne d'Angoulême, Countess of Bar-sur-Seine , Dame de Givry, Baroness of Pagny and of Mirebeau, was the illegitimate half-sister of King Francis I of France. She was created suo jure Countess of Bar-sur-Seine in 1522. She was the wife of Jean de Longwy, Seigneur of Givry, Baron of Pagny and of...
, illegitimate half-sister of King Francis I
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...
. On the occasion of his marriage, the King of France returned the lands of Gilbert, Count of Montpensier
Gilbert, Count of Montpensier
Gilbert de Bourbon, Count of Montpensier son of Louis de Bourbon and Gabrielle La Tour, Count of Montpensier and Dauphin d'Auvergne...
, and the Count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
ies of Forez
Forez
Forez is a former province of France, corresponding approximately to the central part of the modern Loire département and a part of the Haute-Loire and Puy-de-Dôme départements....
, Beaujeu
Beaujeu, Rhône
Beaujeu is a commune of the Rhône department in eastern France.It lies between Mâcon and Lyon.Beaujeu gives its name to the famous wine region of Beaujolais , a former province of France of which it is the historical capital...
and Dombes
Dombes
The Dombes is an area in South-Eastern France, once an independent municipality, formerly part of the province of Burgundy, and now a district comprised in the département of Ain, and bounded W. by the Saône River, by the Rhône, E. by the Ain and N...
to his mother. In 1543, he received the dauphinate of Auvergne
Auvergne (province)
Auvergne was a historic province in south central France. It was originally the feudal domain of the Counts of Auvergne. It is now the geographical and cultural area that corresponds to the former province....
.
He took part in a number of wars against Charles V. He fought again at the Battle of St. Quentin (1557)
Battle of St. Quentin (1557)
The Battle of Saint-Quentin of 1557 was fought during the Franco-Habsburg War . The Spanish, who had regained the support of the English, won a significant victory over the French at Saint-Quentin, in northern France.- Battle :...
where his horse was killed under him and where he was taken prisoner. His involvement in the French Wars of Religion
French Wars of Religion
The French Wars of Religion is the name given to a period of civil infighting and military operations, primarily fought between French Catholics and Protestants . The conflict involved the factional disputes between the aristocratic houses of France, such as the House of Bourbon and House of Guise...
reflected his opportunist character. He was initially favourable to the Protestants, under the influence of his wife.
In 1561, having inherited his mother's Duchy of Montpensier, he changed his alliance to satisfy his ambitions. He was made governor of Touraine
Touraine
The Touraine is one of the traditional provinces of France. Its capital was Tours. During the political reorganization of French territory in 1790, the Touraine was divided between the departments of Indre-et-Loire, :Loir-et-Cher and Indre.-Geography:...
and Anjou
Anjou
Anjou is a former county , duchy and province centred on the city of Angers in the lower Loire Valley of western France. It corresponds largely to the present-day département of Maine-et-Loire...
in 1562, and was charged with attacking the Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
s. He made his own captains hate him.
In 1563, he reconquered Angoulême
Angoulême
-Main sights:In place of its ancient fortifications, Angoulême is encircled by boulevards above the old city walls, known as the Remparts, from which fine views may be obtained in all directions. Within the town the streets are often narrow. Apart from the cathedral and the hôtel de ville, the...
and Cognac
Cognac
Cognac is a commune in the Charente department in southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.-Geography:Cognac is situated on the river Charente between the towns of Angoulême and Saintes. The majority of the town has been built on the river's left bank, with the smaller right...
. In 1569, he participated in the Battle of Jarnac
Battle of Jarnac
The Battle of Jarnac on 13 March 1569 was an encounter during the French Wars of Religion between the Catholic forces of Marshal Gaspard de Saulx, sieur de Tavannes, and the Huguenots, near the nadir of their fortunes, financed by Reinhold von Krockow and led by Louis I de Bourbon, prince de...
, was named governor of Brittany
Governor of Brittany
This page is a list of royal governors of Brittany during the Ancien Regime.*Nominoe, 9th century*Enguerrand VII, Lord of Coucy from 1380*Jean de Laval, husband of Françoise de Foix, 16th century*Louis III de Bourbon, Duke of Montpensier 1569-1582...
and married, on February 4, 1570, Catherine de Lorraine (1552–1596), sister of Henry I, Duke of Guise
Henry I, Duke of Guise
Henry I, Prince of Joinville, Duke of Guise, Count of Eu , sometimes called Le Balafré, "the scarred", was the eldest son of Francis, Duke of Guise, and Anna d'Este...
and of Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne
Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne
Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne , or Charles de Guise, was a French nobleman of the house of Guise and a military leader of the Catholic League, which he headed during the French Wars of Religion, following the assassination of his brothers at Blois in 1588...
. He approved of the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre
St. Bartholomew's Day massacre
The St. Bartholomew's Day massacre in 1572 was a targeted group of assassinations, followed by a wave of Roman Catholic mob violence, both directed against the Huguenots , during the French Wars of Religion...
, and fought the Protestants again in 1575 in Poitou
Poitou
Poitou was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers.The region of Poitou was called Thifalia in the sixth century....
.
Issue
- Françoise de Bourbon(1539–1587), married in 1559 to Henri Robert de La Marck, Duke of BouillonDuke of BouillonThe Duke of Bouillon is a title of nobility. Until the nineteenth century, the Duke of Bouillon was the ruler of the semi-sovereign Duchy of Bouillon , a small state located between Luxembourg, Champagne, and the Three Bishoprics and centered on Bouillon.- History of the Duchy of Bouillon :The...
and Prince of SedanPrince of SedanThe Prince of Sedan was the ruler of the independent Principality of Sedan , a Renaissance state centered on modern Sedan, Ardennes.-History:...
; she played a crucial role in organizing the College of Sedan in 1579 - Anne de Bourbon (1540–1572), married in 1561 to François de Clèves, duke de Nevers;
- Jeanne de Bourbon(1541–1620), Abbess of Jouarre;
- François de BourbonFrançois, Duke of MontpensierFrançois de Bourbon was the Duke of Montpensier and member of the House of Bourbon. He was the brother of Charlotte de Bourbon, Princess of Orange and wife of William the Silent, Prince of Orange...
(1542–1592), Duke of Montpensier; - Charlotte de Bourbon (1547–1582), Abbess of Jouarre, married in 1571 to William "the Silent" of Nassau, Prince of OrangeWilliam the SilentWilliam I, Prince of Orange , also widely known as William the Silent , or simply William of Orange , was the main leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish that set off the Eighty Years' War and resulted in the formal independence of the United Provinces in 1648. He was born in the House of...
; - Louise de Bourbon (1548–1586), Abbess of Faremoutier.