Louis III de La Trémoille (1521 – 25 March 1577), 1st Duke of Thouars

Thouars

Thouars is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department in western France.It is on the River Thouet. Its inhabitants are known as Thouarsais.-History:...

, was a sixteenth-century French nobleman of the La Tremoille

La Trémoille

Members of the House of La Trémoille, were part of an old French family which derives its name from a village in the department of Vienne....

 family. He was the son of François II de La Trémoille

François II de La Trémoille

François de La Trémoille was a French nobleman of the La Tremoille family. He was the son of Charles I de la Trémoille and of Louise de Coëtivy, and the grandson of Louis II de la Trémoille and of Gabrielle de Bourbon.-Titles:He held the title of 36th vicomte of Thouars...

 and his wife, Anne de Laval

Anne de Laval (1505-1554)

Anne de Laval , princesse de Tarente, was a French noblewoman and nominal pretender to the Kingdom of Naples...

.

Louis accompanied the dauphin on a voyage to Perpignan

Perpignan

-Sport:Perpignan is a rugby stronghold: their rugby union side, USA Perpignan, is a regular competitor in the Heineken Cup and seven times champion of the Top 14 , while their rugby league side plays in the engage Super League under the name Catalans Dragons.-Culture:Since 2004, every year in the...

 in 1542, served in the war against the English 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...

 and was one of the four baron

Baron

Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...

s given as a hostage of the Holy Ampoule

Ampoule

An ampoule is a small sealed vial which is used to contain and preserve a sample, usually a solid or liquid. Ampoules are commonly made of glass, although plastic ampoules do exist....

 at the consecration of Henry II

Henry II of France

Henry II was King of France from 31 March 1547 until his death in 1559.-Early years:Henry was born in the royal Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, near Paris, the son of Francis I and Claude, Duchess of Brittany .His father was captured at the Battle of Pavia in 1525 by his sworn enemy,...

, and one of the hostages of the peace treaty concluded in 1542 between France and England.

In 1549, he married Jeanne de Montmorency (1528–1596), the second daughter 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:...

. They had five children, including:

• Louis, comte de Benon
  Benon
  Benon is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Poitou-Charentes region in southwestern France.-Population:Its population, unlike other parts of the department, slowly grew, but saw a small decline between the late-1960s and the 1980s...
  
  ,
• Claude, duc de Thouars,
• Charlotte-Catherine de La Trémoille (1568–1629), who married Henri I de Bourbon, prince de Condé
  Henri I de Bourbon, prince de Condé
  Henri de Bourbon-Condé was a French Prince du Sang and Huguenot general like his more prominent father, Louis I, Prince of Condé....
  
  .

Louis served in Italy under Marshal Cossé. In 1560, he was a lieutenant general of 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....

 and of Saintonge

Saintonge

Saintonge is a small region on the Atlantic coast of France within the département Charente-Maritime, west and south of Charente in the administrative region of Poitou-Charentes....

. He was charged, in 1567, with the command of the Loire Valley

Loire Valley

The Loire Valley , spanning , is located in the middle stretch of the Loire River in central France. Its area comprises approximately . It is referred to as the Cradle of the French Language, and the Garden of France due to the abundance of vineyards, fruit orchards, and artichoke, asparagus, and...

, served under the Duke of Anjou and was killed at the siege of Melle

Melle, Deux-Sèvres

Melle is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department in western France.It is today best known as the home town of Ségolène Royal, the 2007 Socialist candidate for the election of the Presidency of the Republic. Laurent Cantet was also born here.-History:...

, March 25, 1577, at the moment when the city fell.