Louis des Balbes de Berton de Crillon
Encyclopedia
Louis des Balbes de Berton de Crillon (c. 1541, Murs
, Provence
- December 2, 1615, Avignon
) was a French
soldier, called the man without fear and, by Henry IV
the brave of the brave.
Trained in Avignon and later under Guise of Lorraine
, Crillon became an officer in 1557 and distinguished himself in the siege of Calais
and the capture of Guînes
through his courage. He suppressed the conspiracy of Amboise
in 1560 and fought against the Huguenots and excelled at Dreux
, St. Denis
, Jarnac
and Moncontour
.
After the peace of St. Germain (1570), he fought as a Maltese
under John of Austria against the Turks
and participated in the battle of Lepanto
. Openly condemning the Paris blood wedding, he fought at the Siege of La Rochelle (1572-1573)
. Henry III
, whom he accompanied to Poland
named him governor of Lyon
.
In the war with the League
, he forced La Fère
to surrender and was made captain of a regiment of the guard, member of the royal council and general lieutenant of the infantry and took the Provence in 1586. He spoke out against Henry III's plan to assassinate Guise. Later, he was the only support of the weak Henry III and became a friend and counsel of Henry IV under whom he took part in the battle of Ivry
and the siege of Paris
. In his war against Spain
, he again excelled and commanded an army in Savoy
. After the peace, he retired to Avignon, where he died.
The name Crillon passed to his third brother, Thomas des Balbes de Berton de Crillon, and to whose descendants in the fourth generation, Francois Felix des Balbes de Berton de Crillon, the title of duke was bestowed.
The village Crillon-le-Brave
in the Vaucluse
département of Provence was named in his honour.
Murs, Vaucluse
Murs is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.-References:*...
, 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...
- December 2, 1615, Avignon
Avignon
Avignon is a French commune in southeastern France in the départment of the Vaucluse bordered by the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 94,787 inhabitants of the city on 1 January 2010, 12 000 live in the ancient town centre surrounded by its medieval ramparts.Often referred to as the...
) was a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
soldier, called the man without fear and, by Henry IV
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
the brave of the brave.
Trained in Avignon and later under Guise of Lorraine
Claude, Duke of Guise
Claude de Lorraine, duc de Guise was a French aristocrat and general. He became the first Duke of Guise in 1528....
, Crillon became an officer in 1557 and distinguished himself in the siege of Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
and the capture of Guînes
Guînes
Guînes is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France.-Geography:Guînes is located on the border of the two territories of the Boulonnais and Calaisis, at the edge of the now-drained marshes, which extend from here to the coast. The Guînes canal connects with...
through his courage. He suppressed the conspiracy of Amboise
Amboise conspiracy
The Amboise conspiracy, also called Tumult of Amboise, was a failed attempt by Huguenots in 1560 to gain power of France by abducting the young king, Francis II and arresting Francis, Duke of Guise and his brother, the Cardinal of Lorraine...
in 1560 and fought against the Huguenots and excelled at Dreux
Battle of Dreux
The Battle of Dreux was fought on 19 December 1562 between Catholics and Huguenots. The Catholics were led by Anne de Montmorency while Louis I, Prince of Condé led the Huguenots....
, St. Denis
Battle of Saint-Denis (1567)
The Battle of Saint-Denis was fought on November 10, 1567 between Catholics and Protestants during the French Wars of Religion in Saint-Denis near Paris, France.Anne de Montmorency with 16,000 Royalists fell on Condé's 3,500 Huguenots...
, 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...
and Moncontour
Battle of Moncontour
The Battle of Moncontour occurred on 3 October 1569 between the Catholic forces of King Charles IX of France and the Huguenots during the "Third War" of the French Wars of Religion.-The battle:...
.
After the peace of St. Germain (1570), he fought as a Maltese
Knights Hospitaller
The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta , also known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta , Order of Malta or Knights of Malta, is a Roman Catholic lay religious order, traditionally of military, chivalrous, noble nature. It is the world's...
under John of Austria against the Turks
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
and participated in the battle of Lepanto
Battle of Lepanto (1571)
The Battle of Lepanto took place on 7 October 1571 when a fleet of the Holy League, a coalition of Catholic maritime states, decisively defeated the main fleet of the Ottoman Empire in five hours of fighting on the northern edge of the Gulf of Patras, off western Greece...
. Openly condemning the Paris blood wedding, he fought at the Siege of La Rochelle (1572-1573)
Siege of La Rochelle (1572-1573)
The Siege of La Rochelle of 1572–1573 was a massive military assault on the Huguenot-held city of La Rochelle by Catholic troops during the fourth phase of the French Wars of Religion, following the August 1572 St. Bartholomew's Day massacre. The conflict began in November 1572 when inhabitants of...
. Henry III
Henry III of France
Henry III was King of France from 1574 to 1589. As Henry of Valois, he was the first elected monarch of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with the dual titles of King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1573 to 1575.-Childhood:Henry was born at the Royal Château de Fontainebleau,...
, whom he accompanied to Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
named him governor of Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
.
In the war with the League
Catholic League (French)
The Catholic League of France, sometimes referred to by contemporary Roman Catholics as the Holy League, a major player in the French Wars of Religion, was formed by Duke Henry of Guise in 1576...
, he forced La Fère
La Fère
La Fère is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in France.-Population:-References:*...
to surrender and was made captain of a regiment of the guard, member of the royal council and general lieutenant of the infantry and took the Provence in 1586. He spoke out against Henry III's plan to assassinate Guise. Later, he was the only support of the weak Henry III and became a friend and counsel of Henry IV under whom he took part in the battle of Ivry
Battle of Ivry
The Battle of Ivry was fought on 14 March 1590, during the French Wars of Religion. The battle was a decisive victory for Henry of Navarre, the future Henry IV of France, leading Huguenot forces against the Catholic League forces led by the Duc de Mayenne...
and the siege of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. In his war against Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, he again excelled and commanded an army in Savoy
Savoy
Savoy is a region of France. It comprises roughly the territory of the Western Alps situated between Lake Geneva in the north and Monaco and the Mediterranean coast in the south....
. After the peace, he retired to Avignon, where he died.
The name Crillon passed to his third brother, Thomas des Balbes de Berton de Crillon, and to whose descendants in the fourth generation, Francois Felix des Balbes de Berton de Crillon, the title of duke was bestowed.
The village Crillon-le-Brave
Crillon-le-Brave
Crillon-le-Brave is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.Like many of the older villages in the region, it was built on a hilltop for defensive purposes and to provide more farmland on the plains below. It is a very small town, with...
in the Vaucluse
Vaucluse
The Vaucluse is a department in the southeast of France, named after the famous spring, the Fontaine-de-Vaucluse.- History :Vaucluse was created on 12 August 1793 out of parts of the departments of Bouches-du-Rhône, Drôme, and Basses-Alpes...
département of Provence was named in his honour.