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Guy I de Chabot

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Guy I de Chabot
baron de Jarnac
Portrait of Jarnac, now in The Frick Collection
Other titlesGentilhomme de chambre of Charles IX of France
Born1514
Kingdom of France
Died1584
FamilyFamille de Chabot [fr]
Spouse(s)Louise de Pisseleu
FatherCharles I de Chabot
MotherJeanne de Saint-Gelais

Guy I de Chabot, seigneur de Jarnac (1514-1584) was a French courtier, soldier and governor. Rising to prominence with the elevation of his family to great office during the reign of François I Jarnac became entangled with the great factions of court, a marriage between himself and Louise de Pisseleu sister of the king's mistress securing his centrality at court. This brought him into conflict with those around the dauphin Henri II and led to his famous duel with La Châtaignerie at the advent of the new kings reign.

Following his victory in the duel, his family fell into disfavour in an act of revenge by his political opponents. However he remained in personal favour, and succeeded to the governorship of La Rochelle in early 1559. He struggled greatly with his co-religionists in the city, who did not share his enthusiasm for the authority of the crown. As a result, after assisting a coup in the city during the first civil war he found himself forced into exile from the town, out of fear of assassination. Returning during peace time he again sought to stamp his authority on the centre, encouraging the king to make his will felt there. The king however began to tire of Jarnac's inability to bring the city to order cheaply, and he was exiled from the town a second time under royal order in 1566. Once more of utility to the court, he was called to offer his services again in 1568 to bring La Rochelle into order. He died in 1584.

Early life and family

Guy I de Chabot, seigneur de Jarnac's father was Charles I de Chabot. Charles was governor of La Rochelle and Bourdeaux, he was also mayor of La Rochelle.[1] His uncle Philippe was a childhood friend of François I, who became Admiral of France, governor of Burgundy and was afforded a marriage to Françoise de Longwy, a relation of the king.[2]

Jarnac married Louise de Pisseleu, sister of Anne de Pisseleu the king's mistress in 1541.[3]

Reign of François I

The relations between the dauphin Henri and François were tested by the latent feud between Jarnac and La Châtaigneraie, both of whom represented one of the court's key factions.[4] Jarnac was a partisan of Anne de Pisseleu d'Heilly, whose sister he had married. He lived an opulent life at court with his stepmother, Madeleine de Puyguyon's financial backing. As a result, rumours were spread by those in Henri's faction that he was having an affair with Madeleine.[5]

Seeking to end the rumours, Jarnac filed a suit in the Parlement of Bourdeaux on grounds of defamation and challenged the king's childhood friend La Châtaigneraie to a duel to settle the matter. The king vetoed any duel at the urging of Anne, who feared the death of her brother-in-law.[6]

Reign of Henri II

Feud

In the early months of the new regime, the feud between the two nobles boiled over. Jarnac, still incensed at the accusations of his relationship with his own stepmother, again accused those who created the rumour of lying. The assertion that the accuser had lied was an assault on aristocratic honour and necessitated a duel. While Henri's circle had originated the rumour, he could not partake in a duel due to his rank. As such, La Châtaignerie, a close childhood friend of Henri, stepped forth to take credit for the rumour. He requested permission from the king to duel Jarnac to the death, which was promptly granted. Jarnac seconded the permission by writing his own letters to the king for permission. In May 1547, the crown agreed that a duel could go ahead and provided a date for the combat of 10 July 1547.[5][7]

Duel

Jarnac chose as a second Claude de Boisy, a friend of Anne de Montmorency, and La Châtaigneraie selected François I de Guise. Guise and Montmorency represented the new leaders of the aristocratic factions in Henri's reign. Jarnac, who had been expected by his patron to lose any duel, struck quickly and disabled his opponent at the leg. Victory achieved, Jarnacturned to the king, who was present, and asked him to declare his honour restored and accept the life of his opponent, which by the rules of aristocratic duels was in Jarnac's hands with his victory.[5] The king was shocked, caught off guard by the sudden defeat of his friend, and for a while said nothing. Eventually, at the urgings of Montmorency and his sister, he recognised Jarnac as the victor of the duel and freed him from the obligation to kill La Châtaigneraie. He would not, however, grant Jarnac the traditional words of respect that accompanied a duel victory.[8]

Revenge

When the king had calmed down, he embraced Jarnac, praising him for having 'fought like Caesar', La Châtaigneraie meanwhile, who was being tended to by a physician, tore off his bandages and allowed himself to bleed out, preferring death to dishonour.[8] He could not revenge on Jarnac without appearing vindictive, but when the échevins of La Rochelle caught wind of the changing political climate, Henri was petitioned to abolish the perpetual mayoralty of the city that Charles enjoyed and to restore the town council, which he promptly did in 1548.[9]

When the Italian Wars resumed in 1551, Jarnac would serve the king, fighting under Gaspard II de Coligny during the siege of siege of Saint-Quentin in 1557 commanding 50 lancers.[8]

In January 1559m Jarnac was assigned as governor of the strategic Atlantic city of La Rochelle. Jarnac was subordinate to the governor Antoine of Navarre and his lieutenant general Charles de Coucis. Despite his Protestantism, he remained loyal to the crown, which was a cause for tension between him and the Protestants of the city.[10]

Reign of François II

Upon the accidental death of Henri II during a joust in 1559, Jarnac was among Navarre's close advisers who advised him to go to court to assert his rights in the uncertain political climate that accompanied the new regime.[11]

Reign of Charles IX

It was not until 1561 that Jarnac was granted entry into the city he was governor of by the suspicious town council which wished to confirm his Calvinism was genuine. While he would chastise the city's Protestants for disobeying the king's edicts he allowed an expansion in public Protestant services.[12]

First war of religion

In early 1562 after the Massacre of Wassy, La Rochelle elected its first Protestant mayor, Jarnac conscious the situation in the city was deteriorating wrote to Catherine de Medici assuring her the majority of the town remained loyal to the crown excluding several destabilising elements. He recommended a continued religious liberalisation to cool tempers in the city. With Condé's rebellion in April elements of the town wanted to support his movement. François III La Rochefoucauld who was in correspondence with elements inside the town plotted a coup to seize control of the strategic centre, his plan was foiled however, and Jarnac was able to drive off those loyal to him from the town with cannons.[13] Despite his loyalty to the crown he struggled to enforce the orders he received from court, protesting 'enforcing changing policies is very difficult to do here.'[14] Louis, Duke of Montpensier who was in charge of securing Guyenne for the crown made common cause with Jarnac in the wake of La Rochefoucauld's aborted coup, agreeing with Jarnac that he would smuggle troops into the city and assert the supremacy of the crown over the troublesome city authorities. On 26 October Montpensier struck, overwhelming the militia and bringing the city under his command.[15]

Jarnac's involvement in this counter coup shattered his credibility among the city elites and with threats of his assassination in the air, he fled the city on 3 November.[16] As a result, he found himself forced into exile from his governorship in much the same manner as Claude de Savoie in Provence.[17]

Long peace

With peace declared, Jarnac was afforded a return to his city. He chose as his lieutenant Amateur Blandin, a staunch royalist from the Présidaux court. This choice further alienated the suspicious city grandees from Jarnac.[18] When Charles embarked upon his royal tour of France, to investigate deviations from the Edict of Amboise and enforce his authority on the troubled kingdom, Jarnac urged him to conduct an inspection of La Rochelle. The king obliged Jarnac and entered the city in September 1565. Montmorency who was at the head of the advance guard promptly confiscated all of La Rochelle's artillery. Informed by Jarnac of Protestant troublemakers in the town, Charles quickly implemented a series of decrees designed to suppress dissent in the town.[19] Jarnac was granted the prerogative to choose from among the leading candidates which would become mayor. He was further granted all the cannons Montmorency had seized.[20]

Fall from favour

After the king had departed Protestant worship resumed in the town. Jarnac remained in the town for a time, the threats against his life having increased to the point he rarely left his house without twenty bodyguards. He wrote desperately to the court pleading they not reduce funding for the gendarmerie in the town.[20] In 1566, conscious of economic pressures, Charles ordered Jarnac to disband his bodyguard, the crown no longer willing to pay for the security of La Rochelle's unpopular governor. He furthered this with a request for Jarnac to vacate the town and turn over the arsenal to the mayor.[21] Jarnac protested strongly, reminding the king of the seditious nature of the Protestants in La Rochelle, only when the lieutenant-general of Poitiers came to the town and read the kings order's directly to him did he at last quit the town.[22]

Second civil war

Reduced to sulking in his château Jarnac turned on his lieutenant Blandin, opposing him when he ran for mayor in the city on the grounds it violated the king's edicts. Charles, increasingly tired of Jarnac, ignored his protestations and confirmed Blandin as mayor.[23] When civil war resumed in 1568, the Protestants of La Rochelle seized the town and declared for Condé. Jarnac was ordered by the king to raise troops and bring the troublesome city back into obedience. The city now under a Protestant junta led by Pontard refused Jarnac when he tried to bring his garrison into the city and he was unable to enforce his will on the well defended city.[24] Jarnac died in 1584.[25]

References

  1. ^ Knecht 1994, p. 481.
  2. ^ Knecht 1994, p. 253.
  3. ^ Robbins 1997, p. 84.
  4. ^ Baumgartner 1988, p. 38.
  5. ^ a b c Baumgartner 1988, p. 60.
  6. ^ Robbins 1997, p. 90.
  7. ^ Harding 1978, p. 77.
  8. ^ a b c Baumgartner 1988, p. 61.
  9. ^ Robbins 1997, p. 92.
  10. ^ Harding 1978, p. 41.
  11. ^ Roelker 1968, p. 135.
  12. ^ Robbins 1997, p. 186.
  13. ^ Robbins 1997, pp. 186–187.
  14. ^ Harding 1978, p. 60.
  15. ^ Robbins 1997, p. 188.
  16. ^ Robbins 1997, p. 189.
  17. ^ Harding 1978, p. 59.
  18. ^ Robbins 1997, p. 193.
  19. ^ Robbins 1997, p. 195.
  20. ^ a b Robbins 1997, p. 196.
  21. ^ Robbins 1997, p. 197.
  22. ^ Robbins 1997, p. 198.
  23. ^ Robbins 1997, p. 199.
  24. ^ Robbins 1997, pp. 202–203.
  25. ^ Sandret 1886, p. 140.

Sources

  • Baumgartner, Frederic (1988). Henry II: King of France 1547-1559. Duke University Press.
  • Harding, Robert (1978). Anatomy of a Power Elite: the Provincial Governors in Early Modern France. Yale University Press.
  • Knecht, Robert (1994). Renaissance Warrior and Patron: The Reign of Francis I. Cambridge University Press.
  • Robbins, Kevin (1997). City on the Ocean Sea: La Rochelle, 1530-1650 Urban Society, Religion and Politics on the French Atlantic Frontier. Brill.
  • Roelker, Nancy (1968). Queen of Navarre: Jeanne d'Albret 1528-1572. Harvard University Press.
  • Sandret, Louis (1886). Histoire généalogique de la maison de Chabot. Impr. de V. Forest et E. Grimaud.
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