Louis de Gonzague, Duke of Nevers
Louis de Gonzague | |
---|---|
Duke of Nevers | |
Born | 18 September 1539 Mantua |
Died | 23 October 1595 Nesle | (aged 56)
Noble family | House of Gonzaga |
Spouse(s) | Henriette de Clèves |
Issue |
|
Father | Margaret Palaeologina |
Louis de Gonzague, Duke of Nevers (
He opposed any drive to war with Spain in 1572, and after the
Nevers was again tempted to join the ligue during the second wave of the movement after the death of Alençon. Briefly serving as a commander for their forces in 1584, before he was pealed off from the movement in 1585 and returned to loyally supporting Henri. In 1588 he was chosen to replace
Early life and family
Born in
Marriage
On 4 March 1565 Nevers was married to the heiress
Children
His first son held the title of
Louis, Duke of Nevers, and his wife had five children:[12]
- Catherine Gonzaga (21 January 1568 – 1 December 1629), married Henry I, Duke of Longueville[12]
- Maria Henrietta Gonzaga (3 September 1571 – 3 August 1614), married Henry of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne[12]
- Frederick Gonzaga (11 March 1573 – 22 April 1574).[12]
- Francis Gonzaga (17 September 1576 – 13 June 1580).[12]
- Charles I, Duke of Mantua (6 May 1580 – 20 September 1637).[12]
Reign of Henri II
In 1549, Nevers emigrated from Italy, setting himself up in the court of the recently crowned
The
Reign of François II
As an important
Reign of Charles IX
By the mid-1560s, Nevers had received the position of lieutenant-general of the Piedmont, responsible for the military security of the remaining French possessions in Italy.[15] He would maintain his hold on this strategic post into the 1570s.[16]
In the peace that followed the first war of religion, there was not much opportunity for promotion within the companies under Nevers command, however that changed with the return of war, with 12 promotions within his units in October 1567 alone.[17]
Second war of religion
At the start of the second war of religion, negotiations flew back and forth between
During the third war that followed in 1568, Nevers would receive a serious leg wound, which compromised his ability to lead a military life, pushing him more into the role of statesman going forward, though he would continue to hold commands.[5]
Friendship
He took the young
Peace
In 1571, with the Admiral de Coligny pushing hard for a war with Spain to 're-unite Catholic and Protestant behind the crown' Nevers found himself in virulent opposition on council to such a scheme. He was not alone in opposition, all other members of the council bar Coligny were uninterested in such a venture and informed the king they opposed it. Nevers however had his intellectual protégé Anjou to make his case for him. His opposition came not only on grounds of principal, disliking the thought of declaring war on a Catholic monarch in favour of a Protestant adviser to the king, but also strategic, feeling that France would be fatally compromised when Spanish forces attacked from their Italian holdings.[25] He did not leave himself at this however, and alongside having Anjou argue his position, he was among those leading councillors who prepared memoranda highlighting the dangers of a war with Spain.[26]
In 1572 Nevers purchased from Charles IX, the Grand Nesle, an old townhouse located just east of the Tour de Nesle on the Left Bank of Paris. Nevers had it reconstructed, after which it became known as the Hôtel de Nevers.[27] Although it was never completed, it was greatly admired by contemporaries. Nevers' secretary, Blaise de Vigenère, a distinguished antiquarian and art historian, wrote that the house had a vault, built by Italian workmen, which was more grand than the one at the Baths of Caracalla. Although De Vigenère likely overstated the size, it must have been very impressive and was an architectural feature that was new to Paris.[28]
Radical
In August 1572, shortly before the upcoming royal marriage, a smaller marriage was held between the Prince of Condé and
Wedding
During the celebrations for the wedding of
Massacre of Saint Bartholomew
Keen to spread the
Poland
Anjou selected Nevers as one of the men to accompany him to the Commonwealth, still treating him as the chief adviser he had done since the 1560s. He was the princely exception among a retinue largely composed of secondary provincial nobility, mainly new men who Anjou had met on the siege lines of La Rochelle. Anjou was keen to disassociate himself from his mothers favourites for the most part.
Reign of Henri III
Intellectual interests
The new king was intellectually more curious than his young predecessors, and liked to hear philosophical discussions and debates, these lectures became known as the Académie du Palais, and Nevers was an infrequent attendee of these intellectual discourses. His wife Henriette also frequented them on occasion Though a close friend of the new king, he remained strongly connected to his former patron Catherine, and as her personal influence declined with the king, he and Retz could often be relied to champion her views during council discussions.[52]
The La Marcks had held the governorship of Normandie for some time, however in 1574
Alençon
After Alençon fled from court to join with the Malcontents, Henri struggled to find a commander to bring the young prince back to court. Eventually he turned to Nevers as his man for the job, a decision which was met with much laughter at court, due to the duke's war injuries that left him with a limp. Alençon travelled north to
Ligueur
The fifth war of religion was brought to a close with the generous
Sixth war of religion
In conflict once more, Henri decided the now loyal Alençon would lead the royal army against the Protestants. As a symbol of the reunited Valois dynasty. Alençon lacked much in the way of military skill however, so real authority in the army would rest with Nevers, supported by Guise and Mayenne. Indeed, the king instructed Nevers to keep Alençon safely away from any place on the field that might be in danger. Throughout this period Catherine was desperately seeking a way to achieve peace, Nevers remained in opposition to such a policy.
Nevers was among the grandees who gathered in 1583 at the personal invitation of the king for an Assembly of Notables. 68 Notables in total attended to discuss reform programs for the kingdom. The intended course of the sessions was derailed however, by the Cardinal de Bourbon who fell on his knees and begged the king to restore singular Catholic worship in the kingdom.[63] Some progress was derived from the discussions however, and it was agreed that Henri would curb the extravagant expenditure that he had bestowed upon his favourites in the prior decade. In general the king was reinforced in his desire to reduce the spending required to upkeep the court.[64]
Second ligue
At the foundation of the second ligue in 1584, it was hoped by Guise and
In August 1587, the king outlined how he planned to personally lead the army against the Protestant reiters who were crossing the border into France in support of Navarre. All of his council virulently opposed the suggestion, arguing it was far too dangerous. Nevers however stood alone in support of the proposal, arguing that if the king secured a victory against the Protestant mercenaries that it would disarm the ability of Guise to claim pre-eminence as a defender of Catholicism. The king liked this idea and sent Guise with inadequate forces to block the German approach while he commanded the main body. His plan did not proceed as expected however, the German army began to disintegrate after crossing into France and was picked off by Guise in two battles.[76]
Guise
The Estates General of 1588 required the presence of Guise, as such he abdicated his command of the army in Poitou to Nevers while he went to attend to the sessions, hoping they would support his ligueur proposals against the king.[77] The king faced a ligueur assembly and was compelled into humiliating concessions. In return the Estates granted him a small sum of 120,000 livres while offering 100,000 livres directly to the armies under Mayenne and Nevers.[78]
With the various humiliations forced upon him by the Guise and Ligue the king resolved to have them killed. In December 1588 his assassination plot fired, and the duke of Guise was murdered while attending a council session. The cardinal de Guise meanwhile was aggressively interrogated by the king's men, and confessed under duress that there was a plan for Nevers and other Catholic notables to capture the king.[79]
Collapse of royal authority
In the wake of these assassinations, Paris rose up and declared for the ligue. The new ligue administration of the city, the 'sixteen', urged Nevers to join them. After several weeks he responded, informing the ligue that he was of course sympathetic to their desires for a country free of heresy, but chastising them for trying to achieve it in defiance of the king. He highlighted recent reversals for the Catholic cause in Europe, at the Battle of Coutras, the Spanish Armada and other defeats, informing the city that these were gods punishment for internal Catholic divisions. He warned the city that if they continued in this manner, France might face a ruin akin to that of the Byzantine Empire. The sixteen shot back that if he continued to be loyal to the king his honour would be tarnished, but he refused to entertain their advances.[80] The late dukes wife Catherine de Clèves was equally optimistic Nevers might be a tool against the 'monster' who had murdered her husband, however he rebuffed her advances also.[81] His vassal town in Rethel, that of Mézières informed him that he had to declare his intentions, or else the town would declare for the ligue, he allowed the deadline to expire and the town joined the 'holy union'.[82]
The king licked his wounds in Tours as his situation spiralled out of control. Many of his advisors urged him to come to terms with Navarre, forming an alliance against the ligue. Nevers bitterly opposed such suggestions, outlining a picture of a ruined lawless France where Catholicism was illegal if such an alliance came to pass. Henri ignored these warnings, deciding to come to terms with his heir. Nevers in disgust departed the court, however he merely retired to his estates, not entering the ligue camp. From his home in the Nivernois he promised Henri he was still loyal and that he would suffer the afflictions god would send to him for his sins of remaining loyal to the crown. The two maintained contact over the following months[83] By June Nevers had become aware of plots to kill the king, writing in disgust to a friend of the wicked and sinful schemes to harm the lawful king. The following month Henri would be assassinated by the radical Catholic Jacques Clément.[84]
Reign of Henri IV
War against the ligue
With the assassination of Henri III, the matter of his service to a Protestant king was immediately put to the test. Nevers wavered, departing from the royal army to his estates and offering vague overtures to the ligue for a couple of months, however he was secured for the royal fold.[85][86] Fighting for his new king, in 1590 the combat reached Champagne as the duke of Lorraine invaded France in support of the ligue. He quickly captured Villefranche, the commander of whom was promptly hanged by Nevers for having yielded too easily to the attackers.[87] Two years later Henri would campaign against the ligue in the region. Nevers urged him on to reduce the town of Épernay. Biron was killed in the initial attempt, and when reinforced by troops under Nevers, the town was captured, a heavy blow to the nearby ligueurs in Reims.[88] In 1593 he held Beauce for the crown against any attempts to seize it by the ligue.[89] Chaumont held out until 1594, when upon hearing of the fall of Paris to Henri, the town councillors opened up lines of communication to Dinteville and Nevers, surrendering the town.[90] Guise continued holding out until October 1594, hoping to receive the governorship of Champagne, the king however was not willing to deprive the Gonzague-Nevers of this privilege and he was offered the governorship of Provence in return for surrendering Reims and the other towns under his control.[91]
Diplomat
Nevers was given the sensitive task by Henri IV in 1593 of communicating his conversion to Catholicism to the Pope, such that he could be granted absolution. Achieving absolution was seen as a necessary pre-requisite to the acceptance of many of the Catholic magnates who backed the ligue. In response the ligue sent the Jesuit Antonio Possevino to argue against Nevers. Nevers faced an uphill battle in his task, being accepted into Rome only due to his Mantuan nobility, and not as a representative of the 'Béarnais' the ligueur pejorative for Henri IV. As he and his allies worked to bring the Pope round, the ligueurs fell into disagreement over whether the Pope granting absolution was enough to make Henri acceptable as king.[92] While Nevers had been told he would not be accepted as an ambassador, this was not confirmed until January 1594, and came as a heavy blow to the royalist camp.[93] Henri tried again in 1595, and after meeting several conditions for the Pope, was granted absolution in September of that year.[94]
Finance and death
Upon the death of
Ancestry
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Sources
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References
- ^ Ward, Prothero & Leathes 1911, p. 75.
- ^ a b Jouanna 1998, p. 1506.
- ^ a b Durot 2012, p. 356.
- ^ a b Oman 1937, p. 263-264.
- ^ a b Carroll 2009, p. 196.
- ^ Knecht 2016, p. 26.
- ^ Konnert 2006, p. 29.
- ^ Jouanna 2007, p. 47.
- ^ Harding 1978, p. 72.
- ^ Condren 2021, p. 68.
- ^ NEVERS and the Counts of Nevers.
- ^ a b c d e f Boltanski 2006, p. 501.
- ^ Cloulas 1985, p. 591.
- ^ Durot 2012, p. 571.
- ^ Sutherland 1962, p. 148.
- ^ Sutherland 1962, p. 187.
- ^ Harding 1978, p. 73.
- ^ Sutherland 1980, p. 154, 226.
- ^ Wood 2002, p. 101.
- ^ Salmon 1975, p. 170.
- ^ Wood 2002, p. 18.
- ^ Wood 2002, p. 20.
- ^ Wood 2002, p. 124-5.
- ^ Carroll 2009, pp. 196–197.
- ^ Carroll 2009, p. 205.
- ^ Jouanna 2007, p. 60.
- ^ Braham and Smith 1973, p. 238.
- ^ a b Thomson 1984, p. 137.
- ^ Jouanna 2007, p. 63.
- ^ Jouanna 2007, p. 78.
- ^ Jouanna 2007, p. 103.
- ^ Carroll 2009, p. 213.
- ^ Jouanna 2007, p. 139.
- ^ Carroll 2009, pp. 218–9.
- ^ Jouanna 2007, p. 140.
- ^ Jouanna 2007, p. 144.
- ^ Thompson 1909, p. 450.
- ^ Jouanna 2007, p. 208.
- ^ a b Knecht 2016, p. 60.
- ^ Knecht 2016, p. 61.
- ^ Wood 2002, p. 248.
- ^ Wood 2002, p. 256.
- ^ Wood 2002, p. 265.
- ^ Knecht 2016, pp. 64–65.
- ^ Knecht 2016, p. 70.
- ^ Knecht 2016, p. 76.
- ^ Knecht 2016, p. 88.
- ^ Knecht 2016, p. 96.
- ^ Knecht 2016, p. 125.
- ^ Knecht 2014, p. 235.
- ^ Riccardi-Cubit 1996, p. 604.
- ^ Knecht 2016, p. 139.
- ^ Thompson 1909, p. 498.
- ^ Knecht 2014, p. 181.
- ^ Holt 2002, pp. 51–55.
- ^ Konnert 2006, p. 157.
- ^ Jouanna 1998, p. 303.
- ^ Roelker 1996, p. 341.
- ^ Knecht 2014, p. 189.
- ^ Holt 2002, pp. 88–90.
- ^ Holt 2002, p. 91.
- ^ Sutherland 1980, pp. 267–271.
- ^ Knecht 2016, p. 223.
- ^ Knecht 2016, p. 224.
- ^ Knecht 2016, p. 233.
- ^ Jouanna 1998, p. 313.
- ^ Konnert 2006, p. 174-175.
- ^ Konnert 2006, p. 176.
- ^ Knecht 2016, p. 239.
- ^ Knecht 2010, p. 67.
- ^ Carroll 2009, p. 266.
- ^ Knecht 2016, p. 246.
- ^ Harding 1978, p. 226.
- ^ Knecht 2016, p. 273.
- ^ Konnert 2006, p. 209.
- ^ Knecht 2016, pp. 247–8.
- ^ Knecht 2016, p. 260.
- ^ Knecht 2016, p. 263.
- ^ Knecht 2016, p. 268.
- ^ Knecht 2016, p. 281.
- ^ Knecht 2016, p. 282.
- ^ Konnert 2006, p. 219.
- ^ Knecht 2016, pp. 291–293.
- ^ Knecht 2016, p. 298.
- ^ Roelker 1996, p. 411.
- ^ Holt 2005, p. 136.
- ^ Konnert 2006, p. 234.
- ^ Konnert 2006, p. 236.
- ^ Salmon 1975, p. 267.
- ^ Konnert 2006, p. 240.
- ^ Konnert 2006, p. 249.
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- ^ Roelker 1996, p. 442.
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External links
- Marek, Miroslav. "A listing of descendants of Francesco II Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua". Genealogy.EU.