Bernard de Nogaret
Late 16th-century French noble, Admiral and governor / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bernard de Nogaret, seigneur de La Valette (c. 1553 – 11 February 1592) was a French governor, military officer, favourite, courtier and statesman during the latter French Wars of Religion. The eldest son of Jean de Nogaret and Jeanne de Saint-Lary, La Valette was born into a provincial noble family on the rise, his father elevating himself to lieutenant-general of Guyenne during his lifetime. La Valette received his first military service in 1570 under his father at Arnay-le-Duc before being introduced to the future king Henri III at the siege of La Rochelle in 1573. Unlike many other favourites of Henri, the Nogaret family would become close to the king late, and it was not until 1579 that La Valette began to enjoy the fruits of favour, when upon the death of Marshal Bellegarde Henri selected him to assume the governorship over Saluzzo and French Piedmont. By 1580, La Valette was among those in the king's inner circle with whom he travelled on private retreats. In 1582 he became Chambellan to the king, and then a member of the exclusive conseil des affaires. Henri planned further advancement for him with receipt of the provincial governate of the Lyonnais, however this would not materialise. In 1584 the king's brother Alençon died, and the prospective succession of the Protestant Navarre motivated the reformation of the Catholic ligue which successfully forced Henri to renounce Navarre's succession and make war on Protestantism. La Valette was established in Dauphiné to lead the fight against the Protestant commander Lesdiguières. The lieutenant-general of Dauphiné Maugiron allied with him in this fight, and resigned his charge as lieutenant-general to him in 1587.
Bernard de Nogaret | |
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seigneur de La Valette | |
Born | c. 1553 |
Died | 11 February 1592 Roquebrune |
Noble family | Maison de Nogaret |
Spouse(s) | Anne de Batarnay |
Father | Jean de Nogaret |
Mother | Jeanne de Saint-Lary |
That year the duke of Joyeuse was killed at Coutras, and La Valette's younger brother Épernon became governor of Normandie. Thereafter he ceded his authority as governor of Provence to La Valette, though La Valette would not formally assume the charge of governor until 1590. Bellegarde would also be killed during the battle, and La Valette became maître de camp of the light cavalry. The disgrace of Épernon and La Valette had by now become central objectives to the ligue, and after the humiliation of the king during the Day of the Barricades, he was compelled to disgrace Épernon by the ligueurs. Épernon agreed to cede his authority as governor of Provence and Admiral to his brother, and was replaced as governor of Normandie by the duke of Montpensier. Around this time La Valette entered alliance with his former enemy, Lesdiguières to protect his families position in Provence. In September, while the Estates General of 1588, another concession to the ligue, was in session, the duke of Savoie invaded and occupied Saluzzo with little resistance. At the Estates, Guise moved to have Épernon and La Valette declared heretics in league with Navarre, however this failed. This humiliating attempt however further convinced Henri of the necessity to assassinate the duke of Guise. With the duke killed much of France rebelled against Henri, including the major cities of Provence. The duke of Savoie allied with the ligue for an invasion of France proper, and had considerable success despite losing a battle to La Valette and Lesdiguières. Shortly before the Estates General closed, it compelled Henri to divest La Valette of the office of Admiral, which he ceded to Beauvais-Nangis in February. On 2 January 1590, Navarre, now styled Henri IV after the murder of Henri III appointed La Valette formally as governor of Provence. He would die on 11 February 1592 of wounds sustained while besieging the ligueur held town of Roquebrune.