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Charles, Prince of La Roche-sur-Yon
Prince of La Roche-sur-Yon (died 1565), Governor, and French Military Commander / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Charles de Bourbon, Prince de la Roche-sur-Yon, (c. 1515-10 October 1565), was a Prince of the Blood and provincial governor under three French kings. He fought in the latter Italian wars during the reign of Henri II, commanding an army during the 1554 campaign into the Spanish Netherlands.
Charles de Bourbon | |
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Prince de La Roche-sur-Yon | |
![]() Portrait of La Roche-sur-Yon by François Clouet | |
Born | c. 1515 |
Died | 18 October 1565 |
Noble family | House of Bourbon-Montpensier |
Spouse(s) | Philippe de Montespedon |
Issue | Henri, Marquis de Beaupré |
Father | Louis de Bourbon, Prince of La Roche-sur-Yon |
Mother | Louise de Bourbon, Duchess of Montpensier |
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/46/Armoiries_Charles_Roche-sur-Yon.svg/320px-Armoiries_Charles_Roche-sur-Yon.svg.png)
Upon the death of Henri II in 1559, he found himself gaining favour under the insecure Guise regime, who were keen to ensure they had the support of the princes. La Roche-sur-Yon was granted first a place on their council, and with the regime battered by the Conspiracy of Amboise he was granted a super-governorship centred on the Duchy of Orléans. Governing his charge with a moderate religious policy, Catherine de Medici was keen to court him when she assumed the regency for her young son Charles IX upon the premature death of François II.
Receiving the governorship of the city of Paris in 1561 he again demonstrated his tolerance of Protestantism allowing prêches to occur without the intervention of the authorities even though they were technically against the law. During the Riot of Saint-Medard his officials would blame the Catholics for starting the violent confrontation, which proved a bridge too far for the Catholics at court. Catherine excised him from the governorship in January 1562 in favour of François de Montmorency.
With the death of François, Duke of Guise at the hands of an assassin during the siege of Orléans, La Roche-sur-Yon was granted his governorship of Dauphiné, authority in the province itself flowing first through Laurent de Maugiron and then the baron de Gordes before La Roche-sur-Yon died in October 1565, the province being taken over by his brother Louis, Duke of Montpensier.