Lesdiguières, François de Bonne, duc de
(duke of)
b. April 1, 1543, Saint-Bonnet-en-Champsaur, Fr.
d. Sept. 21, 1626, Valence |
constable of France and Protestant leader who late in life abjured the
faith.
Lesdiguières had begun to study law at Paris
when he joined the Huguenot
troops in Dauphiné and distinguished himself in mountain warfare.
In 1575 he became the acknowledged leader of Huguenot resistance in the
province and fought there for several years to secure better terms for
the Protestants.
Lesdiguières took up arms for Henry of Navarre in 1585 and, after
the truce of 1588-89, secured the submission of Dauphiné. For the
next several years he fought to defend France against the Spanish and Savoyards,
with the war against the latter proceeding on and off until 1601.
Lesdiguières was made marshal of France
in 1609, duke and peer of France in 1611, and governor of Dauphiné
in 1612. He moderated the political claims made by his coreligionists under
the terms of the Edict
of Nantes, which had acknowledged Protestant religious and political
rights. In 1622 he formally abjured the Protestant faith and took up arms
against Protestants in the south; he became constable of France and received
the Order of the Saint Esprit. Much of his official correspondence was
published in 1878-84.
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