FranÃ§ois de Montmorency

François de Montmorency, second Duke of Montmorency, (* June 17, 1530, † May 6, 1579 in Écouen ) was governor of Paris and Marshal of France.

Life

François was the eldest son of Anne de Montmorency, Marshal and Constable of France, and his wife Madeleine de Savoie.

He was like his father, a soldier, fought in 1551 in the Piedmont and defended in 1553 Therouanne against the imperial troops. In 1556 he became governor of the Ile- de -France. He was appointed as his father's successor to the Grand Master of France, had his claims but in 1559 ceded to the Duke of Guise, François de Lorraine and be satisfied with the marshal's baton.

1556 struck the king before him to marry his daughter from the connection with Filippa Duci, Diane de Valois. François had, however, secretly with Joan Hallewin de Piennes, a maid of honor to the Queen, engaged without the knowledge of his family and now had to admit this. He traveled to Rome to meet Pope Paul IV a dispensation for his marriage vows, but in vain. Only Paul's successor Pius IV finally gave them in November 1560th Nevertheless, François had previously "solve" to marry Henry's daughter in May 1557 can connect to pressure from his parents. She was the widow of Orazio Farnese, Duke of Castro, which legitimized as Princess of France in 1572 and was appointed to the Duchess of Chatellerault, Etampes and Angoulême. This was made possible by a decree from the year 1556/57, the secret marriages allowed without parental consent only for men over 30 and women aged 25 years and for François ' marriage with Jeanne had given the rash.

Due to its moderate attitude towards the Protestants, he moved to the enmity of the Guises, and escaped only narrowly escaped the massacre of St. Bartholomew.

His royal connection saved his life in 1574, when Charles IX. Members of the so-called Malcontents ( German: dissatisfied ), a political group of moderate Protestants and Catholics, was executed. Although François had also joined them, he was arrested for his alleged involvement in the conspiracy only in the Bastille. On the orders of Catherine de Medici but was released after only a year, because it his support against the Duke of Alençon, François- Hercule de Valois, the only surviving brother of Henry III. , Required.

From the marriage with Diane arose in September 1560 the son of Anne, who, however, died shortly after his birth in October. As François had no other heirs, the title of duke and the peerage were transferred to his younger brother Henri I..