Guillaume de Joyeuse (1520–1592) was a French military commander during the
French Wars of Religion
The French Wars of Religion were a series of civil wars between French Catholic Church, Catholics and Protestantism, Protestants (called Huguenots) from 1562 to 1598. Between two and four million people died from violence, famine or disease di ...
. Originally destined for the church, he assumed the office of ''vicomte de Joyeuse'' upon the death of his elder brother in 1554. He was subsequently appointed at lieutenant-general of Languedoc, under the governor
Antoine de Crussol. In this capacity he established himself as a harsh persecutor of Protestantism. When the civil wars broke out in 1562 he assumed his military responsibilities, regularly fighting with the viscomtes de Languedoc throughout the early civil wars. He achieved a notable victory against them in 1568 on the field of
Montfran. He did not spread the
Massacre of Saint Bartholomew into the territory he controlled and remained loyal to the crown during the fifth civil war, fighting with the
Malcontents. In 1582 he was elevated to
Marshal of France
Marshal of France (, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to General officer, generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1793–1804) ...
by
Henri III. He found himself increasingly drawn to the
Catholic League (France) after its formal formation and when Henri III was assassinated in 1589 he fought against
Navarre for
Charles, Duke of Mayenne and the league. He died in 1592.
Early life and family
The Joyeuse family had a long history of service to the French crown by the time Guillaume was born. The son of
Jean, Vicomte de Joyeuse and
Françoise de Voisins, dames d'Arques he was initially intended for a church career as the younger son. When his brother died he assumed leadership of the family and renounced his church career.
He married
Marie de Batarnay and with her had several children, among whom
Anne de Joyeuse would become one of
Les Mignons of Henri III, and a key favourite of the king, being made duke of Joyeuse in 1581.
Reign of Francis II
Joyeuse warned the young king that he was not sure he could rely on the obedience of his subordinates in the region in the towns of
Beaucaire and
Aigues-Mortes, he further complained that Huguenots were reaching out to indebted nobles, taking advantage of their financial position to secure protection for their services. As early as 1560, Joyeuse intervened in the largely Protestant town of
Nîmes
Nîmes ( , ; ; Latin: ''Nemausus'') is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Gard Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region of Southern France. Located between the Med ...
to replace its town council. He noted that deserters from the royal garrisons were forming bands that terrorised the countryside, and that 1200 such men were in the
Gevaudan .
Reign of Charles IX
Crisis of authority
With fear of Spanish intentions on the rise in 1561, Joyeuse was instructed by
Catherine de'Medici to ensure as lieutenant-general of
Languedoc
The Province of Languedoc (, , ; ) is a former province of France.
Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately .
History
...
that he was ready if troops crossed the frontier. As royal police became increasingly conciliatory towards the Huguenots, he wrote with exasperation to the crown in 1562 that the lack of clarity on the religious situation was making it impossible for him to enforce order in the province.
In early 1562, royal commissioners were sent to Languedoc to try to bring the region back into full obedience to the king, the Catholics there complaining of the acts of the Huguenots. Michel Quelain and Jean de la Guesle reported to the crown that with Crussol absent from the province, away in
Provence there was great disorder with 'new offences every day'. They hoped that with Joyeuse backing them up militarily they would be able to restore obedience of the king's edicts to the province. However civil war would erupt before they could have much impact.
First civil war
When civil war broke out in 1562, Joyeuse was left to face local Protestant uprisings without the main royal army for assistance. Pope
Pius IV sent 2500 men under his nephew to support Joyeuse. His men pillaged the estates of governor Crussol during their movements. In early 1563, fearing a repeat of the
Toulouse uprising the ''Parlement'' of
Toulouse
Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...
called on
Blaise de Monluc and Joyeuse to a secret meeting, in which it was agreed to form a Catholic ''ligue'' for the defence of the faith against Protestantism. Despite this involvement, Joyeuse generally sought to enforce the
Edict of Amboise though he maintained his connections with the extremists who opposed it. He received praise from the king for the zeal with which he enforced the kings will.
Second civil war
Joyeuse continued his military activities during the second civil war, travelling up the
Rhône with 2000 foot and 600 horse to assist the
Count of Tende
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility.L. G. Pine, Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty'' ...
. On the way they sieged the small fortifications that obstructed them until they reached
Pont St. Esprit in February. This town proved harder, and the siege was broken off. While formal
peace
Peace is a state of harmony in the absence of hostility and violence, and everything that discusses achieving human welfare through justice and peaceful conditions. In a societal sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (suc ...
had been declared, operations continued in the south. Joyeuse diverted his forces across the Rhône on 7 March and captured
Loudun,
Orsennes and
Tresques before reuniting with the count of Tende for another attack on Pont St. Esprit. The local Protestants under Montbrun decided to offer battle, but were defeated on the plains of Montfran on 24 May. With Languedoc subdued he ensured all towns under his command were properly garrisoned and sought to disarm those Protestants that remained at arms. He had difficult with bringing
Montauban,
Castres and
Montpellier
Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...
to order.
Third civil war
The flight south of Condé and the Huguenot nobility in late 1568 saw the viscounts of Languedoc, who had been an active force in both previous civil wars, attempt to bring juncture between their forces and those of the Protestant leadership. Joyeuse, together again with the
count of Tende
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility.L. G. Pine, Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty'' ...
, governor of
Provence intercepted the viscounts before they could link up, blocking their passage across the Rhône. Joyeuse raised further troops in Languedoc with the support of Sarlaboz. These were sent on to
Brissac and
Strozzi who were assembling a force at
Dissay. This withdrawal from the Rhône allowed the viscounts to regroup and begin their operations again.
Massacre of Saint Bartholomew
As the
Massacre of Saint Bartholomew spread out into the
provinces rumours that the king wished for the death of all Protestants in France, filtered out across the country. Joyeuse refused to take advantage of these rumours to orchestrate a massacre in his locality. Nevertheless he used the opportunity to send orders to Nîmes to lay down their arms, and accept a royal garrison.
Fifth civil war
After the massacre, a faction of the Catholic nobility, known as the ''politiques'' began plotting a conspiracy to seize the king and queen mother and overturn the political settlement that ended the fourth civil war. The conspiracy was uncovered, and the
duke of Montmorency and
Artus de Cossé-Brissac were arrested for their part. Joyeuse was tasked with seizing
Damville but he was able to evade Joyeuse's agents, thus leading the
Malcontents (France) during the fifth civil war.
Reign of Henri III
Fifth civil war
At the advent of Henri III's reign, Joyeuse was once more left to face off with the viscounts of Languedoc under Paulin.
Catholic League
As a ''
liguer'' with the ascendency of
Charles, Duke of Mayenne in the wake of the assassination of
Henri III of France he was assigned as military leader of Languedoc. In this role he came into conflict with the militant bishop Saint-Gelais. Having just lost the town of
Carcassonne to forces loyal to
Navarre he entered the city of
Toulouse
Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...
on 30 September 1589. He wanted a temporary truce with Navarre such that his troops could recover, he further desired the disbanding of the local Confraternity of the Holy Ghost, viewing the militant Catholic organisation as a threat to civil order. The bishop responded by retreating to the island of Thunis on the
Garonne from there he instructed his loyal followers to arm themselves, and several hundred of them stormed Joyeuse's residence in the city. With the help of his son, violence was averted, and he gained control of the city. Now in command he was able to win the confidence of much of the ''Parlement'' of Toulouse, alongside the ''capitouls'' and ''bureau d'état'' and leverage them to negotiate his way into leadership of the local ''ligue''. Gelais left the city and Joyeuse remained in uncontested local leadership until his death. Regardless much of his time was consumed in military operations so he left lieutenants to preside over the ''ligue'' for much of the year.
Sources
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Further reading
* {{cite book , first=Stuart , last=Carroll , title=Martyrs and Murderers: The Guise Family and the Making of Europe , publisher=Oxford University Press , year=2009, ref=none
References
1520s births
1592 deaths
People from the Orléanais
Marshals of France
French people of the French Wars of Religion