François de la Noue
Encyclopedia
François de la Noue called Bras-de-Fer, one of the Huguenot
captains of the 16th century, was born near Nantes
in 1531, of an ancient Breton
family.
He served in Italy
under Marshal Brissac, and in the first Huguenot war
, but his first great exploit was the capture of Orléans
at the head of only fifteen cavaliers in 1567, during the second war. At the battle of Jarnac
in March 1569 he commanded the rearguard, and at Moncontour the following October he was taken prisoner; but he was exchanged in time to resume the governorship of Poitou
, and to inflict a signal defeat on the royalist troops before Rochefort.
At the siege of Fontenay (1570) his left arm was shattered by a bullet and later amputated; but a mechanic of La Rochelle
made him an artificial iron arm (hence his sobriquet) with a hook for holding his reins. When peace was made in France in the same year, La Noue carried his sword against the Spaniards in the Netherlands
, but was taken at the recapture of Mons by the Spanish in 1572.
Permitted to return to France, he was commissioned by Charles IX
, after the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre
, to reconcile the inhabitants of La Rochelle, the great stronghold of the Huguenots, to the king (see Siege of La Rochelle (1572-1573)
). But the Rochellois were too much alarmed to come to terms; and La Noue, perceiving that war was imminent, and knowing that his post was on the Huguenot side, gave up his royal commission, and from 1574 till 1578 acted as general of La Rochelle.
When peace was again concluded La Noue once more went to aid the Protestants of the Low Countries
. He took several towns and captured Count Egmont
in 1580; but a few weeks afterwards he fell into the hands of the Spaniards. Thrust into a prison at Limburg
, La Noue was kept confined for five years by a powerful nation.
It was in captivity that he wrote his celebrated Discours politiques et militaires, a work which was published at Basel
in 1587, La Rochelle in 1590, London (in English) in 1587, Frankfurt on Main (in German) 1592 and 1612 and had an immense influence on the soldiers of all nations. The abiding value of La Noue's Discourses lies in the fact that he wrote of war as a human drama, before it had been elaborated and codified.
At length, in June 1585, La Noue was exchanged for Egmont
and other important prisoners, while a heavy ransom and a pledge not to bear arms against the King of Spain were also exacted from him. Until 1589 La Noue took no part in public matters, but in that year he joined Henry of Navarre against the Leaguers
. He was present at both sieges of Paris
, at Ivry
and other battles. At the siege of Lamballe in Brittany
he received a wound of which he died at Moncontour on the 4th of August 1591.
His Correspondence was published in 1854.
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
captains of the 16th century, was born near Nantes
Nantes
Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
in 1531, of an ancient Breton
Breton people
The Bretons are an ethnic group located in the region of Brittany in France. They trace much of their heritage to groups of Brythonic speakers who emigrated from southwestern Great Britain in waves from the 3rd to 6th century into the Armorican peninsula, subsequently named Brittany after them.The...
family.
He served in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
under Marshal Brissac, and in the first Huguenot war
French Wars of Religion
The French Wars of Religion is the name given to a period of civil infighting and military operations, primarily fought between French Catholics and Protestants . The conflict involved the factional disputes between the aristocratic houses of France, such as the House of Bourbon and House of Guise...
, but his first great exploit was the capture of Orléans
Orléans
-Prehistory and Roman:Cenabum was a Gallic stronghold, one of the principal towns of the Carnutes tribe where the Druids held their annual assembly. It was conquered and destroyed by Julius Caesar in 52 BC, then rebuilt under the Roman Empire...
at the head of only fifteen cavaliers in 1567, during the second war. At the battle of Jarnac
Battle of Jarnac
The Battle of Jarnac on 13 March 1569 was an encounter during the French Wars of Religion between the Catholic forces of Marshal Gaspard de Saulx, sieur de Tavannes, and the Huguenots, near the nadir of their fortunes, financed by Reinhold von Krockow and led by Louis I de Bourbon, prince de...
in March 1569 he commanded the rearguard, and at Moncontour the following October he was taken prisoner; but he was exchanged in time to resume the governorship of Poitou
Poitou
Poitou was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers.The region of Poitou was called Thifalia in the sixth century....
, and to inflict a signal defeat on the royalist troops before Rochefort.
At the siege of Fontenay (1570) his left arm was shattered by a bullet and later amputated; but a mechanic of La Rochelle
La Rochelle
La Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a bridge completed on 19 May 1988...
made him an artificial iron arm (hence his sobriquet) with a hook for holding his reins. When peace was made in France in the same year, La Noue carried his sword against the Spaniards in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, but was taken at the recapture of Mons by the Spanish in 1572.
Permitted to return to France, he was commissioned by Charles IX
Charles IX of France
Charles IX was King of France, ruling from 1560 until his death. His reign was dominated by the Wars of Religion. He is best known as king at the time of the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre.-Childhood:...
, after the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre
St. Bartholomew's Day massacre
The St. Bartholomew's Day massacre in 1572 was a targeted group of assassinations, followed by a wave of Roman Catholic mob violence, both directed against the Huguenots , during the French Wars of Religion...
, to reconcile the inhabitants of La Rochelle, the great stronghold of the Huguenots, to the king (see Siege of La Rochelle (1572-1573)
Siege of La Rochelle (1572-1573)
The Siege of La Rochelle of 1572–1573 was a massive military assault on the Huguenot-held city of La Rochelle by Catholic troops during the fourth phase of the French Wars of Religion, following the August 1572 St. Bartholomew's Day massacre. The conflict began in November 1572 when inhabitants of...
). But the Rochellois were too much alarmed to come to terms; and La Noue, perceiving that war was imminent, and knowing that his post was on the Huguenot side, gave up his royal commission, and from 1574 till 1578 acted as general of La Rochelle.
When peace was again concluded La Noue once more went to aid the Protestants of the Low Countries
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
. He took several towns and captured Count Egmont
Egmond family
The Egmond or Egmont family is named after the Dutch town of Egmond, province of Noord Holland, and played an important role in the Netherlands during the Middle Ages....
in 1580; but a few weeks afterwards he fell into the hands of the Spaniards. Thrust into a prison at Limburg
Duchy of Limburg
The Duchy of Limburg, situated in the Low Countries between the river Meuse and the city of Aachen, was a state of the Holy Roman Empire. Its territory is now divided between the Belgian provinces of Liège and Limburg , the Dutch province of Limburg , and a small part of North Rhine-Westphalia in...
, La Noue was kept confined for five years by a powerful nation.
It was in captivity that he wrote his celebrated Discours politiques et militaires, a work which was published at Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
in 1587, La Rochelle in 1590, London (in English) in 1587, Frankfurt on Main (in German) 1592 and 1612 and had an immense influence on the soldiers of all nations. The abiding value of La Noue's Discourses lies in the fact that he wrote of war as a human drama, before it had been elaborated and codified.
At length, in June 1585, La Noue was exchanged for Egmont
Egmond family
The Egmond or Egmont family is named after the Dutch town of Egmond, province of Noord Holland, and played an important role in the Netherlands during the Middle Ages....
and other important prisoners, while a heavy ransom and a pledge not to bear arms against the King of Spain were also exacted from him. Until 1589 La Noue took no part in public matters, but in that year he joined Henry of Navarre against the Leaguers
Catholic League (French)
The Catholic League of France, sometimes referred to by contemporary Roman Catholics as the Holy League, a major player in the French Wars of Religion, was formed by Duke Henry of Guise in 1576...
. He was present at both sieges of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, at Ivry
Ivry
Ivry is part of the name of multiple communes in France:* Ivry-la-Bataille, in the Eure département* Ivry-sur-Seine, in the Val-de-Marne départementIvry is also part of the name of a city in the province of Quebec:...
and other battles. At the siege of Lamballe in Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
he received a wound of which he died at Moncontour on the 4th of August 1591.
Works
He wrote, besides the Discourses,- Declaration pour prise d'armées et la défeute de Sedan et Jarnets (1588)
- Observations sur l'histoire de Guicciardini (2 vols, 1592
- notes on PlutarchPlutarchPlutarch then named, on his becoming a Roman citizen, Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus , c. 46 – 120 AD, was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia...
's Lives.
His Correspondence was published in 1854.