Armand de Gontaut, Baron of Biron

During the fighting of the first civil war, he fought for the crown at the Battle of Dreux in December 1562.[1]

The Edict of Amboise brought an end to the first war of religion in March 1563. To ensure that its terms would be followed across France, commissioners were sent out to oversee its implementation and resolve disputes. Biron was sent to Provence, where there were reports of problems in implementing the peace. Upon arriving he reduced the hold out town of Sisteron which had not relinquished its Protestant garrison. He further reinstalled the governor Tende who had been chased out of Provence by his own son during the civil war.[4] He reported back to the crown in April 1564 that both the commissioners and those who desired to lodge complaints about the enforcement were being intimidated by the local nobility.[5] Specifically among the nobility he singled out Sommerive and Carcès as particularly troublesome and recommended they be called to court to answer for their actions.[6] He further opined that only the full weight of royal authority on the region would bring about the obedience of the king's edict.[7] In the same year, Biron wrote to Catherine asking to be relieved of his office in Guyenne.[3]

Portrait Armand de Gontaut-Biron

With victory at the Battle of Moncontour several marshals advocated using the opportunity to secure a favourable settlement, among them Biron. The crown refused and pressed on to break the Huguenot strongholds in the south. The first stronghold in their way was that of Saint-Jean-d'Angély. Biron was raised to the post of grand master of artillery and starting on 26 October tasked with reducing the town. Progress was slow, several assaults were bloodily repulsed, disease and hunger ran rampant in the royal camp. By the time the city had surrendered on 2 December the royal army was a broken shell.[8] Brantôme relates an anecdote where after the surrender, Biron attacked his men who dishonored the terms of surrender by pillaging from the captured garrison.[9]

Alongside his military role in the war he also conducted diplomatic missions. When in February 1570 the Protestants sent demands to the court, Biron was sent along with de Mesmes to communicate the king's rejection of their terms.[10] Having urged the king to keep the negotiations going, at the very least to learn the rebels intentions, he had a meeting with Coligny in March.[11] Beyond the formal peace declared in August 1570, Biron's role as a negotiator would continue, now for the Navarre marriage instead of peace. He received Albret for an interview to negotiate the match in March 1571.[12] His involvement in the negotiations continued over the following months until in December he prepared to escort her to Paris, to discuss directly with Catherine de'Medici, after some delays around Nérac they continued on to the capital in January.[13] With the marriage contract concluded, Biron arranged for the young Navarre's journey to Paris, and was with him when news of his mother's death arrived.[14]

Shortly after the Massacre of Saint Bartholomew the town of La Rochelle filled with refugees from across France. The crown was conscious the town could be the nucleus of resistance and Biron was named governor of the city, with the aim of the town submitting peacefully to him. When he attempted to enter the city, his entry was rebuffed. Negotiations continued until November, Biron and the crown remembering the difficulties the far less well defended city of Saint-Jean-d'Angély had presented, and desiring to avoid a siege. However no agreement would be reached and a siege would be agreed upon when news of La Rochelle's negotiations with the English were reported.[15][16]

To this end men and munitions flooded south to Biron throughout December and into January 1573. Biron's preparations continued slowly, as he had to prepare for both land and sea attacks. By the time Anjou arrived in February, he had completed the investment of the town from land, but the harbour remained only partially closed, and no approach trenches had been dug. Anjou now took over as overall commander, successfully completing the closure at sea. By April the approach trenches had reached the walls. Assaults began in the following months, as the artillery reduced the area into a smouldering ruin. Desertions ran rampant and by the time the outer wall was breached in June Anjou was increasingly tired of the siege. He excoriated Biron for what he felt were his failings in conducting the siege.[17] Concurrently Anjou had been elected king of Poland, and he took the excuse to negotiate a peace. As a term of this settlement, Biron was at last allowed his brief entry into the town.[18] Throughout the siege, Biron's batteries had fired 25,000 rounds.[19]

With Henri's return to France from Spain, he was keen to counteract the military influence that Retz had accrued as a favourite of Catherine in the proceeding years. To this end Biron was appointed as a marshal. In response, Retz resigned his role of Constable that he had held in Henri's Polish administration.[20]

With civil war resumed in between the crown and the politiques there was fear at court that Condé, who was in Germany, would enter the kingdom with his forces. To prevent this, and allow the crown to focus on subduing Damville in Languedoc, Biron and the young Guise were sent out to monitor the frontier. They arrived at Langres with 8000 men. The king continued to send forces to Langres to bolster the army, for the eventual crossing of Condé, which occurred in October, Guise leading the army that defeated them at Dormans.[21]

In January 1577 as France again found itself on the brink of civil war with the Huguenots at arms, Henri, little interested in a war that would leave him at the mercy of the Ligue sent out envoys to the key Protestant aristocrats, hoping to bring them into line such that formal conflict could be averted. Biron was sent with a message to Navarre, a mixture of reassurances about the crowns friendliness to him, and concerns about his actions. Navarre sent a contrite reply, but held several objections to the king's position, and another debate on the conseil privé erupted over whether to go to war. With the peace faction winning, Biron was again sent to Navarre on 3 March to continue negotiations. While these were ongoing the military situation of his supporters deteriorated into war.[22] Navarre maintained his desire for peace, and the two sides were able to come to terms in the Treaty of Bergerac in September 1577.[23]

Navarre complained bitterly about Biron's role as lieutenant-general of Guyenne, bemoaning that he was governor in name only given how much authority his subordinate had.[24] In February 1579 he resigned as lieutenant-general of Saintonge and Aunis in favour of the sieur de Belleville.[25] Biron, as lieutenant-general of Guyenne was responsible for overseeing some of the concessions granted to the Protestants in the Treaty of Nérac, however he would not implement them all. As a result the Protestants of the region began re-arming, and Navarre took the excuse to seize the town of Cahors in May 1580.[26] He took a brief leave in 1580 after he fell off a horse whilst campaigning at Toulouse, and while recovering appointed his son Charles to lead his forces.[27]

The king's younger brother Alençon seeking advancement accepted the offer from William the Silent to become sovereign of the United Provinces of the Netherlands in 1579, entering the country in 1582. In 1581 with Spanish fears about what Alençon might be planning, Biron was sent to Picardy to guard the border in case Spain took the offensive.[28] The following year Alençon now in the low countries was struggling to exert control his army depleted by the harsh winter. Biron and Montpensier were tasked with reinforcing him. Biron arrived with 3500 foot and several companies of cavalry on 1 December 1582.[29] He would grow restless and unsatisfied with the territories he ruled, and sought to surprise the city of Antwerp to add it to his dominion. The attempt was a disaster, and his force was trapped in the city and destroyed during the French Fury, Biron and Montpensier were uninvolved in his attempt on the city.[30] Bellièvre was sent to the Netherlands to smooth things other with the States. He achieved great success and the States invited Biron to relieve the siege of Eindhoven which was under attack by the Spanish. In April however Eindhoven capitulated and Biron moved his forces to Roosendaal. Increasingly out of cash Biron begged for funds almost daily but without result, his army disintegrated from desertions before his eyes. Biron angrily blamed the estates for the failure of his expedition. Money was at last advanced from France to pay for the remnants of Biron's army to withdraw from the Netherlands.[31]

With the death of Alençon the following year, Biron accompanied his body back to Paris for the lavish funeral overseen by Henri.[32]

Compelled by the Ligue to make war on the politiques in 1585, Henri tasked Matignon and Biron with prosecuting the war against Navarre in Guyenne. The two Marshals prosecuted the campaign half heartedly, and only the forces directly loyal to the Ligue under Mercœur conducted the war with any vigour.[33] Biron secretly negotiated with Navarre in July 1586 and in the following month a truce was established by the two.[34]

In 1587, with a German army invading in support of the Protestants under Casimir a council was held by Henri to decide how to proceed. Henri announced to the assembled nobles his desire to lead the French army out to destroy the invader, explaining it would allow him to regain authority from the Ligue. Biron and all the other councillors except Nevers expressed their horror at this idea.[35]

By 1588 the situation in Paris was tense, the Ligue, increasingly dominant, orchestrated a coup in the city, with Guise at its head. Those out on the barricades threatened bloody violence on the loyalists, unless the royal and Swiss troops were removed from the city. Henri ordered the troops withdrawn to the Louvre, and tasked François d'O, Jean VI d'Aumont and Biron with leading them off the streets. Small fights would break out however, and the lives of the Swiss were at risk from the crowd. The king sent Biron to meet with the duke of Guise, and Guise agreed to provide them passage to safety from the violent crowd.[36]