Laurent de Maugiron

In April 1562 the lieutenant general of Dauphiné and acting governor, in the absence of the duke of Guise, La Motte Gondrin was assassinated. Maugiron was selected as his replacement in a commission on 2 May 1562. In the letter charging him he was urged to punish the principle perpetrators, and bring the country of Dauphiné which was falling to rebels as the country fell into civil war, back into obedience with the crown.[8] He was a fidèles of the Guise and represented their interests in the province.[9] He linked his forces in the province up with those under Nemours with the hope of re-capturing the city of Vienne, which had been seized by the rebel baron des Adrets.[10] Assembling before Grenoble in June he entered the town in force on 14 June 1562 after the surrender of the town to him.[11]

This would represent the highpoint of his success in the early months, and Adrets was able to reverse this capture, his much larger force seizing Grenoble on 26 June.[12] Maugiron hastily retreated through the lands of the duke of Savoy up into Burgundy where Tavannes was having more success.[13] In September the two commanders stormed Mâcon. They pursued the Protestants southwards towards Lyon before Tavannes was relieved of his command in favour of Nemours.[14] Together their forces now numbered 20,000 and they attempted to capture Lyon, the city however proved resilient and they were unsuccessful. Failing in this they turned back to Maugiron's original objective, that of Vienne, which they entered at the end of September. In late October he bested a smaller force of Adrets, killing several hundred men and forcing him to retreat to Lyon.[15] As the year came to a close his forces were called north to the main royal army, and for his services during the Battle of Dreux he would be granted a company of soldiers.[16]

With the Assassination of the Duke of Guise (1563) in February 1563 at the siege of Orléans, Catherine appointed Charles, Prince of La Roche-sur-Yon as governor of Dauphiné and confirmed Maugiron's lieutenant generalcy.[17] In March he besieged Grenoble. Having hoped to gain entry via the betrayal of the gates, he was disappointed, and upon hearing of the approach of forces under Antoine de Crussol he burned the suburbs of the town and retreated.[18] After another unsuccessful attempt to capture Lyon the war was brought to a close with the Edict of Amboise. While he was urged to enforce its terms in his territory, the crown informed him there were several hold out Protestant controlled settlements they would like to see reduced and he was urged not to disarm before Lyon and Valence had returned to obedience.[19]

To achieve the subjugation of Vienne, Maugiron and Nemours had promised the Protestants of the town that they would have continued practice of their religion in the city. However the Edict of Amboise offered no such provisions for Vienne, as such Maugiron was informed by François de Scépeaux that the edict overrode any promises he might have made.[20]

During the royal tour of France, the court passed through the governorship of Dauphiné, with Maugiron receiving the collar of the Order of Saint-Michel in August 1564.[21] The following month he was replaced as lieutenant general by the baron de Gordes, Maugiron was reduced to the governorship of the town of Vienne, the court hoping the honour of the order would make the pill easier to swallow.[22]

Despite his demotion when civil war broke out again in 1567 he served the crown loyally, assisting in the defence of Lyon from an attack by troops under Paul de Mouvans. Unable to seize the city the Protestant rebels attacked Vienne instead, capturing the city in short order.[23] Maugiron darkly threatened the Protestants of Vienne, threatening them that he would kill the Protestants of Lyon if they mistreated the Catholics of the town. Nemours and Gordes pressured them to withdraw from the town in November, and Maugiron joined with them to defeat the Protestant force at Saint-Marcellin on 14 November. Their army was too weak to maintain itself in Dauphiné and fell back to Lyon, they then proceeded north to link up with the army under Anjou, seizing Mâcon again before linking up with him.[24]

During the third civil war Maugiron would serve during the battles of Jarnac and Moncontour.[24] In November 1568 Maugiron was confirmed in the roles of sénéschal of Valentinois and Diois by the new governor of Dauphiné Montpensier. In September 1569 the king assembled a collection of towns and declared it a new county, awarding the territory of Montléans to Maugiron. The approach of Coligny on his march north through the country forced Gordes and Maugiron to retreat from an attempt to capture a fort on the Rhône.[25]

During the Massacre of Saint Bartholomew, Maugiron was tasked with killing Protestant leaders in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés region of Paris including Montgommery, however he would be unsuccessful in murdering this target.[26]