- Born:
- February 17, 1490, Montpensier, France
- Died:
- May 6, 1527, Rome (aged 37)
- Title / Office:
- constable (1515-1527), France
- Role In:
- Italian Wars
Charles III, 8th duke de Bourbon
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Who was Charles III, 8th duke de Bourbon?
Charles III (1490ā1527), the 8th Duke de Bourbon, served as the constable of France from 1515 under King Francis I. Later, he became a leading general for the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, a chief adversary of Francis.
Initially favored by Francis I, Charles' relationship with the king deteriorated, influenced by Louise of Savoy. Facing legal challenges and loss of property, Charles negotiated with Emperor Charles V and Henry VIII of England. He entered the Emperorās service, leading German mercenaries and fighting against France in Italy.
Despite a treaty guaranteeing his return and property restitution, Francis did not honor it. Charles V then appointed him governor of the Milanese. In 1527, Charles led troops to Rome, where he died in the assault on the city.
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What does it mean to be a duke in France?
In France, a duke is a title of nobility, ranking below a prince or king, but is the highest of the five ranks of British nobility and peerage. During the Carolingian dynasty, dukes were appointed to rule very large areas; however, weaker successors were forced to free the dukes from royal control.
Charles III, 8th duke de Bourbon, held the title and office of constable of France from 1515, under King Francis I. The title comes stabuli, or constable, dates back to the Roman Empire and was borrowed by the Franks. By the 11th century, the constable of France became one of the state's great officers, gaining supreme military command of the army by the mid-14th century. After Charles de Bourbon's treason in 1523, the kings distrusted the office, and it was eliminated in 1627.
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What is a constable in French history?
A constable in French history was a high-ranking officer of state. The constable of France emerged in the 11th century and by the mid-14th century, he held supreme military command of the army.
Charles III, 8th duke de Bourbon, was appointed constable of France by King Francis I in 1515. Charles III contributed significantly to the victory at Marignano, which made his king master of the Milanese. However, he later lost favor and turned against the king, becoming a leading general under the Holy Roman emperor Charles V. The position was eliminated in 1627 but briefly revived by Napoleon I.
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How did Charles III become both a duke and a constable?
Charles III, 8th duke de Bourbon, gained prominence and power through a combination of inheritance and appointment.
- Inheritance Charles inherited the domains of the ducal line of Bourbon and Montpensier through a series of deaths in his family. This made him one of the most powerful men in France at the age of 15.
- Constable of France Charles was appointed constable of France in 1515 by King Francis I. The constable held supreme military command of the army.
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Why is Charles III historically significant in France?
Charles III, 8th duke de Bourbon, held significance in France as a leading military figure during the early 16th century. Initially appointed constable of France in 1515 under King Francis I, Charles played a crucial role in the French victory at Marignano, which led to Francis becoming master of the Milanese.
However, Charles later lost favor with the King due to political intrigue, leading him to negotiate with Emperor Charles V and Henry VIII of England. He eventually entered the Emperor's service and fought against France, including repelling a French attack on Italy in 1524. His actions and alliances reflect a period of shifting loyalties and power struggles in French and European history.
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What happened during Charles III's conflict with the French king, and what were its effects?
Charles III, Duke de Bourbon, initially Constable of France under King Francis I, later became a leading general under Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.
Growing tensions with King Francis I, spurred by disputes over Bourbon's inheritance and Louise of Savoy's influence, led Charles to negotiate secretly with Emperor Charles V and Henry VIII of England. This treachery aimed to partition France, but Francis discovered the plot. Charles then entered the Emperorās service, repelled a French attack on Italy, and invaded Provence, but was stopped before Marseille.
Charles V later appointed Bourbon governor of the Milanese. In 1527, lacking resources, Bourbon led troops to Rome, where he died in the assault, preceding the city's capture and sack.
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Charles III, 8th duke de Bourbon (born February 17, 1490, Montpensier, Franceādied May 6, 1527, Rome) was the constable of France (from 1515) under King Francis I and later a leading general under Francisā chief adversary, the Holy Roman emperor Charles V.
The second son of Gilbert, comte de Montpensier, head of a junior branch of the House of Bourbon, Charles benefitted by a rapid succession of deaths: his fatherās (1496) was followed by his eldest brotherās (1501); and finally, in 1503, his fatherās cousin Pierre II, duc de Bourbon, died leaving no male heir. Charles, who then proceeded to marry Pierreās daughter Suzanne, thus inherited the domains of the ducal line of Bourbon as well as those of Montpensier. At the age of 15, in 1505, he was one of the most powerful men in France.
Charles now started a brilliant military career. He was at the siege of Genoa in 1507 and took part in the Battle of Agnadello in 1509. Appointed constable of France on the accession of Francis I, he contributed greatly to the victory at Marignano, which made his young king master of the Milanese. At 25, laden with honours by the King, Charles was governor of the Milanese in the Kingās name. He took effective measures to defend the province against the Holy Roman emperor Maximilian.
Then the Constable began to lose the Kingās favour. Various explanations have been advanced for this change, but above all it seems to have been the Kingās mother, Louise of Savoy, who worked against Charles. It is certain in any case that Francis, who had neglected to pay his salary to the Constable since his investiture, instituted proceedings in the Parlement of Paris to recover the inheritance of the senior branch of the Bourbon family from him (1522ā23). As the Kingās case was bad in law, the Parlement suspended judgment but ordered the property to be sequestered, thus constituting the crown a trustee.
Thereupon, Charles turned to negotiate with the emperor Charles V and with Henry VIII of England. At one time they even considered a partition of France, whereby the Emperor would take Languedoc, Burgundy, Champagne, and Picardy; the Constable would add Provence and DauphinĆ© to his own domains of Bourbonnais and Auvergne; and the King of England would have the rest of France, from Normandy to Guienne. Francis got wind of this simple project but failed to stop Charles from escaping to the Franche-ComtĆ©. Passing into the Emperorās service at the head of an army of German mercenaries, Charles then repelled a French attack on Italy (April 1524), invaded Provence and captured Toulon, but was halted before Marseille (AugustāSeptember 1524). Falling back on Lombardy, he fought in the Battle of Pavia (Feb. 24, 1525), in which Francis was taken prisoner by Charlesās soldiers. The Treaty of Madrid (1526), whereby Francis recovered his liberty, guaranteed Charlesās free return to France and the restitution of his possessions, but Francis did not keep his word.
To offset this disappointment, Charles V made the Constable governor of the Milanese, the post that he had held 10 years earlier as the representative of the king of France. Left by the Emperor without resources for the upkeep of his army, the Constable, in the spring of 1527, led his pillaging troops across central Italy to Rome. He was killed in the first assault on Rome, just before the capture and sack of the city.