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Élites et pouvoirs : enjeux politiques

Règlements de compte au sein des élites aquitaines durant l'éclipse des Bourbons-Albret (1568-1576)

Anne-Marie Cocula

Abstracts

In the 16th century, Guyenne had a special status within the kingdom of France. Historically, the monarchy still regarded Guyenne as a province which had recently been reconquered, and was attempting to control its institutions, the most important of which was the Parliament of Bordeaux, established in 1462, shortly after the Hundred Years War. Geographically, its proximity to Spain constituted a permanent threat from the sea through the great ports of Bayonne and Bordeaux, which had to be protected at all costs. The main political characteristic was the presence of the house of Bourbons-Albret, the most powerful royal house in the kingdom. To exercise control, the Valois kings adopted a policy of reconciliation, fostering close relations with the Bourbons-Albret dynasty, bestowing favours and arranging two marriages. These were the marriage in 1527 of Marguerite, sister of François Ier, with Henri d'Albret and, in 1548, that of their daughter, Jeanne d'Albret, with Antoine de Bourbon, the first prince of the royal line. Relations had become strained as from 1560, when Jeanne d'Albret, having converted to the protestant faith, established the reformed religion in her States. Her official support for the protestant party and her installation at La Rochelle with Admiral Coligny and the prince de Condé, who had taken refuge there, took place in 1568. Despite the Peace of Saint-Germain in 1570 and the preparations for the marriage of Henri de Navarre, the son of Jeanne d'Albret, and Marguerite de Valois, the sister of Charles IX, the years that followed, overshadowed by the St Bartholomew's Day massacres, were to see the eclipse of the house of Bourbons-Albret. The present article reviews the many acts of revenge carried out in Guyenne against the extensive network of their allies. Most of these reprisals were organised by the Parliament of Bordeaux with the support of the monarchy. When Henri de Navarre returned as governor of Guyenne in 1576, its ruling elites had to choose between supporting or rejecting a governor who was heir to the house of Bourbons-Albret, but already had his sights fixed on another goal : to become King of France.

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References

Electronic reference

Anne-Marie Cocula, “Règlements de compte au sein des élites aquitaines durant l'éclipse des Bourbons-Albret (1568-1576)”Cahiers d'histoire [Online], 45-4 | 2000, Online since , connection on 29 March 2024. URL: http://journals.openedition.org/ch/394; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/ch.394

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The text and other elements (illustrations, imported files) are “All rights reserved”, unless otherwise stated.

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