Politics and faction at the court of Francis I: The Duchesse d'Etampes, Montmorency and the Dauphin Henri

Abstract

There has been a growing interest in faction at the court of France in the sixteenth century, alongside the continuing dissection of clientelism. The later years of Francis I, until recently relatively little understood, have been revealed as a period of intensely unstable power relations at the centre of the court. This stemmed from the dominance of the Constable de Montmorency in the years 1537-1540, his step-by-step removal from power in 1540-1541 and the emergence of the king's mistress, the duchesse d'Etampes as the dominant political figure to whom all the contenders for authority: Admiral Chabot de Brion, Cardinal de Tournon and Admiral Claude d'Annebault had to adjust. This study examines these relationships, particularly in the light of the despatches of imperial ambassadors, who sought both to observe what they thought to be alarming developments in France and to encourage the dauphin, an increasingly important figure, to take a hand in the removal of the king's mistress and the setting aside of his father.