Governor Henri-Robert de la Marck who had technically held the authority of governor of Normandie, died in 1574. The crown decided that they did not wish for this province to be controlled by a single man going forward. As such the three lieutenant-generals of the region were elevated to co-equal governors. La Meilleraye,
Carrouges and
Matignon divided the province up between themselves on the lines of their former authorities. Carrouges and La Meilleraye complained that Matignon received more favourable treatment from the crown than they did, but nothing came of it. To distinguish himself from his two rival lieutenant-generals he adopted a more militant and extreme Catholicism than either of them. Throughout the 1570s La Meilleraye and his colleagues supplemented the size of their companies, until they were larger than those of the magnate grandees such as
Claude, Duke of Aumale.
Ligue As the
Ligue founded by
Jacques d'Humières in
Péronne spread into Normandie, La Meilleraye was an eager adopter of the cause. Provided the official royal
ligue declaration that he was to swear with his subordinates after
Henri III co-opted the project he adapted the provided text. Having convoked an assembly of notables in
Caux and
Gisors they swore a version that was in line with Henri's for the first eight of eighteen articles. However from here the oath was altered. La Meilleraye removed the clauses that protected the livelihoods of Protestants, he further adapted the intended political structure. La Meilleraye would be the leader of the Ligue in his region, not by virtue of his governorship, as was the intent, but rather the fact the deputies of the
ligue had elected him. His subordinates would also be elected. A provision ensured that if either he or his subordinates deviated from proper Catholicism, that they could be removed from office and new candidates elected. This elected structure extended beyond the
ligues administration into its military wing, with the
ligue commanders also facing election. This version of the
ligue was radically different to the official one the crown had promulgated and was thus illegal, given Henri had outlawed all other
ligues. As such, La Meilleraye and his subordinates organised it in secret. To continue his coordination with Humières,
Pierre de Ronchorolles acted as an intermediary between the two
liguers. In La Meilleraye's absence Roncherolles attended a council meeting at Abbeville in April to discuss the failure to bring
Amiens into the fold. In May Humières and La Meilleraye met in person to discuss drawing up a letter to the king in opposition to the rumours of peace that were now swirling the court. La Meilleraye hoped to have Roncherolles appointed as
maître de camp for all
ligue forces in Normandie, to this end he secured the endorsement of his fellow governor Carrouges, however his rival Matignon interfered with this plan, having appointed his own man in lower Normandie. The king for his part rejected La Meilleraye's proposal for a unified
maître de camp fearing it would pass too much power to him.
Long peace With peace declared in less favourable terms to the Protestants in the
Treaty of Bergerac, the
ligue movement fizzled out, both due to the lack of inciting cause, and due to the banning of all
ligues as a term of the peace. Roncherolles brother
François de Roncherolles seigneur de Maineville continued a die hard faction that did not dissolve. With plans to invade
Scotland in favour of restoring Catholicism in the territory,
Guise who hoped to lead such a project spent a great deal of time in Normandie planning during 1581. He found himself in regular correspondence with La Meilleraye, who in his position as vice-admiral of Normandie would be of critical importance to such a venture. A meeting was arranged between La Meilleraye's brother
Jacques de Moy, seigneur de Pierrecourt, Jean le Myre, a member of La Meilleraye's household and La Meilleraye's cousin
Nicolas de Moy, sieur de Vereins in the hopes of advancing the planning of the expedition. The plans gestated over the following years as he struggled for funds and domestic support. The death of the kings' brother
Alençon in 1584 put them on a permanent hold as Guise became entirely consumed by domestic disputes.
Alienation In 1583, Henri desired to reconsolidate the fractured governate of Normandie, with the aim of giving the key office to his favourite
Anne de Joyeuse. He had long been concerned with Guisard influence in the province, and in 1580 had promoted Matignon to the office of Marshal, leading to his governorship falling into abeyance, however he desired to further weaken the family in the province. The three current governors could not simply be dispossessed without compensation however. To this end, Carrouges and La Meilleraye were bought off with 60,000
livres each, to return to their
lieutenant-general posts that they had occupied previously. Carrouges insisted that his son would inherit his office, and this was granted. La Meilleraye thus became the lieutenant general of Caux, Gisors and the Cotentin once more. Matignon proved more tenacious, and was bought off with a lieutenant-generalcy in Guyenne on the condition that his son would inherit his lieutenant-generalship in Normandie. Joyeuse's administration alarmed the notables of Normandie, while he was an ultra-Catholic, unlike some other of Henri's
mignons he represented a significant royal consolidation of power at the expense of the local nobility. He appointed his relatives to the recently vacated governorships of Le Havre and Dieppe, further upsetting the Norman elite. Carrouges and La Meilleraye were thus pushed further from the crown and towards the gestating beginnings of the second
Ligue.
Second Ligue The death of Alençon brought a second wave of
Ligues across France. In
Rouen, one of La Meilleraye's former co-governors of Normandie, Carrouges, struggled to accommodate the
ligue with the assertive town council. Eventually
Charles, Duke of Mayenne, one of the national leaders of the
ligue visited the town, hoping to resolve the issue. While not openly at arms with
Charles I, Duke of Elbeuf, La Meilleraye and his brother were known to be partisans of the
ligue. Their cousins
Louis de Moy, sieur de Gomméron and
François de Moy, sieur de Richebourg were more active, participating in the
Day of the Barricades in Paris, that saw the king expelled from the city.
Ligue domination, and death In March 1589 Mayenne established a
ligue holy council with authority over all of Normandie. Now that Rouen was in the fold, La Meilleraye's brother Pierrecourt wrote of his intention to capture Pont-Audemer for the
ligue. La Meilleraye for his part became de facto governor of Rouen on the departure of Carrouges.At this point the only towns outside his authority in upper Normandy were Le Havre which was controlled by
Villars and Dieppe which was held by the crown. The 'holy council' was dominated by the two lieutenant-generals of Normandie, La Meilleraye and Pierrecourt. Disputes would continue in Rouen as the town baulked at the
ligue taxes and troops. Eventually Mayenne was compelled to instal
Jean de Saulx-Tavannes as leader of the holy council in spring 1590. By this time La Meilleraye was over 60 years old, and his increasing ill health made the
ligue leadership of the region increasingly listless. Though he had for a while been haemorrhaging influence, he died in October 1591. His cousin Richebourg had died in 1589, and Pierrecourt would die the following year in 1592, meanwhile Riberpré had been killed in a duel with Villars. The rapid death of the families leading members decimating their social influence over Normandie. ==Sources==