Elevation to favour In 1547, Bouillon was made a Marshal of France by
Henry II of France, and he was sent to Rome as French Ambassador. In 1549 he would claim
Sedan as a
Principality, his son later styling himself as
Prince of Sedan. In the early years of Henri's reign, he found himself a regular member of the
conseil des affairs which set the direction of royal policy.
Italian Wars Bouillon was a keen advocate for the resumption of the
Italian Wars, hoping to regain his territory and
Diane de Poitiers championed this cause with him. In 1552, Bouillon participated in the
Siege of Metz and took back possession of his Duchy of Bouillon, which had been occupied by the troops of
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor since 1521. Despite its occupation it would not be returned to his family in the
Peace of Cateau Cambresis. Instead Henri returned it to the bishop of Liège. In 1552, he would be made governor of
Normandy, his career in the region carefully fostered by his patron
Diane de Poitiers. His influence in the province was limited by his lack of connections to the nobility of the area.
Prisoner As Lieutenant General in Normandy, Bouillon was made prisoner in Hesdin in July 1553. He would be kept in prison and badly treated in Flanders until the Treaty of Vaucelles of February 1556 under which he was released for a ransom of 60,000
écus. His ransom had previously been set at 80,000
écus however Diane protested that she could not afford such an amount. Bouillon's wife had travelled to Brussels to plead for a more affordable ransom, however this was only agreed to due to his poor health, which meant that several days after release he died. He is buried at the Eglise Saint-Laurent in Sedan. == Marriage and children ==