Montmorency Family

The Montmorency family was one of the three families that struggled for control of the French crown during the Wars of Religion between 1562 and 1598. In time, the Montmorency became allied with the Bourbon family against the Guise, the third of the competing groups. The Bourbon sided with the Protestant cause, while the Guise remained unbendingly Catholic. Members of the Montmorency joined both the Catholic and Protestant sides in an effort to promote religious tolerance.

The power of the family suffered a long decline during the Middle Ages but revived under Guillaume Montmorency (died 1531), who served King Louis XI in the 1460s. Guillaume's son Anne (1493–1567) became first duke of Montmorency in 1551 and expanded the family's domain. Under his leadership, the family gained control of land in central, western, and southern France, as well as its holdings in northern France and Paris.

Anne advanced the family's influence by securing powerful offices such as constable, governor, admiral, and cardinal for his relatives. He also sought to marry his children into leading families. His eldest son François married the daughter of King Henry II. Despite these ties to the Montmorency, the French monarchy sought to balance the family's power against that of their main rivals. Upon the death of Henry II, the Guise gained considerable power as uncles to the new king, Francis II.

When King Charles IX took power in 1560, his mother Catherine de MÉdicis turned to the Bourbon and Montmorency families to promote religious toleration in France. But the Guise resisted these efforts, leading to the nation's Wars of Religion. Although Anne remained on the Catholic side, other family members joined forces with Protestants opposed to the Guise. His sons François and Henri supported the Catholic side but called for tolerance toward Huguenots, French Protestant followers of John Calvin.

In 1576 the Guise formed the Catholic League to fight heresy* in France and to oppose the claim of Henry of Navarre, a Protestant, to the French throne. Henri de Montmorency-Damville and his brothers urged Catholic opponents of the Guise to join the Protestant forces. In 1585 he allied himself with Henry of Navarre. This support helped Henry take the throne of France as Henry IV in 1589 and end the religious wars in 1598. Henry IV's victory also increased the power of the crown at the expense of local nobles. Ironically, this growth of royal authority limited the influence of the Montmorency family.

(See alsoFrance; Guise-Lorraine Family; Wars of Religion. )

* heresy

belief that is contrary to the doctrine of an established church