Monluc Blaise. The Habsburg-Valois Wars and the French Wars of Religion

Archon Books, 1972. — 274 p. — Edited by Ian Roy.Blaise de Monluc and his 'Commentaries' are well known in France, hardly at all in England. He helped to establish the legend, a century before d'Artagnan and Cyrano de Bergerac, of the dashing Gascon cavalier whose sword brings him fame and honour. He has another reputation of the bloody avenger of the French Religious Wars. Are authentic contemporary first hand accounts of historic campaigns by memoirists who either have long been out of print or have never been published. Blaise de Monluc, also known as Blaise de Lasseran-Massencôme, seigneur de Monluc, (c. 1502 – 1577) was a professional soldier whose career began in 1521 and reached the rank of marshal of France in 1574. Written between 1570 and 1576, an account of his life titled Commentaires de Messire Blaise de Monluc was published in 1592, and remains an important historical source for 16th century warfare. Born into a family of impoverished Gascon nobility, he rose to prominence during the Italian Wars and was appointed Lieutenant-General of Guyenne in January 1562, shortly before the outbreak of the French Wars of Religion. Fighting for the French crown, he soon gained a reputation as a brutal but effective commander, winning the critical Battle of Vergt in 1562.