Antoine de Crussol, 1st Duke of Uzès
Antoine de Crussol, 1st Duke of Uzès (1528-1573) was Protestant military commander and peer of France. Raised in a Protestant household, Crussol was an early convert among the elite of France. In 1558 upon his marriage, his barony was elevated to a county by king Henri II. In the troubles that spread through the south in the wake of the Conspiracy of Amboise he was appointed as 'lieutenant and commander' to help bring order back to Provence and Languedoc. In this role he favoured the Protestants, much to the irritation of the Catholic consuls. When the French Wars of Religion broke out, he entered rebellion, accepting the nomination of Governor of Languedoc from the estates of the region. He appointed his relatives to senior positions in his administration. With peace declared in the Edict of Amboise Crussol did not immediately relinquish power in Languedoc, and held on to his forces until August. Having finally returned to loyalty to the crown he accommodated the court during the grand tour of France in 1564–5, following them on their journey through the south. In 1565 the crown raised his lands to a duchy, making him the duc d'Uzès Over the following years he ensured Catholic worship was restored in Nîmes. IN 1571 his duchy was elevated into the peerage. During the Massacre of Saint Bartholomew he converted to Catholicism, and took part in the crowns campaign against La Rochelle the following year. During the course of the siege he became ill, and he died on 11 August 1573 without issue. Early life and family Crussol was born on 21 June 1528. His father was Jacques de Crussol and his mother was Jeanne de Genouilhac. Antoine and Jacques de Crussol were raised in a Protestant household directed by their mother. Crussol married Louise de Clermont on 10 April 1556, a confident of Catherine de' Medici who acted as an intermediary between the court and Protestant nobles.On the occasion of their marriage, king Henri II raised Crussol into a county from a barony. His brother d'Acier commanded Protestant forces in Languedoc during the first war of religion. He became renowned for his cruelties and was only spared reprisals by the intervention of his brother after he was captured in 1568. When Crussol died in 1573, d'Acier converted to Catholicism so that he might inherit the title of Uzès. Reign of Francis II With Navarre and Condé holding up in the south away from court after the Conspiracy of Amboise, the king, confident of their guilt sent Crussol to bring them up to court such that they might face charges. Reign of Charles IX New regime Upon the ascent of Charles IX, Crussol was elevated to the Order of Saint Michael and granted a place on the conseil privé. At the regional Languedoc estates that proceeded the estates general in March 1561, a Huguenot delegate called for the confiscation of all clerical property and using the proceeds from selling it to maintain a reformed clergy. Crussol