Condé

Condé, LOUIS I. DE BOURBON, PRINCE DE, younger brother of Antony of Bourbon, king of Navarre, was born 7th May 1530, representative of an ancient and famous race taking their name from the town of Condé. During the wars between Henry II. and Spain, Condé distinguished himself by his gallantry, winning especial honour at the siege of Metz, the battle of St Quentin, and the capture of Calais from the English—the chief military events of the time. On the accession of Francis II. (1559), the family of the Guises became all-powerful in the state, and Condé and his brother Antony, partly from jealousy of the Guises, and partly from sincere religious conviction, joined the Huguenots, who were now struggling for legal recognition. To destroy the power of the Guises, and further the interests of the Huguenots, Condé was induced to join the Conspiracy of Amboise (1560). The plot miscarried, and Condé escaped 'execution only by the death of the king, which by necessitating the regency of the queen-mother, Catharine de Médicis, the bitter enemy of the Guises, changed the policy of the country. Concessions were now granted to the Huguenots, and Condé was made governor of Picardy. The massacre of Huguenots at Vassy by Guise (1562), however, led to the first civil war, and Condé and Coligny gathered an army of Huguenots. At the battle of Dreux, Condé was defeated and taken prisoner, but the assassination of Guise soon afterwards made possible the Pacification of Amboise (1563), by which Condé was released, and the Huguenots were granted liberty of worship. This concession being gradually withdrawn by Catharine de Médicis, the second Huguenot war broke out in 1567. In the south of France Condé had coins struck with the inscription: 'Louis XIII., first Christian king of France.' But at the battle of Jarnac (1569) Condé was defeated and taken prisoner, and immediately after his surrender, shot dead by his bitterest enemy, the Baron de Montesquieu. Condé was a brave leader, and exceedingly popular with his soldiers, but he had neither the lofty character nor the genius of Coligny.—His great grandson,