Nicolas d'Angennes

Nicolas d'Angennes, sieur de Rambouillet (c. 1531 –c. 1611) was a French noble, governor, diplomat and soldier during the French Wars of Religion. The son of Jacques d'Angennes and Isabelle Cottereau, Rambouillet rose fast during the civil wars. In 1568, he was made a chevalier de l'Ordre de Saint-Michel and governor of Maine. In this period he served as a diplomat for the French crown, being given a mission to travel to England. With Anjou, the brother of the king's, election as king of the Commonwealth in 1573, he was dispatched as Anjou's vice-roi to the Commonwealth court in Kraków to thank the senate for his election, and prepare the way for his lord. Upon Anjou's arrival, he would be selected (alongside Retz) as the main conduits between the French court in the country and the local aristocracy. Tiring of the court, he departed back to France, only to again find himself on a mission to the Commonwealth, to inform Anjou that he was now king of France.

The new king, now styling himself Henri, made Rambouillet captain of his guard. Rambouillet was however frustrated he had not received more honours, and spent much time in the next year away from court. He commanded an ordinance company during the fifth war of religion. By 1577, the king was showing greater favour to him, and he became first gentilhomme de la chambre and then Chambellan and commander of 100 gentleman in 1580. That year he was enrolled as a chevalier de l'Ordre du Saint-Esprit. In 1582, he was further buoyed with an appointment as governor of Metz, a key border city with the Holy Roman Empire, he was compelled to resign the post next year to the king's favourite Épernon, but received generous compensation. After the embarrassment of the Day of the Barricades, Henri was forced to flee Paris, and found a safe residence with Rambouillet before moving on to Chartres. In revenge for that humiliation and many others, Henri held council with Rambouillet, his brother Maintenon and the future Marshal Ornano at which it was agreed to assassinate the duke of Guise. In the civil war that followed the assassination Rambouillet stayed with the king at Tours where he was present at the opening of the Parlement of royalist exiles. On 1 August 1589, Henri was assassinated, and his Protestant cousin Navarre succeeded him. Rambouillet remained loyal to the royalist cause after Navarre promised to protect Catholicism, and fought in Maine for the new king, achieving some success. In 1593 he participated in the negotiations at Surasno which created a truce in the war between the royalists and the Catholic Ligue. He died in 1611.