Battle of the Bridge-of-C

Historical context

August 7th 1620 took place the battle of the Bridge-of-C, also known under the name of the " Drôleries of the bridge-of-C " , between the partisans of the king Louis XIII and those of his/her mother, Marie de Médicis, that his/her son had drawn aside from the Régence three years earlier, and who tried to return to the capacity.

Causes of this battle

In 1610: At the 9 years age, Louis XIII is Sacré with Rheims on October 17th, 1610. He is king under the regency of his mother, Marie de Médicis and under the domination of his Italian adviser Concini.
In 1611, Sully resigns on January 26th.
In 1613, Concini is named Marshal of France, on November 19th.
In 1614: revolt the Large ones (the prince of Condé, dukes of Vendôme, Mayenne, Retz) against Concini. May 15th: Treaty of Holy-Menehould. The regent promises with noble the convocation general states and covers them with gold.
In 1615: marriage of the king Louis XIII on November 28th, 1615 with Anne of Austria, infante of Spain (girl of the king d' Espagne Philippe III).
In 1616: New revolt of the noble ones. Peace of Loudun (disastrous for the Court), between Marie de Médicis (the regent) and the prince of Condé, on May 3rd, 1616. Imprisonment of Cop by Concini, marshal of Anchor, on September 1st, 1616. Richelieu is named Secretary of State for the war and the foreign affairs, on November 25th, 1616.
In 1617, it is by a takeover by force, on April 24th, that Louis XIII reaches the capacity by ordering the assassination of the favorite of his mother, Concino Concini. It exiles Marie de Médicis with Blois and takes finally its place of king. In reality, Louis XIII replaced Concini by his own favorite, Charles of Albert, duke of Luynes. It is true that, very quickly, Luynes accumulates the titles and fortunes (he will become constable on March 31st, 1621). Its advance creates dissatisfactions, the more so as the favorite of the king is a very bad statesman.
In 1619, the queen-mother escapes from the castle of Blois and raises an army against his/her son who chooses to reconcile himself with it, at the time of the Treaty of Angouleme on April 30th, 1619, and yields to him the towns of Angers and Chinon, but prohibits to him to return to the council.

The Battle of the Bridge-of-C

In 1620, Marie de Médicis starts a civil war which is concluded by its total defeat with the battle from the Bridge-of-C on April 7th, 1620, where the king orders personally.

This day there Marie de Médicis can still count on Large kingdom: César, duke of Vendôme, first wire of Henri IV and its favorite Gabrielle d' Estrées, and thus half-brother of Louis XIII, had taken the party of the Queen-mother and directed with her brother, the Large Prior of Vendôme, the troops of Large of the kingdom (the duke of Epernon, the duke of Retz, the duke of Maine, the duke of Nemours, the duke of Montmorency, the count de Soissons in particular).

Opposite the royal troops, ordered by the Marshal of Créqui were, which had just invested the towns of Rouen and Caen, and wished to cross the Loire to reconquer the whole of the kingdom.

The defection of the duke of Retz and its 1500 men, reducing of more than one third the troops of Large, encouraged the duke of Vendôme to give up the combat and to take refuge with Angers, where the court of Marie de Médicis was, leaving its army in full distress. It was then a play of child for the Marshal of Créqui to put in rout this army without chief, dispersant making of this battle a " drolery ". The " drolery of the Bridge-of-C " was the rout and the dispersion of the troops without command of the queen mother by the royal troops. The defeat is total for Marie de Médicis.

August 10th: Peace of Angers between Louis XIII and Marie de Médicis. By fear to see his mother continuing his plots, the king accepts his return to the court of France, and reconciles himself with it via Richelieu, then bishop of Luçon.

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