Philippe Emmanuel, Duke of Mercœur | |
|---|---|
 Le duc de Mercoeur by Benjamin Foulon | |
| Native name | Philippe-Emmanuel de Lorraine, duc de Mercoeur |
| Born | (1558-09-09)9 September 1558 Nomeny,France |
| Died | 19 February 1602(1602-02-19) (aged 43) Nuremberg,Germany |
| Noble family | Lorraine |
| Spouse | Marie de Luxembourg, Duchess of Penthièvre |
| Issue | Françoise |
| Father | Nicholas, Count of Vaudémont |
| Mother | Jeanne de Savoie-Nemours |
| Occupation | Governor of Brittany Holy League member |
Philippe-Emmanuel de Lorraine,Duke of Mercœur and of Penthièvre (9 September 1558, inNomeny,Meurthe-et-Moselle – 19 February 1602, inNürnberg) was a French soldier, a prince of theHoly Roman Empire and a prominent member of theCatholic League,[1] who fought for Breton political independence from theHouse of Bourbon.
Philippe-Emmanuel de Lorraine, Duke of Mercoeur was born on 9 September 1558 inNomeny, France, the eldest surviving son ofNicholas, Count of Vaudémont and Jeanne de Savoie-Nemours. In 1575, Mercoeur married Marie de Luxembourg, daughter of Sébastien de Luxembourg, which, together with the title ofDuc de Penthièvre, also brought him rights to the crown of theDuchy of Brittany. He was made a knight of theOrder of Saint Esprit in 1578.
In 1582, after the death of theDuke of Montpensier, he was madegovernor of Brittany byHenry III of France, who had married his half-sister. In 1588 Mercœur joined theCatholic League in Brittany,[1] and had himself proclaimed protector of theRoman Catholic Church in the province.
His wife's family, the House of Penthièvre, were descendants of theHouse of Dreux as Dukes of Brittany. The House of Penthièvre had lost the dukedom of Brittany to the House of Montfort in theBreton War of Succession in the 14th century. They had subsequently attempted to overthrow the Montfortist Dukes, with no success. Claiming hereditary rights through his wife, Mercœur endeavoured to make himself independent monarch of the region, and organized a government atNantes and naming his son "prince and duke of Brittany".
He formed an alliance with Spain and continued to press for his independence from France when the HuguenotHenry of Navarre converted to Catholicism and became King of France. KingHenry IV of France sent a force against him led by theDuc de Montpensier. With the aid of theSpanish Royal Army, he defeated the French Royalist troops at theBattle of Craon in 1592. However, the royal troops were reinforced by English contingents and soon recovered the advantage. The king at last marched against Mercœur in person, but received his submission atAngers on 20 March 1598, the last member of the League to do so. King Henry IV assured his dynasty's future inheritance of Brittany by arranging the marriage of his illegitimate son,César Duc de Vendôme, to Mercœur's daughter Francoise.[1]
Mercœur subsequently went to Hungary, where he entered the service of the emperorRudolph II after answering the call to arms by the Holy Roman Emperor against the Ottomans. He fought against theTurks, defeating the Ottomans twice at thesiege of Albe-Royale (Székesfehérvár) in 1601. He died after falling sick while returning to Lorraine in 1602. On 27 April, aRequiem Mass was celebrated for him atNotre-Dame de Paris, with theeulogy delivered by St.François de Sales.[1]
Philippe marriedMarie de Luxembourg (1562–1623),Duchesse de Penthièvre and daughter ofSébastien, Duke of Penthièvre, on 12 July 1579 in Paris.
He had two children with Marie:
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Mercœur, Philippe Emmanuel de Lorraine".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 18 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 154.St François de Sales.Oraison funèbre de Philippe-Emmanuel de Lorraine, duc de Mercœur et de Penthièvre. Introduction de Pierre-Olivier Combelles. Editions Saint-Rémi (Cadillac), 2006.[1]
Philippe Emmanuel, Duke of Mercœur Born: 9 September 1558 Died: 19 February 1602 | ||
| French nobility | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Duke of Mercœur 1577–1602 | Succeeded by |
| Marquis of Nomeny 1577–1602 | Succeeded by | |
| Preceded by Marie de Luxemburg, Duchess of Penthièvre | Duc de Penthièvre jure uxoris 1579–1602 with Marie de Luxemburg, duchesse de Penthièvre | |
