César de Saint-Lary

The royal favourite the duke of Épernon was sent to negotiate him out of his control of Saluzzo, the two came to a compromise but this was foiled by rebellious commanders subordinate to Bellegarde who refused to yield their towns.

In compensation Bellegarde was made maître de camp of the light cavalry and captain in the royal ordinance company.

In 1585 he became governor of the Angoumois, Saintonge and pays d'Aunis, succeeding Philippe de Volvire, in this post he sought to bring the local nobility into alignment with the crown.

Together they would have one child:[1] At the age of only 16, Bellegarde was already residing in the capital as a gentilhomme de la chambre (gentleman of the chamber).

This royal post afforded him an income of roughly 600 livres, which he far exceeded in his yearly costs, leading him to rely on credit.

Retz arrived in Autumn, and bought out the various rebellious commanders from their control of the towns of Saluzzo, he then proceeded to enter negotiations with Bellegarde.

[7] The negotiators succeeded by convincing him to resign the charge on the understanding that it would be awarded to Alençon, who would then assign Bellegarde as his lieutenant.

[9] Upon the death of Philippe de Volvire on 6 January 1585, Bellegarde was appointed to succeed him as governor of the Angoumois, pays d'Aunis and Saintonge.

[10][11] During the negotiations to end the ligue crisis of 1585, Bellegarde visited the military camp of one of the movements leaders the duke of Mayenne.

[12] Bellegarde joined the arch royal favourite Joyeuse for the campaign against Navarre undertaken in 1587 alongside many other prominent royalist nobles of the south west such as the seigneur de Saint-Sulpice, the governor of Quercy and the Rouergue, and Gilles de Souvré the lieutenant-general of Touraine.