Vendôme, having proven his loyalty, was soon permitted to return north, and he played a role, alongside Thouars in combatting the Chevauchée of the duke of Suffolk that was threatening Paris in the Autumn.

He was frustrated by his situation, as though he was the nominal chair of the royal council in Lyon, he was unable to prevent Louise favouring the vicomte de Lautrec over him and snubbing his wife's rights to the Alençon inheritance.

In addition to her land, was their status as princes du sang, which ultimately made first Charles de Bourbon and then his son's control of the governorship inevitable.

[31]α The Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano, in his travels along the North American coast, would name a topographical feature after Vendôme (as well as others after many other great French nobles).

[32] Both Vendôme, and his brother Saint-Pol would serve as capitaines for compagnies d'ordonnance (largely aristocratic companies of heavy cavalry that formed the building blocks of the royal army).

[50] In total, princes like the comte de Vendôme would comprise around 15% of the 33 noblesse d'épée (sword nobles - old nobility who associated their class with military service) on the council during the reign of François I.

[71] Milan was de facto recognised as a French territory, and he was given permission to have the décime (tithe - one tenth religious tax) raised at a rate of his discretion, as long as part of the sum went to Rome to fund the building of the Basilica di San Pietro.

[77] In particular, according to the analysis of the historian Potter, Vendôme spent the majority of time in Picardie (either in the province generally or his seigneuries such as La Fère) every year from 1520 to his death with the exceptions of 1525-1526, 1530, 1533 and 1534.

A small force bringing supplies under the command of Vendôme's brother the comte de Saint-Pol arrived on 23 September, dashing the hope of the Imperials to subjugate the city by starvation alone.

[105] While the vicomte de Thouars yearned to be granted the prestigious responsibility of leading the campaign to reclaim Milan for France in the spring of 1522, he was instead ordered to join with Vendôme so that they might both protect Picardie against the newly formed Anglo-Imperial coalition.

François resolved to raise a new tax of 2,400,000 livres to resist the English intrusions into Bretagne without having to deprive the edges of Flanders, Artois, Guyenne and Provence which were equally threatened of their soldiery - something he would have to do without access to these new funds.

[110] Poor weather delayed the English arrival, allowing the French to take the initiative, putting Bapaume to the torch, and pillaging and burning villages across Artois to compromise the ability to supply forces in the region.

He pursued the retreating Flemings along the Scheldt river repeatedly skirmishing with them, while tasking the seigneur de Brion with bringing food supplies into Thérouanne from Montreuil.

On 26 July, a certain capitaine named La Clayette informed her that Bourbon had installed 50 hommes d'armes (men-at-arms) in his fortified holdings of Chantelle and Carlat and was mustering victuals and artillery.

[125] In a state of alert, the crown dispatched the vicomte de Thouars to Picardie so that he could engage a watchful eye over Vendôme, lest he prove sympathetic to his cousin's treason.

[130] Though his suspicion may have lingered on Vendôme and Saint-Pol for several weeks in the wake of the revelations of Bourbon's betrayal, it quickly passed as it became clear both brothers would remain in their loyalty to the king.

She chiefly looked to her old faithfuls: the sécretaire d'État (secretary of state) Florimond Ier Robertet [fr] and chancellor Duprat but she was wise enough in the circumstances to expand her council.

[156] Casale informed Louise that his master, Henry VIII remained true to France even though he was receiving the entreaties of the Imperial party directed towards his favourite the cardinal Wolsey.

The parlement was particularly hostile to a matter close to Louise's heart, the Concordat of Bologna by which the king had gained the right to designate the holders of bishoprics and abbeys, suppressing the prior system of elections.

[159][149] In April, the parlement submitted remonstrances to the crown on a range of policies, from the tolerance of heretics, to assaults against Gallican liberties (autonomy of the French church), fiscal abuses and circumvention of the proper process of justice.

[166] Champollion-Figeac dates the document concerning the plan to appoint Lautrec lieutenant-général in Vendôme's stead to around October 1525, Michon disputes this however, arguing that from what it says about Saint-Pol elsewhere that it can be placed in May or June.

[175] In the absence of François, to ensure the French abiding by this treaty, Louise and, the king's eldest son the duc de Bretagne would be obliged to appear before an ecclesiastical tribunal to request excommunication should they fail to uphold the terms.

[177] When the regent Louise learned of the transfer of her son from Italy to Spain, the chancellor Duprat and Vendôme designated the parlementaire de Selve to begin to undertake negotiations with the Imperial party.

[185] Vendôme himself remained a pillar of the royal council, alongside Duprat and the président Jean de Selve, however the promotion of many of the survivors of Pavia indicated François' need to attach to himself young men whose fortune and career depended entirely on him .

[187] On 29 November 1526, François summoned several parlementaires before the grand conseil so that they might explain the opposition their body had offered to Duprat the previous year during the regency government over the bishopric of Sens and abbey of Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire.

Having listened to Guillart's extensive remonstrance, François did not issue a reply but rather rose from his seat and locked himself in an adjoining room with his council (including Vendôme, Saint-Pol, the king of Navarre, and the various great officers of state).

[199] To the former's end, he centralised receipts of reports on the kingdom's border fortifications, receiving letters from the various frontier governors (Vendôme - Picardie, Guise - Champagne, du Biez - Boulogne, Annebault - Bourgogne, Clermont - Languedoc and Saint-Bonnet - Bayonne).

For the clergy, the cardinal de Bourbon offered 1,300,000 livres to the king, in return for which the crown would see Lutheranism suppressed, defend Gallican liberties (the autonomy of the French church from that of Rome) and aid the Pope.

The royal propaganda recounted that François, alone in his room, was overwhelmed with his emotions but in a proper Christian fashion fell to his knees so that he might pray to god for all the good fortunes he had afforded the king in his years.

[229] Though the crisis had passed at Péronne before his 6,000 soldiers could be mustered, the prince was still short of funds for their wages, and bitterly suspected Paris of delaying the provision of money for them (something that they were only obligated to do as Vendôme had manufactured a promise by them to do so and threatened to inform François if they did not).