Eustache de Refuge

De Refuge was born into a family of Breton origin that asserted a noble ancestry reaching back to the 14th century.

De Bellièvre was called out of retirement to serve as the Chancellor of France for Henri IV in 1599, a position that he held until his death in 1607.

In 1599 he lost out in a competition to become Lieutenant General of Toulouse to a young man "who had the great merit of contributing 7000-8000 écus" to secure it.

In 1600, however, he was promoted to Maître des requêtes: an acknowledged stepping-stone to career advancement in the administrative hierarchy.

His mandate focused primarily on improving local finances, maintaining law and order in the region, and seeing to the application of the Treaty of Lyon between France and Savoy.