He became a page to Louis XIII, and at the age of nineteen was sent on a mission to Maurice of Holland.

[1] In 1646 d'Estrades was named ambassador extraordinary to Holland, and took part in the conferences at Münster.

In a dispute in London over precedence of the Ambassadors' carriages, he clashed with Charles de Watteville, Ambassador of Spain, which degenerated into an armed struggle with several dead, and almost led to a new Franco-Spanish war.

Independently of these diplomatic missions, he took part in the principal campaigns of Louis XIV, in Italy (1648), in Catalonia (1655), in Holland (1672); and was created marshal of France in 1675.

[1][a] Of the sons of Godefroi d'Estrades, Jean-François d’Estrades [fr] was ambassador to Venice and Piedmont; Louis, marquis d'Estrades (died 1711), succeeded his father as governor of Dunkirk, and was the father of Godefroi Louis, comte d'Estrades (died 1717), lieutenant-general, who was killed at the siege of Belgrade.