The genealogist Pierre d'Hozier noted on one of these contradictory letters that despite the warning the late Sieur Robert de Briançon did not refrain from drawing up the genealogy of the Valbelle family as requested in exchange for a payment of 1,000 pistoles.

[1] Honoré de Valbelle twice participated in the defense of Marseille, first against the constable of Bourbon who raised the siege in 1524, and then against Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor in 1536.

His son, Cosme de Valbelle, was captain of 50 men in the army of Francis I of France and fought in the Battle of Ceresole (1544).

[7] The parish church of Marseille was given the flags of the Spanish galleys that Côme II de Valbelle had defeated before Genoa in 1638, which were hung above the high altar.

[6] At the age of fourteen Valbelle served in the forces of the Henri de Sourdis, Archbishop of Bordeaux in the Battle of Tarragona (August 1641), where he was wounded.

[8] Soon after he encountered a Spanish ship stronger than his own, approached without firing a single shot, grappled it, boarded it with all his volunteers and soldiers, gained its surrender after a fierce battle and took it to Toulon.

In October 1654 he served on one of the ships of the Chevalier Paul and gave remarkable service in the taking of Castellammare di Stabia.

[9] Antoine Lefèbvre de La Barre, the future governor of New France, commanded the Maure in 1674 in the Valbelle's Mediterranean fleet.

His secret correspondence with the king and his ministers Colbert and Seignelay shows he had an original turn of mind, was witty, bold and familiar.

[15] On 1 January 1675 Valbelle's squadron returned, bringing a small corps of land forces under Lieutenant-General Vallavoire(fr).

[14] Although the Spanish troops withdrew some distance from the city, Valavoire did no have the resources to advance inland, and provisions soon ran low again.

He joined Valbelle, but together they were still not strong enough to attack the Spanish Admiral Melchor de la Cueva's force of 15 sailing warships and 15 galleys.

[14] The French easily defeated the Spanish in the Battle of the Lipari Islands, and captured the 44-gun frigate Nuestra Señora del Pueblo.

On 3 June 1676 a third engagement was decisive, when Vivonne and Valbelle destroyed the remainder of the combined fleet of Spain and Holland in the Battle of Palermo.

On return from this expedition Pope Innocent XI named Valbelle bailli and Grand Cross of the Order of Malta.