Guy I de Chabot, seigneur de Jarnac (1514-1584) was a French courtier, soldier and governor. Rising to prominence with the elevation of his family to great office during the reign of François I, Jarnac became entangled with the great factions of court, and a marriage between himself and Louise de Pisseleu, the sister of the king's mistress, secured his centrality at court. That brought him into conflict with those around the dauphin, Henri II, and led to his famous duel with La Châtaignerie at the advent of the new king's reign.
After his victory in the duel, his family fell into disfavour in an act of revenge by his political opponents. However, he remained in personal favour and succeeded to the governorship of La Rochelle in early 1559. He struggled greatly with his Protestant co-religionists in the town, who did not share his enthusiasm for the authority of the crown. As a result, after assisting a coup during the first War of Religion, he found himself forced into exile from the town out of fear of assassination. Returning during peacetime, he again sought to stamp his authority on the town, which encouraged the king to make his will felt there. The king, however, began to tire of Jarnac's inability to bring the town to order cheaply and so exiled Jarnac from the town a second time by royal order in 1566. Once more of utility to the court, Jarnac was called to offer his services again in 1568 and attempted bring La Rochelle into order. Jarnac died in 1584.
Early life and family
Guy I de Chabot, seigneur de Jarnac, had Charles I de Chabot as his father, who was governor of La Rochelle and Bourdeaux and was also mayor of La Rochelle. His uncle Philippe was a childhood friend of François I, who became Admiral of France, governor of Burgundy and was afforded a marriage to Françoise de Longwy, a relation of the king.
Jarnac married Louise de Pisseleu, the sister of Anne de Pisseleu, the king's mistress in 1541.
Reign of François I
The relations between the dauphin Henri and François were tested by the latent feud between Jarnac and La Châtaigneraie, both of whom represented one of the court's key factions. Jarnac was a partisan of Anne de Pisseleu d'Heilly, whose sister he had married. He lived an opulent life at court with his stepmother, Madeleine de Puyguyon's financial backing. As a result, rumours were spread by those in Henri's faction that he was having an affair with Madeleine.
Seeking to end the rumours, Jarnac filed a suit in the Parlement of Bourdeaux on grounds of defamation and challenged the king's childhood friend La Châtaigneraie to a duel to settle the matter. The king vetoed any duel at the urging of Anne, who feared the death of her brother-in-law.
Reign of Henri II
Feud
In the early months of the new regime, the feud between the two nobles boiled over. Jarnac, still incensed at the accusations of his relationship with his own stepmother, again accused those who created the rumour of lying. The assertion that the accuser had lied was an assault on aristocratic honour and necessitated a duel. While Henri's circle had originated the rumour, he could not partake in a duel due to his rank. As such, La Châtaignerie, a close childhood friend of Henri, stepped forth to take credit for the rumour. He requested permission from the king to duel Jarnac to the death, which was promptly granted. Jarnac seconded the permission by writing his own letters to the king for permission. In May 1547, the crown agreed that a duel could go ahead and provided a date for the combat of 10 July 1547.
Duel
Jarnac chose as a second Claude de Boisy, a friend of Anne de Montmorency, and La Châtaigneraie selected the duc de Guise. Guise and Montmorency represented the new leaders of the aristocratic factions in Henri's reign. Jarnac, who had been expected by his patron to lose any duel, struck quickly and disabled his opponent at the leg. Victory achieved, Jarnacturned to the king, who was present, and asked him to declare his honour restored and accept the life of his opponent, which by the rules of aristocratic duels was in Jarnac's hands with his victory. The king was shocked, caught off guard by the sudden defeat of his friend, and for a while said nothing. Eventually, at the urgings of Montmorency and his sister, he recognised Jarnac as the victor of the duel and freed him from the obligation to kill La Châtaigneraie. He would not, however, grant Jarnac the traditional words of respect that accompanied a duel victory.