the gouvernment of Champagne and Brie in 1553. In 1554 he fought the Spanish around Mezieres clearing them from the area. In 1557 France was stunned by the crushing defeat dealt to the army at the battle of Saint-Quentin, Bourdillon successfully extracted the remnants of the army from the field, preventing a larger disaster. He fought at the relief of Thionville in 1558. By the terms of Peace of Cateau-Cambresis Italy was largely evacuated by the French. However, several fortresses were maintained in the Piedmont, placed under the authority of Bourdillon as Lieutenant General of Piedmont and governor of the Marquisate of Saluzzo. In this role his responsibility for civilians was highly limited, and his command was focused around a large mercenary contingent. Reign of Charles IX Receiving increasingly disagreeable instructions from court as the crowns toleration policy became more fully formed, Bourdillon took the opportunity to stall, delaying carrying out royal instructions for months on the grounds that it was not possible to enforce the orders of a king who was a minor. With the outbreak of civil war the situation changed, and on 22 December 1562, he was called to court, receiving Paul de Thermes' Marshal baton upon the late Marshal's death from the regent Catherine de'Medici. Having received the honour he returned to his lieutenant general responsibilities. With peace declared in 1563, the Edict of Amboise required enforcing. To facilitate this commissioners were sent out into the provinces, to resolve disputes over the edicts terms and create compromises where necessary. To ensure that the commissioners would be obeyed by local lords, Marshals Bourdillon, Vielleville and Montmorency were assigned super regions to oversee compliance. Bourdillon was given the region of Touraine, Anjou, Maine, Poitou, lower Normandy and parts of Brittany. With the rise of Catholic religious leagues in violation of the edicts terms, Bourdillon was tasked in 1565 with leading an army into the Guyenne, to crush this rebellious movement. When the queen mother met with Alba during the Bayonne Conference in 1565 to discuss potential marriage proposals between the two kingdoms, Bourdillon accompanied her, and was involved in the negotiations. Death He died at Fontainebleau on 4 April 1567. He was buried in the church at Epoisses which he had acquired from the duke of Nevers in 1561. References Sources Adrien Bonvallet, Le château des Bordes et ses seigneurs: Étude Historique, Nevers, 1869. Marshals of France 1516