death in 1554 of Leone Strozzi, prior of the Order of Malta for Capua and commander of the order's galleys. Elbeuf received the honour of assuming his role with the order. In total this was a fleet of 42 galleys, harboured in Toulon and Marseilles granting him a sizable presence in the Mediterranean. Ascendency Afforded his long desired campaign in Italy, Guise set off in November 1556 with his brothers Aumale and Elbeuf providing military support to his campaign. He was unable to achieve much of note in Italy in early 1557. In the wake of Constable Montmorency's capture after the disastrous battle of Saint-Quentin in 1557. The Guise were ascendant in government. Keen to take advantage, Elbeuf hurried to court, arriving a week after the Duke of Guise became lieutenant-general of the kingdom. In his new position of total military authority, Guise sort to reclaim French honour through capturing Calais, which had been in English hands since 1347 and was heavily defended. Elbeuf and Aumale joined him for his winter attack on the city and both were to play a key role in holding a castle after it was secured. With Guise having left to return to camp, Elbeuf and Aumale led the defenders of the castle in withstanding two ferocious attempts by the English to recapture the fortification. Unable to achieve victory in this endeavour, the English soon surrendered on 8 January, Guise had pulled off a major coup, seizing a city in weeks that had resisted French control for over one hundred years. As a reward for his role in the capture, Elbeuf received a gift of 12,000 livres. Reign of François II Scottish enterprise In 1559, Lorraine was hopeful that Elbeuf would soon be able to be sent to Scotland, to support Marie de Guise's regime against the increasing Protestant tenor of the country. However the death of Henri II that year, would jeopardise these plans. Nevertheless, in November Elbeuf received a commission to go to Scotland as 'viceroy', however poor weather forced his ship back when he tried to travel to the country on 21 December. Many of his ships made it through however, and as such Marie was reinforced by 900 men, though the very fact of this was preyed on by her opponents in the country as a foreign occupation. Elbeuf meanwhile took up residence in Dieppe, where the Protestant minority which was