back the mercenary force of German reiters he had recruited in Germany to bolster the beleaguered Protestant army, that was shut up in the city of Orléans under loose siege. Aumale's attempts would be a failure however as Andelot was able to outmanoeveur him and join his forces with those inside Orléans. This failure meant that the loose siege of the city was now untenable and Saint-André had to withdraw his forces from around Orléans. Aumale returned to his bête noire, the siege of Rouen. Continually short on funds he expropriated cloth that belonged to the merchants of Rouen that was sitting at Brienne. He also utilised methods that were more controversial among his fellow nobles, instructing Catholic peasants to harass Protestant forces. Hoping to aid his brother, Guise instructed for recently recruited German mercenaries to be directed from the Loire where they weren't required to reinforce Aumale outside the city. During September and October the main royal army would come to Orléans, and successfully prosecute the siege where Aumale couldn't. At the Battle of Dreux in December, the only major field engagement of the first war of religion, Aumale fought with the crown. According to his brothers' report of the days event he was thrown from his horse in the fighting, and had broken his shoulder from the impact. Aumale's forces had tried to fight the Swiss Protestant reiters early in the day, in hopes of saving the left wing of the royal army, but his troops were routed by the oncoming Swiss. Assassination of the duke of Guise In January 1563, while conducting the siege of Orléans Guise was assassinated by Jean de Poltrot. In the absence of Lorraine, Aumale and Cardinal Guise hurried to the siege, keen to ensure their brothers exit was stage managed in an appropriately orthodox fashion after all the rumours that had surrounded Navarre's exit at Rouen. They selected for him the conservative confessor the Bishop Riez, those who were present accused Riez of manipulating the dukes final words and downplaying his sorrow for his crime at Wassy. Riez provided the epistle of Saint James for the duke to listen to, one denounced by Martin Luther as an 'epistle of straw' and ensured Guise defended the Real presence. Their brothers death successfully managed the whole family met for a council in March, where they established the plan of their vendetta against Gaspard II