to his daughter, the marriage of whom to Condé's son was prohibited by Catherine de Medici. Reign of Henri II Favourite In 1547 François I died; while Henri was not meant to be involved in the process of obsequies, he secretly viewed the funeral from a house en route with his close associates Saint André and Vielleville. Henri became emotional and began to cry; Vielleville and Saint André recounted for him how his elder brother had celebrated a false report that he had drowned years prior, hoping to channel his grief into anger. In 1547 at the advent of his reign, Saint André was made lieutenant general, governor and sénéschal of Lyonnais. The same year he was elevated to the position of grand chamberlain, and made a marshal of France. Claude d'Annebault was compelled to cede his Marshal title so that Saint André could be elevated. In his capacity as royal chamberlain he slept in the king's chamber with him, providing him a great deal of access and ability to influence the king. In 1550 he inherited his father's governorship of Lyonnais. In the early years of his reign Saint André and his father were both regular fixtures of the Conseil Privé, and after his father's death in 1549, Saint André continued his presence in the exclusive council. By 1550 his government was expanded to the Lyonnais, Forez, Beaujolais, Auvergne and Marche. He quickly became the wealthiest and most connected man in the region. War With the resumption of the Italian Wars in 1551 France initially achieved success, securing a hold on the Three Bishoprics. Charles moved to recapture the towns in late 1552, Saint André was assigned to defend the town of Verdun however Charles selected as his target Metz, where Guise was stationed; after a few months he broke off the siege in failure. Charles V was quick to avenge this loss, and in 1553 he besieged, and then razed the town of Thérouanne. This sudden strike caught Henri off guard, having been under the impression there was no serious threat to the city. He spent a day in his chambers, refusing to speak to anyone other than Saint André and his mistress Diane de Poitiers. In the campaign season of 1553, Montmorency and Saint André led the main royal army into Picardy, under Montmorency's overall leadership the army would not accomplish much of note, conducting a very