Catholic religion in the country. This expedition would not however come to pass, and war would resume later that same year as the peace was overturned. Third war of religion In the following civil war, after the abortive Peace of Longjumeau Aumale was for a third time entrusted with protecting the border against attempted mercenary incursions. He was encamped in Champagne with eighteen companies of men-at-arms, while Cossé defended the border up in Picardie with a further fifteen. To assist him in his efforts in Champagne, he oversaw the assembling of a second army largely composed of mercenary contingents under the duke of Nemours. The Duke of Zweibrücken crossed the frontier in January 1569. Nemours and Aumale attempted with great urgency to stop him joining forces with the main Protestant body under Coligny, however they failed in their task and Zweibrücken outmanoeveured them, capturing La Charité on 20 May allowing him to link with the rebels. The two commanders forces, once outflanked had followed him in on his march into the interior, failing to confront him. Their inability to coordinate with each other and interpersonal difficulties aroused the fury of the secretary of state Villeroy who lambasted how noble feuding compromised the greater interests of the state. Catherine reproached Aumale for his conduct in the campaign, accusing him of incompetence and cowardice. After the crushing royal victory at the Battle of Moncontour in which the main Protestant army under Coligny was annihilated, Aumale and Marshal Biron were tasked with chasing down several of the routed columns. The columns were however skilfully handled, and they were unable to catch them. Moreover by this point the royal armies under their authority, absent of pay and racked with disease were beginning to disintegrate. Assassination of the Admiral Frustrated by the continuity of the feud between Coligny and the Guise despite the supposed termination of the disagreement with the settlement of Moulins. Charles planned in 1571 further efforts to reconcile the two families. In October he summoned Aumale and the two sons of the murdered duke Guise and Charles, Duke of Mayenne to court. Hoping to effect a reconciliation between them and the Admiral, it would not however come to pass and tensions continued to escalate between the families. After exchanging threats of military action, things cooled in 1572. In May 1572 Aumale, Guise and Mayenne formally recognised Coligny's innocence for the assassination of