in his midst, mentioning the Italian Birague and Retz by name as a destructive influence on the kingdom. During the absence of Henri from the kingdom, Catherine governed as regent, as had been the request of Charles on his deathbed. To assist her in governing the kingdom, she looked to her favourite Birague for support. Birague chaired the royal council in the king's absence. With Henri returning from the Commonwealth to assume the French crown he passed through the city of Turin on his travels. While there he was taken aside by the duke of Savoy, who convinced him to return the remaining French held towns in the Piedmont. Birague reacted with horror to this abdication of France's position in Italy, and refused to put his seals to the decision upon Henri's arrival. Nevers, who governed French Piedmont joined Birague in the denunciation, insisting his disapproval be formerly registered. Alençon At the advent of Henri's reign, Birague was one of eight members of the conseil privé et d'état, alongside Morvillier, Cheverny and Bellièvre among others. Birague advised the recently returned king to keep his brother Alençon and cousin Navarre under arrest to stop them joining any rebellions, the king however allowed them to move as they pleased though under a degree of surveillance. Alençon who had been flirting with joining the Malcontents since the original conspiracy, declared his hand in September 1575 and fled court to put himself at the head of the rebellion. From Dreux he layed out his manifesto, one component of which was a denunciation of the monopoly on high office enjoyed by Italians, who should be expelled from the kingdom, he mentioned Birague specifically. Recognising the danger of the situation to the crown's authority, a generous truce was agreed in November, hoping to detatch Alençon from the other rebels to whom he provided considerable legitimacy. Hatred of Italians was not restricted to the upper nobility, in July 1575, after the murder of a student in Paris by an Italian, riots broke out against the presence of Italians in the city. As the violence escalated, Birague was singled out for abuse in the pamphlets of Paris as a corrosive influence on the country. Poisoned wine On 26 December Alençon and some friends were enjoying some wine when they became sick, keen to see conspiracy he blamed the sommelier for poisoning his wine. The mastermind of this conspiracy