. HENRY IV (1553–1610).

The future Henry IV settled a dispute between two of his loyal Protestant commanders. [A conflict over authority had indeed arisen between two of his supporters, both of whom were his chamberlains and both appointed to command troops in the Agen region – Agen being a Catholic town that had remained loyal to Henry III: Louis de Brunet, Lord of LESTELLE, a man very close to the future Henry IV, who affectionately nicknamed him ‘crapauld’, was then governor of the Protestant town of Clairac, and found it hard to accept the obedience he owed to Henri de LUSIGNAN, then governor of the Protestant town of Puymirol, a trusted aide who would be entrusted with various political and diplomatic missions. The King of Navarre was then attending the great political assembly that the Protestant party was holding in the city of La Rochelle. There he was fiercely attacked; he was criticised for his overly cautious attitude, deemed to be one of waiting and seeing, towards his cousin Henry II and the League.] ‘I am very sorry to have heard of what transpired between Monsieur de Lesignan and yourself, both because of the consequences of said disagreement and because of the harm the town of Clerac felt it suffered due to the unrest that arose there amongst your supporters. Please judge for yourself how important this is. And therefore let this matter not go any further, for I await a true account of it so that I may remedy it to the satisfaction of both parties. In the meantime, I beg you not to take any action against one another. Rather, keep the soldiers in their proper place, lest matters become further embittered. I am writing a similar message to the said Sir de Lesignan, and to the councillors of the said Clerac, to quell the said disturbances’…