Jean de Laforcade, Seigneur de La Fitte-Juson explained

Jean de Laforcade, Seigneur de La Fitte-Juson, aka Jean de Laforcade, Seigneur de La Fitte-Suzon[1] (sic), aka Jean de La Forcade,[2] [3] aka Jean de La Fourcade, aka Jean de la Fourcade, aka Jean de Lafourcade,[4] [5] aka Jean de Laforcade,[6] [7] [8] [9] [10] aka Jean de Fourcade (* About 1555, presumably in Auvillar; † about 1639, in hamlet of Montclaris, in Sigalens, Gascony), was the son of Protestant nobleman Jean de Laforcade, Seigneur de La Fitte, and a descendant of the noble family of Forcade of Béarn in Navarre.

Attorney General of the Chancery of Navarre (1589–1594), Counsellor on the Conseil Souverain of Navarre and Béarn (1594–1609), Counsellor at the Criminal Court of Béarn ("Conseiller à la Chambre criminelle") (1595),[11] Attorney in charge of Impounds ("Maître de Fourrière") for Catherine de Navarre (1596-1599), Attorney in charge of Petitions ("Maître des requêtes") (1599[12] -1606), Judge in the Seneschalty of Sauveterre (1606–?), a Senior Diplomat for Marie de' Medici, queen mother and Regent of France (1611–1615), and the King's Prosecutor in Oloron (1619).

At least one highly-reputed 19th century genealogist, Gabriel O'Gilvy, referred to him as "…one of the most important men in Béarn…".[13] He is cited several times as "Jean de La Fourcade" in the "Mémoires authentiques de Jacques-Nompar de Caumont, duc de La Force, Maréchal de France", Baron, Governor of Navarre and Béarn (16 March 1593[14] -1621), Viceroy of Navarre, Captain of the Guard Corps, Lieutenant to the King in Béarn, Marquis (1609), Marshall of France (1622), then 1st "duc de La Force, Peer of France" (1637), Seigneur de Castelnaud. He is also named several times in letters between the Queen Mother of Navarre and this latter.

Life and occupation

Jean de Laforcade was a lawyer by occupation. His career reflected both his own, and his family's, close relationship to Antoine of Navarre and to his wife and later widow, Jeanne d'Albret of Navarre, to Henry IV of France, and, following his assassination in 1610, to his widow, Marie de' Medici in her capacity as the queen mother of Louis XIII of France and de facto Regent of France from 1610–16. Marie de' Medici was imprisoned by her son, Louis XIII of France, in 1617, who then banished her from France and executed many of her closest allies, at which time Jean de Laforcade's career followed a similar negative direction.

Chronology

Baron Jacques-Nompar de Caumont wrote in his letter from Fontainebleau dated 30 November 1606 to his wife, Charlotte de Gontaut-Biron:

"…I am glad for that which the arrival of Mr. de la Fourcade announces for me, he
will assist me in many things, because he has not yet been touched by any of the
affairs of Béarn; in such a manner that you feel that I would be very distant from
power from here, before breaking camp [in Fontainebleau], at least the way I see it…"[24]

And again in his letter from Paris dated 21 December 1606 to his wife:

"…The last news I have of you was sent by Mr. de la Fourcade, written from
Cugnac

I long to learn of the joyous birth of our daughter in Castelnaud.
I do not think I can leave here sooner than around the fifteenth of January,
because it will take me fifteen days, after breaking camp, to wrap up my business…"[25]

Marie de' Medici, queen mother of Louis XIII of France, in her capacity as the Regent of France, expressed her annoyance concerning the election of the Deputies for Béarn to the Assembly of Saumur in a letter dated 18 May 1611 to the Marquis de La Force:

"…Pending this, I will not conceal that I found very bad the deputation made by those
of the Religion alleged reformed of Béarn of Messrs. the Baron d'Arros, de Fourcade
and du Casse, that they, for their part, find themselves at the Assembly of Saumur,
notwithstanding the opinion [I have] of their persons, which I consider as was
told to me, and they will conduct themselves there as the righteous ones at the
entertainment of the State in which they have their fortunes and their families; but
as the consequence, having never done this during the life of my lord the late King
and not having had any reason since his death, as you all too well know, and the
good treatment they received from the King, my son and I; how shall we continue
should they give us reason. What you will make them understand, and that which they
will need to properly demonstrate by their actions and behavior in the said Assembly,
should give me complete satisfaction, which I dare to promise should they behave
according to your instructions, on the assurance I have that you will give so
instruct them, as well as to others who find themselves at the said Assembly, as
your loyalty and affection to service to the King, my said Sire and son, and to the
State, makes me hope of you. And this I pray to God, etc. Written in Paris, the 18th
day of May 1611. [Signed:] Marie. [And a little lower:] de Loménie."[30]

In a letter written by the now Marquis Jacques-Nompar de Caumont, from Saumur, to de Loménie, Secretary of State for Navarre dated 30 June 1611:

"Sir, you will see from what I write to the Queen, and to the Messieurs of the
Chancery of Navarre, the reason for hurry, that you will well be able to judge by
the state of affairs such that things do not remain as they are. There is a letter
from Mr. de Saulguis, Counsellor, to Mr. de La Fourcade, that orders him, that the
Viscount d'Échaux and all of the country arm themselves with anything they can,
having great apprehension to receive an unwelcome arrival. I beg you hold the
matter in your hands such that it be reviewed according to the importance of the
facts, and I should be particularly well-informed concerning the wishes of His
Majesty (sic) and what I would have to do…"[31]

From Jacques-Nompar de Caumont, Duke de La Force's memoirs, Jean de La Fourcade's pivotal role at the center of the disputes between the Catholic and Reformed churches in Pau, is illustrated. In an excerpt from these memoirs, he describes how, upon returning to Béarn near the end of 1611, he found that each side was fanning the fires to warm up their courage, Catholics to Catholics, and Protestants to Protestants. The Catholics were "…persuading Catholics that those of the Reformed Religion wanted to step on their throats and have at them at the first opportunity offered…". Those of the Reformed Religion "…persuading those of the Reformed Religion that the Catholics had the same desire, that their destruction was assured, and that the Council of their Majesties had nothing in terms of recommendations except to get rid of them…". The Protestants felt "…they could fairly judge from the little account that had been taken of their demands, and by the fact that everything that had been granted to them was turned against them to their disadvantage and to the advantage of the Catholics, such as, the entry of the Bishops to the Conseil [Souverain de Béarn], the Mass held in the city of Pau against the content of the Edict of Nantes, and the general refusal of all their demands, be it the puny wage increase of thirty livres per year that each of their ministers might receive, or be it the gratuities the three deputies, Messieurs d'Arros, de La Fourcade and du Casse, were granted by His Majesty, whose pensions were the only wages for the little care and vigor they gave to the affairs of their temples, considering these special advantages a public shame…".[32]

Marquis Jacques-Nompar de Caumont furnishes a few details in his memoirs concerning this affair, confirming that during 1615, Jean de La Fourcade was with him in Saint-Palais. In a letter addressed to his wife, on the subject of the state of affairs in Navarre, written from Saint-Palais on 13 July 1615, he wrote:

"It is by the means of Mr. de La Fourcade, who dispatched a man to Pau; and so that
you can see that we are all good husbands, he will bring you news about us. I still
cannot send you news of the Estates, because we are still at the beginning; but I am
given hope that news will not be long. As concerns our neighbors, the cattle they
stole were returned in exchange for a bail. I have not yet seen the Viscount d'Échaux;
he was feeling worse, as I learned there that those from Upper Navarre want to
affirm the rights they claim, so what we must do will depend on the King's wishes.[35]

He again names Jean de La Fourcade in a letter to Mr. de Loménie written from Pau in November 1615:

"…I will tell you the pain I foresee; it is up to you, Sir, who can see more
clearly there, to apply the remedies that I so very humbly beg of you, as is
also the case in the matter of the Aldude, on which subject I received two
letters from the Viscount d'Échaux et de la vallée de Baigorry, that I send
you, where you will see the lamentations of these poor people, who are dying
of poverty this year, their corn having been frozen and their millets burned.
I hear that Mr. de Bayonne quickly dispatches, waiting for the Sieur de La
Fourcade to follow, who he feels must make the trip, since they have broken
their treaty with the Commissioners of Spain, who with their proposals, only
provisionally did not want to give the people of Baigorry either rights or
usage in Aldude…"[36]

Wage payment records at the Chambre des Comptes of Navarre show compensation paid for 1615 to de Laforcade, Counsellor d'État de Navarre.[37]

He was stripped of his nobility by the King before 12 May 1616, probably shortly before 16 July 1613, allegedly for the dérogeance of acquiring some farms in the Pays de Marsan, in present-day department of Landes.

Charlotte de Gontaut-Biron, who a few years later would become the Marshal and Duchess de La Force, finally names Jean de La Fourcade in one of her letters, from Pau, dated 12 May 1616, and addressed to the Marquis de La Force, her husband. This letter is of particular significance in that it speaks of Jean de La Fourcade loss of nobility.

"Sir, we learned by way of letters from Bordeaux that peace was published in Blois,
that the Chancellor was dismissed, his office given to Mr. du Vair, First President
of the Parliament of Provence, who was sent to exercise the office; God grant it
may be to his glory, the pleasure of the righteous and to the benefit of the State!
Mr. de La Fourcade also sends the same wishes to you, Sir, and added his request to
restore him and his family in all their charges, honors, dignities and pensions, and
that the rest of his affairs are going well enough. I do not know if this news will
change your opinion for your return, and if it will not hasten it. Mr. d'Espalungue
received letters from Holland that summon him that this War of the Jülich Succession
restarts, and that one of the Archdukes, whose name I did not retain, makes grand
preparations and armaments to lay siege to that place there…"[38] [39]

"Opening of the Estates of Béarn, performed by the King, during which
he was given 16000 petits écus.

After the dinner on Monday, the 19th of the month of October, we left the Council
toward one o'clock in the afternoon, Messieurs de Casans, President, Laforcade,
Du Pont, Loyard, Dufour, Laugar, Gillot, Lendressc, Marca, Claverie, all three of
the King's staff, and I, in a red robe, to participate in the opening of the
Estates, that took place in the great lower hall of the castle, where a small
stage or theater was set up, on which there was a chair, on which the King sat…"[41]

Jean de Laforcade apparently returned in later life to spend the last years of his life near his sons in parish of Saint-Martin de Monclaris, in the house he built, Caubeyran Manor. Jean de Forcade is named in a limited number of notarial acts in the first half of the 17th century with the simple qualifications of merchant, farmer[42] and inhabitant of the parish of Saint-Martin de Monclaris in the diocese of Bazas. Jean de Forcade obtained letters from the Bishop of Bazas authorizing him burial rights in the parish church itself, in the commune of Sigalens, on 20 June 1639.

The Caubeyran Manor ("Seigneurie de Caubeyran")[43] is located in the hamlet of Montclaris, in Sigalens. According to records, it was built "…during the reign of Henry IV of France…", which began in 1589, by a Captain Jean de Forcade, who was married to the daughter of the Seigneur de Barbuscan, Jehan de Lucmajour, and completed about 1598. Louis de Forcade, his grandson, son of Jean de Forcade, Seigneur de Saint-Genest, Squire, and Noble Marie de Laurière, Damoiselle de Moncaut, is cited as Seigneur de Caubeyran at his marriage in 1653. According to records, Forcade descendants still owned the property in 1828.

Although he did not live to see it, his sons and their descendants were restored to their nobility with letters of rehabilitation issued by King Louis XIV of France[44] on 11 July 1651[45] or 13 June 1655,[46] that reestablished them "…in their ancient nobility…" and "…forgave them of the dérogeance committed by their father…". Only one of his sons lived to see the registration in a judgment by the Court of Aids (the Court of Appeals) of Guyenne in Libourne on 27 March 1656 or 27 May 1656,[47] but the descendants of at least two of his sons further continued the noble descendance.

Gabriel O'Gilvy put forth that he was the son of Gaston de Forcade, who was born about 1480 in Orthez. Chaix d'Est-Ange and other authors, however, cast serious doubts on this claim, mainly because O'Gilvy did not provide any source citations to support his claim, and because of, what they considered as, an unforgivable age difference of about 75 years between the two births. Chaix d'Est-Ange felt that one or more generations were missing in between. Recent 21st century research confirms that two generations were, in fact, missing. And, there is new evidence to indicate that these missing generations descended instead from Raymond de Forcade, Gaston's youngest brother.

Family

Parents

Jean de Laforcade was the son and heir of Protestant Noble Jean de Laforcade, Seigneur de La Fitte, aka Jean de Forcade (* Before 1525; † December 1589 in Pau), General Treasurer of the King and Queen of Navarre in their County of Armagnac (Trésorier général pour les roi et reine de Navarre en leur comté d'Armagnac)[48] [49] in 1556–57, General Treasurer of Navarre (Trésorier général de Navarre) in 1580,[50] Counsellor to the King on his Conseil ordinaire (Conseil d'État),[51] President of Finances (Président aux Comptes) in 1586,[52] First President of the Chambre des Comptes of Navarre at the Parliament of Navarre in Pau on 14 September 1589.[53]

He married by notarized contract with Odette de Rey[54] at Maître Ouzannet, notary and secretary[55] of the commune of Laplume, Gascony, on 29 April 1554. In this marriage contract, he is qualified as both a Noble and a Squire. Odette de Rey, was the sister of Noble Jacques de Rey, Seigneur de La Salle, who was a captain and the military commandant of the village of Laplume.

Marriage

Records related to the noble manor of Caubeyran[43] in the hamlet of Montclaris, in Sigalens show that the mansion was originally built during the reign of Henry IV of France, and completed before 1598, by a Captain Jean de Laforcade, who married a daughter of the Seigneur de Barbuscan after 1576, at the time Jehan de Lucmajour. The two families were members of court of the Albret family, the rulers of Lower Navarre. The Seigneurie de Barbuscan bears an uncanny resemblance in name to the Château de Barbazan, of which the Captain Desliges was appointed Captain (Governor) on 16 February 1571 at the Chambre des Comptes of Navarre in Pau.[56]

Children

He had at least four sons and two daughters:

Son-in-Law

Jean de Minvielle, cited as his son-in-law in 1606, is cited as Noble Jean de Minvielle, Seigneur du Domecq de Dognen, who, on 19 January 1609 furnished a notarized receipt to Noble Jehan du Peyrer, sieur de Tres Villes, his father-in-law, given as dowry for his wife, Marie du Peyrer, in her first marriage.[70] Jean de Minvielle, Seigneur du Domecq de Dognen made his testament on 20 November 1617[71] and Marie du Peyrer married a second time with Abraham de Brosser, Bourgeois and merchant in Orthez. Damoiselle[72] Marie d'Aramitz is named as "…widow of the late Jehan de Peyré, Seigneur of the noble house of Lisabe and Casamayeur by conquest, and the aforesaid d'Aramitz, gives usufruct of the aforesaid house of Lisabe and Casamayeur in Toisvilles…", in an act dated 28 November 1613.[73] Damoiselle Marie d'Aramitz and Dame of the noble house of Troisvilles, signed an act marie daramits at the royal notary in Soule on 1 October 1628.[74]

At the marriage of Pierre II. de Day, Co-Director of the Mint of in Pau ("contre-garde[75] en la Monnaie de Pau"), with Damoiselle de Anne de Basson, aka Anne de Saint-Martin, by notarized contract at the Notary Jean de Souberbie in Pau on 8 December 1619, the bridegroom was assisted by Maître Pierre I. de Day, also Co-Director of the Mint of in Pau ("contre-garde en la Monnaie de Pau"), his father, Roger de Day and Jean de Day, his brothers, and Jean de La Forcade and Jean de Minvielle, Counsellors to the King, his allies by marriage. The bride was assisted by Damoiselle Agnès de Saint-Martin, also known as Agnès de Bassot, her sister, a resident of Pau, Maître Guillaume Salinis, husband of the aforesaid Saint-Martin, her brother-in-law, Hierosme Norman, General Clerk of the Finances of the King ("commis-général des finance du roi"), her uncle, Maître Isaac de Lostau, Damoiselle Agnès de Normans, widow of the sieur de Lacoste, Counsellor to the King, and Catherine de Camo.[76] [77] Pierre I. de Day, the father, had been provided with the office of Director of the Mint in Morlaàs ("garde de la Monnaie de Morlaàs") on 5 March 1598, following the resignation of Maître Denis Bergeron, aka Denis Vergeron, by Jacques de Caumont, Seigneur and Baron de la Force, Counsellor to the King on his Conseil Souverain of Navarre and Béarn and Conseil Privé, Captain of one of the Corps of the King's bodyguards, Governor and Lieutenant General representing the King in Navarre and the souverain lands of Béarn.[78] [79] [80]

The noble houses of Casamayor and of Elissabé were originally sold on 1 May 1584 by Bernard d'Échauz to Isabelle de Sauguis, widow of noble Jean d'Abbadie d'Izeste, Captain, aunt of Marie d'Aramitz, for 9,000 Bordeaux francs at the Royal Notary de Sanz de Conget in Soule, and this sum was reimbursed by the Seigneur Jean du Peyrer, Bourgeois and merchant from Tardets, to noble Jean d'Abbadie, proxy of Damoiselle Isabelle de Sauguis, his mother, on 25 January 1608.[81]

Other Family

Circumstantial evidence points to other close family members and descendants. Due to incomplete or missing protestant church records, the exact relationship is not known.

"…Eighth, they have produced an investigation conducted in the town
of Sauveterre in Béarn, by the authority of the elected officials of
Guyenne, at the request of Jean de Forcade, Squire, Seigneur de
Sauroux, first cousin of the petitioners, by which it is amply
verified that their ancestors were genuine nobles, and as such have
always held rank at the [Order of the Nobility of the] Estates of
the land of Béarn…"

References

Notes and References

  1. Etcheverry, p. 6 (in French)
  2. Haag, La France Protestante, Tome V, p. 304 (in French)
  3. Haag, La France Protestante, Tome VII, p. 532 (in French)
  4. AD64, E 2002
  5. AD64, B 3084
  6. AD64, C 1542
  7. AD64, E 2012
  8. AD64, E 2015
  9. AD64, E 2022
  10. AD64, 1 J 298/2
  11. AD64, B 288
  12. AD64, E 2017
  13. O'Gilvy, Tome 3, Page 171 (in French)
  14. SSLAP, Extraits des Registres de la Chambre des Comptes de Pau, Tome 1, p. 259 (in French)
  15. SSLAP, Extraits des Registres de la Chambre des Comptes de Pau, Tome 35, p. 71 (in French)
  16. SSLAP, Extraits des Registres de la Chambre des Comptes de Pau, Tome 35, p. 74 (in French)
  17. AD64, E 2017
  18. AD64, E 1005
  19. AD64, E 2019
  20. AD64, E 2022
  21. SSLAP, Extraits des Registres du Conseil Souverain de Béarn, Tome 24, p. 67 (in French)
  22. SSLAP, Extraits des Registres de la Chambre des Comptes de Pau, Tome 25, p. 142 (in French)
  23. SSLAP, Extraits des Registres de la Chambre des Comptes de Pau, Tome 25, p. 141 (in French)
  24. La Force/La Grange, Mémoires, Tome I, pp. 442–443 (in French)
  25. La Force/La Grange, Mémoires, Tome I, p. 445 (in French)
  26. Jaurgain/Maluquer, Armorial de Béarn Tome II, p. 322 (in French)
  27. SSLAP, Extraits des Registres de la Chambre des Comptes de Pau, Tome 35, p. 2 (in French)
  28. Raymond, p. 151 (in French)
  29. La Force/La Grange, Mémoires, Tome II, p. 18 (in French)
  30. La Force/La Grange, Mémoires, Tome II, pp. 325–326 (in French)
  31. La Force/La Grange, Mémoires, Tome II, pp. 333–334 (in French)
  32. La Force/La Grange, Mémoires, Tome II, p. 36 (in French)
  33. La Force/La Grange, Mémoires, Tome II, p. 28 (in French)
  34. Etcheverry, p. 8 (in French)
  35. La Force/La Grange, Mémoires, Tome II, p. 362 (in French)
  36. La Force/La Grange, Mémoires, Tome II, p. 369 (in French)
  37. AD64, B 3545
  38. O'Gilvy, Tome 3, Page 172 (in French)
  39. La Force/La Grange, Mémoires, Tome II, p. 445 (in French)
  40. AD64, B 3616
  41. SSLAP – Histoire de l'Hérésie en Béarn (Manuscrit de Pierre de Salefranque, conseiller du Roi, secrétaire et garde-sacs du Parlement de Navarre), Tome 43, p. 30 (in French)
  42. [Gustave Louis Chaix d'Est-Ange|Chaix d'Est-Ange]
  43. Visites en Aquitaine, Maison Noble de Caubeyran (in French)
  44. [Gustave Louis Chaix d'Est-Ange|Chaix d'Est-Ange]
  45. O'Gilvy, Tome 3, p. 175 (in French)
  46. Archives historiques du département de la Gironde, Vol. 35, p. 247 (in French)
  47. Bourrousse de Laffore, Revue de l'Agenais, Tome 12, pp. 197–198 (in French)
  48. Tierny/Pagel, p. 39, col. 2. f. 99 (in French)
  49. AD32, B 6, 1556–1557, f° 99 (in French)
  50. AD64, B1869
  51. SSLAP, Extraits des Registres de la Chambre des Comptes de Pau, Tome 1, p. 163 (in French)
  52. SSLAP, Extraits des Registres de la Chambre des Comptes de Pau, Tome 1, p. 164 (in French)
  53. SSLAP, Extraits des Registres de la Chambre des Comptes de Pau, Tome 35, p. 67 (in French)
  54. [Gustave Louis Chaix d'Est-Ange|Chaix d'Est-Ange]
  55. O'Gilvy, Tome 3, p. 180 (in French)
  56. Lassaut (1871), p. 168 (in French)
  57. AD64, E 1365
  58. AD64, E 1369
  59. AD64, E 1368
  60. AD64, E 2033
  61. AD64, B 3918
  62. SSLAP, Extraits des Registres de la Chambre des Comptes de Pau, Tome 16, p. 160 (in French)
  63. AD64, B 3667
  64. AD64, B 354
  65. AD64, B 3895
  66. AD64, B 3883
  67. AD64, B 3809
  68. AD64, B 3781
  69. AD64, B3792
  70. Jaurgain, Les Trois Mousquétaires, p. 22 (in French)
  71. Jaurgain, Les Trois Mousquétaires, p. 23 (in French)
  72. Kerstrat, Jean-Louis de, MEMODOC, Qualifications nobiliaires, titres de noblesse, ecuyer, chevalier, noble homme, messire, gentilhomme (in French)
  73. Jaurgain, Les Trois Mousquétaires, pp. 23–24 (in French)
  74. Jaurgain, Les Trois Mousquétaires, p. 24 (in French)
  75. Larousse: Mint officer who was in charge of receiving raw materials destined for the foundry and of monitoring all monetary transactions. (Instituted in 1213, the contre-gardes were abolished in 1696.) (in French)
  76. AD64, E 2029, f° 39
  77. RBNL – Armorial général de 1696, Béarn, numéros 44 à 81, Tome 6, pp. 91–92 (in French)
  78. AD64, E 2029, f° 39
  79. AD64, B 945
  80. RBNL – Armorial général de 1696, Béarn, numéros 44 à 81, Tome 6, p. 91 (in French)
  81. AD64, E 1809, f° 290
  82. Jaurgain, Page 485 (in French)
  83. Bascle de Lagrèze, p. 146 (in French)
  84. Jaurgain/Maluquer, Armorial de Béarn Tome II, Page 257 (in French)
  85. AD64, B 872
  86. Jaurgain/Maluquer, Armorial de Béarn Tome II, Page 591 (in French)
  87. AD64, E 1636, f° 665
  88. AD64, E 1858
  89. AD64, E 2004
  90. Bordenave (de), Histoire de Béarn et Navarre, pp. 181–182, footnote 11 (in French)
  91. Jaurgain/Maluquer, Armorial de Béarn Tome II, p. 484 (in French)
  92. AD64, B 662
  93. AD64, E 1674
  94. Jaurgain, Les Trois Mousquétaires, Page 243 (in French)
  95. Jaurgain, Les Trois Mousquétaires, Page 244 (in French)

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