César Phoebus d'Albret, Count of Miossens

César Phoebus d'Albret, comte de Miossens (1614 – 3 September 1676), was a French soldier, a Marshal of France under Louis XIV (his distant cousin), and a court gallant. He was also a cousin of the marquise de Montespan. His faithful attachment to Anne of Austria and Cardinal Mazarin during the Fronde, rather than any military talent, motivated his designation as a marshal of France (1 June 1653). He set aside the name of Miossens for the grander name of Albret.

He first took up arms in the service of the United Provinces, under Maurice of Nassau and Jean de Werth in the Eighty Years' War against the Spanish in the Low Countries. In 1635 he was made maître de camp alongside his father in a French infantry regiment in the army of Lorraine and commanded a regiment in the siege of Corbie (1636). As a Captain in the regiment of Guards in 1639, he became successively ensign then Lieutenant of the Gendarmes de la Garde ordinaire du Roi in 1644, and second-in-command during the Fronde.

Though on intimate terms with the young duc d'Enghien, he nevertheless joined the party of Mazarin. On 19 January 1650 he was charged with escorting the arrested dukes of Conti, Condé and Longueville to the donjon at the château de Vincennes. Mazarin's promise of the rank of Marshal was extracted only at the price of pressures brought by court intrigues, in which César Phoebus was supported by his cousin Madame de Montespan, who was soon to supplant the young Louise de La Vallière in the King's affections. The title of duke continued to elude him.

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