Charles de Bourbon, comte de Soissons
| Charles de Bourbon | |
|---|---|
| Count of Soissons | |
Portrait of Charles, copper engraving by Dominicus Custos, c. 1600
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| Born |
3 November 1566 Nogent-le-Rotrou |
| Died | 1 November 1612 (aged 45) Château de Blandy-les-Tours |
| Spouse | Anne de Montafié |
| Issue |
Louis, Count of Soissons Louise, Duchesse of Longueville Marie, Princess of Carignan |
| Father | Louis, Prince of Condé |
| Mother | Françoise d'Orléans |
Charles de Bourbon (3 November 1566 – 1 November 1612) was a French prince du sang and military commander during the struggles over religion and the throne in late 16th century France. A first cousin of King Henry IV of France, he was the son of the Huguenot leader Louis I de Bourbon, prince de Condé and his second wife, Françoise d'Orléans-Longueville (5 April 1549 – 1601). He gave his name to the Hotel de Soissons after his title Count of Soissons.
Born in Nogent-le-Rotrou, Soissons joined the Catholic League during the French Wars of Religion despite his older half-brothers' Protestant affiliations. He left the royal court disenchanted soon thereafter however, and was won over to the cause of the anti-Guise malcontents by Henry, who would himself convert soon enough to Catholicism for the sake of the French crown.
Charles fought at the battle of Coutras in 1587, attended the Estates General at Blois in 1588, fought back the League's forces at the battle of Saint Symphorien in 1589, was taken prisoner at Château-Giron and, escaping from Nantes, joined forces with Henry at Dieppe. After the battle of Ivry he led the king's cavalry in besieging Paris in 1590, and proved his worth at the sieges of Chartres in 1591 and of Rouen in 1592. Although he briefly joined in the scheme of his brother Charles, Cardinal de Bourbon, to form a third party in the kingdom, he attended Henry's coronation in 1594. He fought loyally at the successful siege of Laon. Peace having been concluded with Spain, he commanded troops in the war in Savoy in 1600.
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