Louis de la Trémoille

Louis II de la Trémoille (or La Trimouille) (29 September 1460 – 24 February 1525) was a French general. He served under three kings: Charles VIII, Louis XII and Francis I. He was killed in combat at the Battle of Pavia.

During the course of his career, he earned the titles Vicomte de Thouars, Prince de Talmond, Comte de Guînes et de Bénon, Baron de Sully, de Craon, de Montagu, de Mauléon et de l'Ile-Bouchard, Seigneur des Iles de Ré, de Rochefort et de Marans, and Premier Chambellan du Roi.

He was born in Thouars to a prominent noble family of Poitou.

He commanded an army that attempted to secure Brittany for the French crown after internal revolts had weakened Francis II, Duke of Brittany during the so-called "Mad War" (La Guerre Folle). His decisive victory at the Battle of Saint-Aubin-du-Cormier on 27 July 1488 ended effective Breton independence.

He took part in several battles in the Italian Wars, notably the inconclusive Battle of Fornovo (1495) and the victorious Battle of Agnadello (1509). He suffered a severe defeat at the Battle of Novara, in which his 10,000-strong army was ambushed by 13,000 Swiss mercenaries.

He later went on to secure a French victory at the Battle of Marignano (1515), but he perished at the Battle of Pavia on 24 February 1525, where he died of a wound inflicted by an arquebus. His death occurred during the climax of the battle when the French were surprised by 1500 Spanish arquebusiers. La Trémoille and other high-ranking Frenchmen fought their way towards their king, Francis I, in order to protect him. La Trémoille fell from his horse, shot through the heart.

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