The Life of Marie de Medicis, Queen of France, Consort of Henri IV, and Regent of the Kingdom under Louis XIII — Volume 1Pardoe, Miss (Julia)
History
The Life of Marie de Medicis, Queen of France, Consort of Henri IV, and Regent of the Kingdom under Louis XIII — Volume 1
Pardoe, Miss (Julia)
Marie de Médicis, Queen, consort of Henry IV, King of France, 1573-1642
Not satisfied with this precaution, moreover, M. de Montmorency also
demanded an audience of the King, in which he laid before him the
apprehensions that he entertained; and finally he entreated his
Majesty's permission to compel his daughter to return to France, and to
take up her residence with the Duchesse d'Angoulême, her aunt.
Henry made a ready and gracious reply to this request, and before he
finally retired from the royal closet, the Connétable asked and obtained
the royal sanction to authorize the Marquis de Coeuvres to concert with
him some scheme for carrying off the Princess.
M. de Coeuvres had no sooner received these instructions than he
admitted to his confidence Madame de Berny, the wife of the French
Ambassador at the Flemish Court (who from political reasons was himself
kept in ignorance of the plot), and M. de Châteauneuf,[413] who was at
that period residing in Brussels on a special mission from his
Government; and the quasi-conspirators were not long ere they flattered
themselves that their success was certain.
Near the palace of the Prince of Orange, in which Madame de Condé had
taken up her residence, was a breach in the city wall by which it was
easy to descend into the moat; and it was decided that the Princess
should effect her escape from this point during the night. Saddled
horses were to be prepared for herself and her retinue near the outer
bank of the ditch, and nothing remained undecided save the moment of her
evasion. She was to proceed at all speed to Pontarmé, where a relay of
fresh horses and an armed escort were to await her arrival, and similar
arrangements were to be made throughout the whole of the route to
Rocroy. Finally, the precise night of her flight was decided on; and
this had no sooner been determined than M. de Coeuvres despatched a
courier to the Connétable, informing him that there now remained no
doubt of the immediate return of the Princess to his protection.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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