Jean de Monchy
Jean de Monchy, seigneur de Sénarpont was a French noble, governor and military commander during the Italian Wars and the early French Wars of Religion. Beginning his career under François I he served as the governor of Corbie from 1541 to 1550. At this time the kingdom regained control of Boulogne and the new king Henri II appointed him governor of the important port city. He was briefly the bailli of Amiens simultaneously. In 1557 the French were faced with disaster at the Saint-Quentin and in the aftermath Sénarpont enjoyed command as temporary lieutenant-general of maritime Picardie. Keen to avenge the defeat, Henri decided upon an attack against Calais, Sénarpont would be dispatched on several reconnaissance missions to assess the viability of this proposal, and it was determined to go ahead with the attack. Sénarpont participated in both the naval preparations and the land attack on Calais that saw it returned to France in January 1558.
In the aftermath of this victory he would be with the army of Marshal Thermes at the disastrous battle of Gravelines at which one of the French armies was destroyed. He was taken prisoner and would not be ransomed until after the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis in 1559. After his release, he was established as the lieutenant-general of Picardie, replacing the sieur de Villebon. This made him the effective governor of the province for much of the time. He was charged in September 1560 with leading negotiations over the exact borders with Spanish Vlaanderen, however the commission ultimately wasn't able to conclude much before it was overtaken by various disorders. He was briefly removed as lieutenant-general at this time, though restored shortly thereafter. He was close with the new Protestant governor of Picardie the prince de Condé and with the outbreak of the first French War of Religion in April 1562, he joined Condé at Orléans for his rebellion. After a failed attempt on Calais he distanced himself from the war, returning to his estates after Condé entered alliance with the English. He died in 1563.
Early life and family
Jean de Monchy was born in 1500.Marriages
Sénarpont married first Marguerite d'Abbeville, the daughter of Louis d'Abbeville and Antoinette de Biencourt. She brought the lands of Biencourt with her to the marriage. He married again to Madeleine de Suze, dame de Belle in 1563. Madeleine de Suze was the daughter of Philippe de Suze, sieur de La Versine and Claude de Villiers.He had issue:
- François de Monchy, murdered in Amiens, his killers were tortured and executed by the governor of Picardie;
- Antoine de Monchy, baron of Vimeu;
- Jean de Monchy, sieur de Hercourt;
- Sidrach de Monchy, sieur de Moimont;
- Gédeon de Monchy, sieur de Mons;
- Charlotte de Monchy, married the seigneur de Nesle;
- Françoise de Monchy, married the sieur de Sainte-Marie-du-Mont
Reign of François I
In 1531 he inherited the seigneurie of Sénarpont from Edmund de Monchy.
From 1541 to 1550 Sénarpont served as the governor of Corbie.
Reign of Henri II
Boulogne
Boulogne in Picardie had fallen into the hands of the English during the reign of François I. A campaign was conducted for its reconquest during 1549. The English surrendered the city to the French in April 1550 in exchange for a sum of 400,000 livres. That year Sénarpont was established as the governor of Boulogne at the king's request. He would hold this charge for the next nine years.From 1550 until the following year, alongside his responsibilities in Boulogne, Sénarpont served as the bailli of Amiens.
1552 was a time of military crisis in Picardie, an invasion of the kingdom having been undertaken to take the drive out of the royal campaign into the Three Bishoprics, the Holy Roman Emperor marching to seize La Fère in Picardie from the French in October. Therefore, Henri instructed the governor the duc de Vendôme to look to Sénarpont and Villebon for advice on how to navigate through the situation.
In March 1553, Henri granted Sénarpont a mill that had been built by the English.
Sénarpont became captain of a company of 50 gendarmes in 1554.
Saint-Quentin
With the disastrous defeat of the royal army under Anne de Montmorency at the battle of Saint-Quentin, the northern frontier of France was left without military leadership and a weakened army. In the absence of other commanders, Henri took personal responsibility for some military arrangements, coordinating with the governor of Péronne Humières for the provision of pioneers to work on the walls of the city. In terms of local command, the sieur de Villebon, lieutenant-general of Picardie was commanded by the king to hurry to Corbie by Henri, on the assumption the Spanish would strike there next. Meanwhile, Sénarpont was entrusted to command the maritime parts of Picardie that Villebon could not devote attentions to during the crisis. During September, Marshal Thermes arrived back from Italia to take command of the army temporarily, in the time before the duc de Guise could return from Italia. On 9 October Guise arrived back at the French court and was received adoringly by the king. Sénarpont wrote to the recently returned Guise on 12 October from his governate, expressing his desire to devote his property and life in the grandee's service.Calais
The decision was made between Henri and Guise to undertake an attempt to recapture Calais, which was in English hands. By this means it was hoped to overcome the humiliation of Saint-Quentin. Calais had been in English hands for over 200 years. Sénarpont was reached out to by the king and he gave a favourable assessment of the project. He was instructed to conduct reconnaissance of the Pale in October. He reported to the conseil privé which was residing in Compiègne on 21 November that the defences of the city were weak. This confirmed the suspicions Henri had already held. Henri proposed a winter attack of Calais, both for the surprise factor but also because the French mercenary forces could be used before their contract expired. Guise did not like the idea of attacking during the winter.Due to this scepticism, Sénarpont was again dispatched to conduct reconnaissance, this time with the respected engineer Piero Strozzi, they arrived in mid-November, inspecting the area while disguised as poor people. They examined the ramparts of Calais, and the outskirts of the city. They confirmed the weakness of the defences, however they added to the scepticism of a winter assault. Sénarpont wrote to Guise that to ensure the English did not suspect that anything was being planned he was going to return to his seigneurie and let the rumour spread that he intended to winter there.
Henri was pleased by the assessment of Strozzi/Sénarpont and responded to the criticism of the winter conditions that the freezing weather of January was necessary to combat the marshes that surround the city.
Henri's plans were adopted, and Guise was designated to lead the siege of Calais. Several warships were gathered in Sénarpont's city of Boulogne, to unite with forty transports that were held in the Somme, these were to blockade Calais so that no reinforcements might arrive. On 30 December the ships departed and deployed off the coast of Calais. Meanwhile, Sénarpont oversaw the receipt of supplies in Boulogne for the coming siege. The ground assault began on 1 January.
The English were caught by complete surprise by the arrival of the French army in front of Calais. On 2 January after having led an attack against the fortress of Nieulay which commanded the causeway to Calais, Guise inspected the dunes that led to Risbank. He conducted his inspection alongside his various lieutenants: his brother the duc d'Aumale, Marshal Thermes, Strozzi, the grand maître de l'artillerie D'Andelot and Sénarpont. A ford that was passable at low tied was identified as a result of this examination. The next day Guise's heavy artillery bombarded Risbank, causing the garrison to flee. Wentworth asked for terms on 8 January. The final part of the Calais fortifications would be taken by Guise's forces between 20 and 24 January.
In April Villebon departed for court, keen to secure permission from the king to take leave of his responsibilities and return to his estates. This request was refused, but during the period of his absence, Sénarpont again assumed responsibilities as lieutenant-general over maritime Picardie.