Continuation of the Tarn adventures of Boffile de Juge by our columnist Yann Roques. Or how the Lord of Lombers will be betrayed by his own wife and by the terrible Jean de Montferrand…
Last time, I told you how Boffile de Juge, a great soldier, became Count of Castres and Lord of Lombers. But also how the bishop of Castres waged war on him to recover the territory lost by his brother Jacques d’Armagnac.
Boffile married in 1480 with Marie d’Albret the sister of the great lord Alain d’Albret. After a short period of peace in 1493, Marie d’Albret and her daughter joined forces against Boffile. Thanks to two simple squires Charles and Jean de Montferrand and by “subtle means, exquisite, perverse and malicious ways”, they take the castle of Roquecourbe which is the residence of the count and the castle of Lombers which is the stronghold of the county.
Marie and the Montferrands decide to marry Louise, Boffile’s only daughter to Jean. The Montferrand brothers continued their misdeeds and stole from the count “large numbers of silver dishes, gold chains, rings and other precious jewels”.
Boffile then asks the King and his representative, the seneschal of Carcassonne to settle this new conflict.
The provocations of Jean de Montferrand
His wife Marie and the Montferrands pretend to accept the request during an assembly which takes place in Lombers. Marie obtains the title of governess of the county on condition that the Montferrands return the castles and leave Louise to her fate as a chaste young girl.
But this agreement was only short-lived, because on the very day of Louise’s 14th birthday, Jean de Montferrand consummated the marriage. Accompanied by his brother, they refused to hand over the castle of Lombers and “entered the town, looted, stole the goods of the poor people and fired their cannons”.
It is too much for the King who decides to return all his property to Boffile who prefers to bequeath the county to Alain d’Albret his brother-in-law and friend, who supported him during all his hardships.
Boffile died in 1502 at the Château de Roquecourbe. He is buried in the Saint-Vincent church in Castres.
#History #corner #Boffile #Juge
