- Jean de Poltrot
Jean de Poltrot (c. 1537-1563), sieur de Méré or Mérey, was a nobleman of
Angoumois , who murderedFrancis, Duke of Guise .He had lived some time in
Spain , and his knowledge of Spanish, together with his swarthy complexion, which earned him the nickname of the "Espagnolet", procured him employment as aspy in the wars against Spain.Becoming a fanatic
Huguenot , he determined to kill the Duke of Guise. Pretending to be a deserter he gained admission to the camp of theCatholic army that was besiegingOrléans . In the evening ofFebruary 18 ,1563 , he hid by the side of a road along which he knew the Duke would pass, fired a pistol at him, and fled.He was captured the next day, then tried,
torture d, and sentenced to bedrawn and quartered . On theMarch 18 ,1563 , he suffered a painful death. The horses were unable to rend his limbs, which were hacked off withcutlass es.He had made several contradictory declarations implicating Admiral Coligny, who protested emphatically against the accusation.
See "Mémoires du prince de Condé" (
London , 1743); TA D'Aubigné, "Histoire universelle" (ed. by de Ruble,Société de l'histoire de France , 1886); A de Ruble, "L'Assassinat du duc François de Lorraine" (Paris , 1897).References
*1911
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