François de Montmorency

François de Montmorency, sieur de La Rochepot was a French noble, military commander, courtier, and governor during the latter Italian Wars of François I. A younger son of Guillaume de Montmorency and Anne Pot, La Rochepot's career was elevated by the meteoric rise in royal favour that was enjoyed by his elder brother Anne de Montmorency. Starting out in 1515 La Rochepot served as the captain of Beauvais in Picardie. He served as a hostage to England for the treaty that saw the return of Tournai to France in 1518. His first sign of royal favour came in 1520 when he was made a gentilhomme de la chambre du roi granting him a degree of privileged access to the king. La Rochepot accompanied the vanguard for the French invasion of Italia in late 1524, and was present at the disastrous Battle of Pavia at which the royal army was destroyed, and the king made captive. La Rochepot was likewise made captive, but was able to raise his ransom quickly and returned to France to inform the Paris Parlement of the king's condition. The Parlement granted him authority in the Île de France.