Introduction

The disappearance of the ducal court after the last Duchess of Brittany, Anne, had accepted marriage with the French king created a new power dynamic in western France. Inevitably, the leading noble families acted to fill the void. It was in these auspicious circumstances that Guy XVI de Laval assembled one of the most dazzling princely courts of Renaissance France. He astutely mixed his own personal patronage and the power he had obtained as governor, lieutenant general and admiral of Brittany to gather around him an impressive entourage that included representatives of most of the leading families of the region, both noble and urban. His son followed his example, initially under the tutelage of his uncle Anne de Montmorency. As Guy XVII, he further built the family fortunes, not least through a successful career at court and his friendship with the dauphin, the future Henry II. This was a truly golden era for the counts de Laval and their affinity and by the middle of the sixteenth century two centuries of bold and incisive dynastic politics had brought the Lavals close to acceptance as one of France’s leading families.