César Phoebus d'Albret, Count of Miossens
César Phoebus d'Albret, comte de Miossens (1614–3 September 1676), was a French soldier and courtier who became a Marshal of France under Louis XIV. A distant cousin of the famous Madame de Montespan, he was closely aligned with Anne of Austria and Cardinal Mazarin during the Fronde, which helped his rise. He dropped the Miossens name in favor of Albret.
He began his career with the Dutch army in the Eighty Years’ War, serving under Maurice of Nassau and Jean de Werth. Back in France, he held commands in Lorraine and fought at Corbie (1636). He rose through royal guard ranks and, during the Fronde, acted as second-in-command before siding with Mazarin. In 1650 Mazarin promised him a marshal’s baton, a pledge reinforced by Montespan, and on 1 June 1653 he was made a marshal (though he never became a duke).
As a commander, he led at Mardyck and Dunkirk in 1646 and later governed Guyenne from 1670 to 1676, thanks to Madame de Maintenon. In 1675 he led a determined campaign against Bordeaux’s tax rebellion, demolishing part of the city walls. Saint-Simon described him as a spirited, capable, yet politically inclined man who enjoyed pomp and intrigue.
In Pons he bore the title Sire de Pons and designed its Grand Staircase (1665). His reputation at court rested as much on his romances as on his service: he was linked with Marion Delorme and Ninon de Lenclos (with Ninon he is said to have had a son), and he moved in the circle around Maintenon.
César Phoebus d'Albret died in 1676.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 15:35 (CET).