Louis de Maugiron
Louis de Maugiron, marquis de Saint-Saphorin (1560 – 27 April 1578), was a French noble and courtier during the Wars of Religion. He came from a prominent Viennois family; his father, Laurent de Maugiron, was a powerful noble in Dauphiné.
Maugiron joined the king’s service in 1576 at age 16 as Alençon’s chamberlain of affairs, the top position in Alençon’s household, and earned a good income. The king soon brought him into his own service as gentilhomme de la chambre du roi, increasing his pay.
During the sixth civil war, he fought for Alençon, taking part in the capture of La Charité-sur-Loire and Issoire. At Issoire, an arrow pierced his eye, earning him the nickname “the brave blind man.”
In 1578, as Alençon returned to court, tensions rose between the king’s favourites and Alençon’s. Maugiron mocked Alençon at a ball, and Alençon fled court. The two factions prepared for a duel: on 27 April 1578 near the Porte Saint-Antoine, Caylus led the king’s side and Entraguet led the duke of Guise’s side, with Maugiron and Livarot as Caylus’s seconds and Ribérac and Schomberg as Entraguet’s seconds.
In the fight, Maugiron was killed by Ribérac as he fell onto Ribérac’s sword. Caylus also died, Schomberg was killed, and Ribérac died the next day; Entraguet survived.
The king was deeply mournful and ordered elaborate tombs for his favorites, though these tombs were later destroyed by a Paris mob in 1589. Maugiron’s younger brothers Thimoléon and Scipion also later served as gentilhommes de la chambre.
Contemporary opinions varied: some called the deaths senseless, while others praised the bravery of the courtiers.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 20:19 (CET).