Georges de Villequier, vicomte de La Guerche ( –10 February 1592) was a courtier, governor and military commander during the latter French Wars of Religion. The son of Claude de Villequier and Renée d'Applainvoisin, Villequier entered royal service with various positions in the household of the king and his brother Anjou. In December 1571 he got into a dispute with another of Anjou's favourites, Lignerolles. The two dueled and La Guerche killed him. During Anjou's tenure as king of the Commonwealth La Guerche enjoyed the position of Maître de la garde robe for the king, however he was unable to continue this position when Anjou became king of France as Henri III. In 1580 he assisted Alençon in his attempt to become king of the Netherlands during the negotiations for the specifics of his kingship with the Dutch States General.
La Guerche was upset by the king's decision to assassinate the duke of Guise in December 1588 and affiliated himself with the Catholic ligue in opposition to the king. As a result, when the ligueur lieutenant-general of the kingdom was looking for a governor for the city of Poitiers, around which La Guerche had influence due to his royal governorship of the , the commander of the Château was able to secure his appointment by Mayenne in exchange for providing the Château to the ligue. The ligueur city was not happy about the choice, and their frustration deepened when La Guerche proved unable to achieve military success against the royalists. In January 1591 the ligueur residents of the city attempted a coup against him and the commander of the Château. Though they were talked down the inward facing parts of the Château were dismantled. In August, while La Guerche was out campaigning against the royalists, a movement rose up in the city to refuse him re-entry. He snuck back into the city but the council told him to leave again. On 10 February 1592, he was caught up in a skirmish in La Guerche itself, and killed.
Early life and family
Georges de Villequier was born around 1556, the son of Claude de Villequier and Renée d'Applainvoisin. La Guerche married Louise Le Jay.
He had a reputation as a spendthrift and difficult character, Henri III eventually tired of him due to his abrasive behaviour.
Reign of Charles IX
Anjou
In 1569, during the combats of the third civil war La Guerche received appointment as guidon of Anjou, brother of the king's, ordinance company. Having previously been a member of Charles' household, La Guerche and his father abandoned him in favour of his brother Anjou household. La Guerche served the king as a gentilhomme de la chambre before directly transferring to become a gentilhomme de la chambre and Chambellan to the duke of Anjou.
Lignerolles
One of Anjou's early favourites, Lignerolles was much hated by Protestants, who saw him as an archetype of a corrupting influence on the mind of a prince. On 10 December 1571 he was killed by La Guerche. Contemporary Protestants in 1572 saw the death as the silencing of one of the architects of the 'premeditated' Massacre of Saint Bartholomew. Jean de Saulx did not buy this retrospective explanation, instead seeing it as a manifestation of internal conflict in the ducal household, Lignerolles and the Villequiers being rivals for Anjou's affection. Given La Guerche killed Lignerolles in the context of a duel, this is more likely.
With the election of Anjou as king of the Commonwealth, those of his household made their preparations to travel east with him. La Guerche acquired silk from Parisian merchants for the purpose of his brides' Trousseau. La Guerche would be among the principal members of the new king's household in the Commonwealth.
Reign of Henri III
Upon his return to France, now styling himself Henri III, the former brother to the king had to allocate the various royal offices. Henri chose to distribute them to many of those who had served with him in the Commonwealth. The position of Maître de la garde-robe was granted to Gilles de Souvré. This upset the Villequiers, as the role had been possessed by La Guerche in Henri's capacity as king of the Commonwealth.