Marquise De Guerchville (1557-1632)
Finally, she left the court and retired to her chateau of La Roche-Guyon, on the Seine. She had married Henri de Sully; Duc de La Roche-Guyon, the King's Minister and one-time Governor of Paris. Henri's father was Louis de Sully, Siegneur de La Roche-Guyon, and his mother Anne de Laval. The family home was magnificent, with no expense spared in it's construction or furnishings. Antionette's son Francois would later inherit the property, along with the titles of his father.
However, her quick departure did not deter the King from his quest, but only made him more determined. Recruiting the help of a down on his luck noblemen, he concocted a scheme to gain audience with his beloved and if she refused his advances, to steal her away, back to the Palace or one of his many hide-aways. Maybe he felt that if they could be alone awhile, he would win or over. I doubt that he would have gone so far as to take what he wanted by force.
So under the ruse of hunting expedition, he set off for Roche-Guyon, and once they reached the neighboring forests; he separated himself from his courtiers, who were not privy to the actual game being hunted. He then sent his confidante to the chateau to ask Madame de Guercheville for shelter for the King; and she dared not refuse. However, once Henry was fed and led to his apartments, Antionette descended to the courtyard and called for her coach. When the King learned of it, he followed after her: "What! am I driving you from your house?"
"Sire," replied Madame de Guercheville, "where a king is, he should be the sole master; but, for my part, I like to preserve some little authority wherever I may be." She then entered her coach and disappeared, seeking shelter with a friend. Seems his plan had backfired, but he certainly respected her moxie. Later, when he was married to Marie de Medici, he begged Antionette to accept the honorable post as his wife's Lady in Waiting. When he presented her to Marie, he said: "Madame, I give you a lady of honor who is a lady of honor indeed."
She had proved to be victorious in battle of wits, with a well-armed master, and earned a respected place in the Royal Court. This strength of character would surface again in her determination to start a mission in New France.
Her motives were purely altruistic, if not a little naive. We have to remember that Paris had seen a lot of carnage over the past two decades; first with the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, when thousands were killed in the streets; and then the Siege of Paris, where thousands starved in the streets; all in the name of religion. France was losing it's skilled Hugenots at an alarming rate, and many diehard Catholics were also seeking out alternatives.
Naturally, this didn't sit well with many of the Catholic hierarchy, who enjoyed the benefits of wealth and comfort, associated with Rome. On the other hand, their doctrine should have pleased the Hugenots, except that the Jesuits were Spanish, and since Spain had sent aid to the Catholic cause during the Religious Wars, they hated them even more than the mainstream Catholics did.
But like them or not, they were now in a powerful position at Court, and if you wanted to get to Marie de Medici, you had to go through them first. Also, many others from the Regent's inner circle, had become ardent followers. Amoung them was Antionette, and it was said that she was rarely seen without 'a rosary in her hand and a Jesuit by her side'. Another was Henriette d'Entragues, Marquise de Verneil; who was well known for her conjugal exploits, and no doubt felt that she would need a special pass to get inside the pearly gates. With the King gone, the women had the power and the Jesuits had the women.
That being said, what the Jesuits wanted most was a chance to get to New France and start a mission of their own. Their order required suffering and even martyrdom, and where better to achieve this than with the untamed 'savages' of Canada or Arcadia. However, they had not been able to find anyone willing to take them along. Fortunately for them, Antionette had purchased the rights to the territory from Florida to the St. Lawrence (with the exception of Port Royal, which 'belonged' to Poitrincourt); and she would gladly allow them to establish a mission there.
Feeling every bit the Crusador, she declared herself the protectress of the New World missions; and the only difficulty, as one Jesuit writer put it, "was to restrain her zeal within reasonable bounds".
The ladies of the court were furious, so when Poutrincourt's son came back to defend's his father's actions, not realizing that the King was dead, they ignored the book showing a vast number of baptisms performed by Father La Fleche, and made him honour the original agreement.
Again, the Hugenots wanted out if the Jesuits were in, and threatened to confiscate the supplies already loaded. Biard spoke with Father Coton; Coton spoke with Madame de Guercheville, and says Biard: "The zealous lady of honor, indignant to see the efforts of hell prevail, resolved that Satan should not remain master of the field," She and the other women immediately took up a collection, and then in the name of the "Province of France of the Order of Jesus," bought out the interest of the two merchants for thirty-eight hundred livres. The Jesuits were now equal partners and young Biencourt left with his less than welcome guests on January 26, 1611.
Fortunately for the young Jesuits, the native community embraced them, especially Membertou, who saw in the priests, a spirituality he could relate to. It would not be the same for Biencourt and his French settlers. They never showed any respect toward the clerics, and though Antionette was paying the expenses for the entire colony, they treated them like unwelcome guests. They did not want Port Royal to be a missionary; but a trading post; and competition in the fur-trade was becoming fierce.
She immediately withdrew her funding, leaving Poutrincourt without a backer. That winter would prove to be lean, and with their supplies depleted, the French settlers once again had to depend on the kindness of the local people. However, things were about to get worse. On May 21, 1612; they spotted a ship, the Fleur de Mai coming up the basin, and assuming that it was their much needed supply ship, ran out to greet the new arrivals. However, it was not to be.
They soon learned the ship was there to pick up the Jesuits and transport them and the supplies to establish their own colony elsewhere; Antionette had Poitrincourt thrown into prison for not honoring their contract; and she was abandoning Port Royal completely.
Because of her tenacity, the Jesuits were able to get a foothold in New France, and whether you like them or not, they certainly made a difference in it's development. Antionette's son, Francois De Sully, Duc De La Roche-Guyon, married Catherine Guyon; daughter of Charles Guyon and Eleanore De Longueville; and the Guyon family would become active participants in the settling of French-Canada.
