The forty-five guards
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The Forty-five guards were forty-five guards recruited by the Duke of Épernon to provide Henri III of France with trusted protection in the midst of the War of the Three Henrys.
[edit] Overview
The Forty-five were noblemen of lesser nobility (many from Gascony) with little more than a horse, a sword, and a few acres to starve on. In the king's service, they were paid a lavish wage (by their standards). In return, 15 of them were to be on duty, day or night, ready at the king's call.
After the Catholic League revolt in Paris, King Henri the III was forced to flee to Blois, there, he staged a coup, regaining control of the Estates-general and executing Henri de Guise(King Phillip of Spain's mercenary and Catholic pretender to the throne), it was the Forty-five who were tasked with killing de Guise.
After the king was assassinated by Jacques Clément, the crown of France passed to Henry de Navarre, the Forty-five also passed to him and served him faithfully until his death.
