As trusted advisers in times of peace, they were likewise present on Henry IV’s military campaigns:
- Maximilien de Béthune, Duke of Sully (1559–1641) – both the oldest and the closest of Henry of Navarre’s friends. He took part in the Wars of Religion and, following Henry IV’s accession to the throne, played a leading political role at his side.
- Gaspard de Coligny (1519–1572) – the undisputed leader of the Protestants after the death of the Prince of Condé (1569), he was assassinated on 22 August 1572, an event which helped trigger the St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre.
- Philippe Duplessis-Mornay (1549–1623) – participated in all of Henry of Navarre’s military campaigns, and his political and theological counsel proved instrumental in the signing of the Edict of Nantes (1598).
- François de La Noue (1531–1591) – nicknamed “Iron Arm” (Bras de Fer) following his service in the Wars of Religion, which he later chronicled.
- François de Lesdiguières (1543–1626) – commander of the Protestant forces in Dauphiné, he became Governor of Grenoble in 1591.
- Olivier de Serres (1539–1619) – one of the most original figures in Henry IV’s circle: a Protestant and ardent advocate of religious peace, he devoted himself after the Wars of Religion to agriculture, introducing the cultivation of mulberry trees for silkworm farming into France.
Sully (1559-1641), ministre
