BIRON, ARMAND DE GONTAUT, BARON DE (1524 1592), French marshal, belonged to a family, one of the numerous branches of the house of Gontaut, which took its title from the territory of Biron in Perigord. As a page of the queen of Navarre Biron attracted the notice of the marshal de Brissac, with whom he saw active service in Italy.
His great services to the royal cause at Dreux, St. Denis, Jarnac and Moncontour were rewarded in 1569 by his appointment as a privy councillor of the king and grand master of artillery. He commanded the royal forces at the siege of La Rochelle in 1572, and four years later was made a marshal of France. From 1576 to 1588 he was almost continuously employed in high command. From 1589 he supported the cause of Henry of Navarre. Biron was killed by a cannon-ball at the siege of Epernay on July 26 1592. His correspondance, preserved in the Bibliotheque Na tionale, was edited by E. Barthelemy (Bordeaux, 1874)• His son, CHARLES DE GONTAUT (I562-1602) duc de Biron, was in high favour with Henry IV. After his father's death Henry made him admiral of France, marshal, and governor of Burgundy. In 1596 he was sent to fight the Spaniards in Flanders, Picardy and Artois. After the peace of Vervins he discharged a mission at Brussels (1598). From that time he was engaged in intrigues with Spain and Savoy, and, notwithstanding, directed the expedi tion sent against the duke of Savoy (1599-1600) . The duke of Savoy promised him his daughter in marriage, though the project was kept secret. His intrigues were suspected, and Henry IV. demanded explanations. Biron made a partial confession, and remained in favour. His plans were apparently much more far reaching. He approached various malcontents with the idea of organizing risings in different parts of the country. He was sus pected in many quarters. But Henry, who had loved his father, was loth to move against the marshal. At length he summoned Biron to Fontainebleau, but could extort no further confession. Biron and Auvergne were arrested. Biron was found guilty of treason, on documentary evidence which showed that he had communicated full particulars of the French army to the duke of Savoy. He was beheaded in the Bastille on July 31 1602. Biron's fate was the subject of Chapman's contemporary tragedy, The Conspiracy and Tragedy of Charles, duke of Biron. See Zeller, "La Conspiration de Biron," in the Comptes Rendus (1879) of the Acad. des sciences, morales et politiques.
His collateral descendant, ARMAND LOUIS DE GONTAUT (1747 1793 ), duc de Lauzun, afterwards duc de Biron, played a part in the American War of Independence and the revolutionary wars. Until 1788, when he succeeded to the duchy of Biron on the death of his uncle—Louis Antoine de Gontaut, duc de Biron (I 7 oo 1788)—he bore the title of duc de Lauzun. He wrote an essay on the military defences of Great Britain and her colonies (Etat de defense d'Angleterre et de toutes ses possessions dans les quatres parties du monde) . In 1789 he was returned as deputy to the states-general by the noblesse of Quercy, and attached himself to the revolutionary cause. In July 1792 he was nominated com mander of the army of the Rhine and in May 1793 was transferred to the command of the army of La Rochelle, operating against the insurgents of La Vendee. He was accused by Carrier of incivisme and leniency to the insurgents, deprived of his com mand (July), and guillotined on Dec. 31 1793. Some Memoires, which come down to 1783, were published under his name in 1822 (new ed., 1858), and in 1865 letters said to have been written by him in 1789 to friends in the country, describing the states-general.