Duke Henri II de Montmorency was reputed to be a great seducer. His reputation was not misplaced, as he left many of the ladies of Lectoure, where he had been imprisoned for plotting against Cardinal de Richelieu.
Sentenced to death for lèse-majesté, he was executed in Toulouse on October 30, 1932. Cour Henri IV, in the Capitole, has a plaque commemorating this event.
Legend has it that his death was the result of a miscalculation by his fervent admirers.
To enable him to escape from prison, they made him pass a silk ladder hidden in a cake.
But the ladder proved too short, and the Duke fell, injured himself and was recaptured.
Another version has it that the ladder was hidden in a pate, that he managed to climb down, but that his valet who was following him fell and got him caught.
Another version has it that the Marquise de Castelnau asked a castle guard to give the prisoner silk ropes. She waited with 20 men on horseback for the Duke to escape, but the guard was discovered beforehand, killed by a lieutenant and the Duke recaptured.
Translated with DeepL.com
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