ALBRET  ., The lordship (seigneurie) of Albret (Labrit, Lebret),situated in the

Landes, gave its name to one of the most powerful feudal families of France in the middle, ages . Its members distinguished themselves in the local wars of that epoch; and during the 14th century they espoused the English cause for some time, afterwards transferring their 'support to the side of France . Arnaud Amanieu, lord of Albret, helped to take Guienne from the English . His son Charles became constable of France, and was killed at the battle of Agincourt in 1415 . Alain the Great, lord of Albret (d . 1522), wished to marry Anne of Brittany, and to that end fought against Charles VIII.; but his hopes being defeated by the betrothal of Anne to Maximilian of Austria, he surrendered Nantes to the French in 1486 . At that time the house of Albret had attained consider-able territorial importance, due in great part to the liberal grants taking of Algeciras in 1344 he led the armed levy of his arch-bishopric . In 1343 he had been sent to Pope Clement VI. at Avignon to negotiate a grant of a tax on the revenues of the Church for the Crusade . • His military and diplomatic ability became known to the pope, who made him a cardinal in 1350, Albornoz left Spain on the death of the king Alphonso XI. in that year, and never returned . It has been said, but not on contemporary evidence, that he fled from fear of Peter the Cruel . In 1353 Innocent VI. sent him as a legate into Italy, with a view to the restoration of the papal authority in the states of the Church . He was recalled in 1357, but was sent again to Italy after a brief interval, and in 1362 had paved the way for the return of Urban V., to Rome .

As legate, Albornoz showedhimself to be an astute manager of men and effective fighter . He began by making use of

Rienzi, whose release from prison at Avignon he secured . After the murder of the tribune in 1354 Albornoz pursued his task of restoring the pope's authority by intrigue and force with remarkable success . As a mark of gratitude the pope appointed him legate at Bologna in 1367, but hp died at Viterbo the same year . According to his own desire his remains were carried to Toledo, where Henry of Castile caused them to be entombed with almost royal honours.' A work by Albornoz on the constitution of the Church of Rome, first printed at, Jesi in 1473, is now very rare . The college of St Clement at Bologna was founded. by Albornoz for the benefit of Spanish students . See " De Vita et Rebus Gestis Aegidii Albornotii," in Sepulveda's Opera,Omnia, vol. iv . {1780); Cardenal,Albornoz der zweits;Begrunder which it had obtained from successive kings of France . John of Albret, son of Alain, became king of Navarre by his marriage with Catherine of Foix . Their son Henry, king of Navarre, was created duke of Albret and peer of France in 1550 . By his wife Margaret, sister of the French king, Francis I., he had a daughter, Jeanne d'Albret, queen of Navarre, who married Anthony de Bourbon, duke of Vendome, and became the mother of Henry IV., king of France . The dukedom of Albret, united to the crown of France by the accession of this prince, was granted to the family of La Tour d'Auvergne in 1651, in exchange for Sedan and Raucourt .

To a younger

branch of this house belonged Jean d'Albret, seigneur of Orval, count of Dreux and of Rethel, governor of Champagne (d . 1524), who was employed by Francis I. in many diplomatic negotiations, more particularly in his intrigues to get himself elected emperor in 1519 . (M .