Louis de Bussy d'Amboise

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Portrait of Louis de Clermont, by Edouard Pingret, 1835
Portrait of Louis de Clermont, by Edouard Pingret, 1835

Louis de Clermont, seigneur de Bussy d'Amboise (1549–1579) was a gentleman at the court of French king of Henri III, a swordsman, dandy, and a lover (of both sexes[citation needed]).

Of a noble family (high grand-uncle was a cardinal), he entered the service of prince François, Duke of Anjou, the younger brother and rival of Henri III. Bussy became well-known at court as Anjou's "favorite" and later became the lover of princess Marguerite de Valois.

Bussy made fun of the favorites of the king and frequently fought duels with them. He helped François d'Anjou flee from the court where Henri III held him prisoner.

He was a main participant in the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre (1572), when he assassinated, among others, his relative Antoine de Clermont. While later attempting to seduce the wife of Montsoreau, he was trapped and killed by the husband.

Bussy d'Amboise is the hero of the novel La Dame de Monsoreau by Alexandre Dumas, père and one of main characters in the play Henri III et sa cour (1829) by the same author. He is also the hero of the play Bussy d’Ambois (1607) by English playwright George Chapman.