A great soldier, his loyalty to the Crown was the source of his military and social good fortune. He was page to François I, served all the sons of Catherine de' Medici and was tutor to Henri IV. As a courtier he saw the prevalent Renaissance criteria used in contemporary buildings in Paris and elsewhere. At the end of his career he returned to Périgord as General governor of Limousin and Guyenne. The changes he then made to his ancestral home were in accordance with the taste of the times, while retaining a country-like sobriety. Since, however, the religious wars still raged, he put his great experience in defending royal places against the Imperial troops to improving the defensive apparel of the castle for the use of firearms (e.g. muskets and canons). This can be seen from the various openings in the curtain walls and the barbican.