They wished to fight on their own account, and to do business through their own resources, and although they were really _ligueurs_, they spurned the duke as well as the Bearnais.
When De Fontaines, the governor of the city, informed them of the death of Henri III, they refused to recognize the King of Navarre.

They armed themselves and erected barricades; De Fontaines intrenched himself in the castle and everybody kept upon the defensive.

Little by little, the people encroached upon him; first, they requested him to declare that he was willing to maintain their franchises.

De Fontaines complied in the hope of gaining time.

The following year (1589), they chose four generals who were independent of the governor.