Arthur Gouffier de Boisy

Arthur Gouffier de Boisy

Tomb in the collegiate church of Oiron

Artus Gouffier de Boisy (born September 6, 1474 in Boisy , † May 13, 1519 in Montpellier ) was a French statesman. Among other things, he was the grand maître de France ( Grand Master of France ). He played an important role in the Italian wars and was involved as a diplomat in the conclusion of the Treaty of Noyon and thus in the peace between France and the Duchy of Burgundy .

Life

He was the eldest son of Guillaume Gouffier Herr von Boisy and his mother Philippine de Montmorency . The father was a crown official. One of the brothers was the Admiral Guillaume Gouffier de Bonnivet .

The son was raised as a page at the court of Charles VIII . With this he made the campaign to Naples with. Artus inherited the Boisy estate and its other possessions from his father in 1495. Maulévrie County was among them . In 1499 he took with Louis XII. participated in the conquest of Milan .

He married Hélène de Hangest in 1500. Through them his possessions increased. He was Bailli (bailiff) of Vermandois from 1503 . He gave up the post in 1512 to become Bailli of Valois . From 1512 he was royal chamberlain and from 1514 castle and city governor of Chinon .

He became a mentor (governor) and first chamberlain to the young Francis I. In 1515 he appointed him Grand Master of France (grand maître de France). He was then the King's Grand Chamberlain. In addition to the ceremonial functions, he had considerable political influence and was responsible for Italy and marriage policy. He was primarily responsible for a contract for the future marriage of Princess Louise, who is still in infancy, with Charles I of Spain . Nothing came of the marriage covenant as Louise died soon after.

In 1515 he took part in the war in Italy under Francis I. During this time he was one of the king's most important advisors. He took part in the battle of Marignano , which led to the conquest of the area around Milan. The king thanked him with shares in the conquered territory. Among them was Caravaggio , that Francis I raised to a county. Gouffier quickly sold other properties acquired in this way. He invested the money in buying properties in France. In 1515 the Duchess of Bourbon gave him her rights to the Roanne rule . In 1516 he was appointed governor of the Dauphiné . The king also transferred him further income, which brought him an additional 4,000 ducats per year. He also held the county of Étampes from 1515 . As one of the first outside the royal family, he was made peer of France shortly before his death for the rulership of Roanne, which had been elevated to the status of a duchy.

He was involved in numerous diplomatic missions in the service of the kings. In 1516 he was one of the negotiators on the French side in the Treaty of Noyon . He was also the French negotiator in Cambrai in 1516 and in 1518 in negotiations with Charles I and Henry VIII of England . During further negotiations with envoy Charles I in Montpellier, he died unexpectedly in 1519. The failed negotiations mark the end of French peace policy.

As a wealthy nobleman, he was a patron of art and literature. He began building the Château d'Oiron in the style of the renaissance of the castles of the Loire . During his lifetime only parts of the left wing stood. The construction was continued by the following generations.

literature

• Contemporaries of Erasmus: A Biographical Register of the Renaissance and Reformation. Vol. 1-3. Toronto, 1995 p. 120
• General Encyclopedia of Sciences and Arts. First section, part 76, Leipzig, 1863 p. 278
• Etienne Fournial: Monsieur de Boisy. Grand-Maître de France sous François 1er. Lyon, 1996 Review in Francia 26/2 1999