François de Bassompierre

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François de Bassompierre
François de Bassompierre, copper engraving

François, marquis de Bassompierre (born April 12, 1579 in Haroué , Lorraine , † October 12, 1646 in Provins ) was a French courtier, diplomat and marshal of France .

Life

Bassompierre came from the old Lorraine aristocratic family Ravenstein and came to the court of Henry IV at the age of 20 , who preferred him because of his amiable demeanor, refined spirit and his tendency to gallantry. As early as 1610, the king gave him the title of councilor and appointed him colonel in an infantry regiment.

After Heinrich's murder († May 14, 1610), Bassompierre won the favor of regent Maria de 'Medici , who appointed him Colonel général of the Swiss and Graubünden in 1614 . But he presented himself in the dispute with Louis XIII. with his mother on the side of the king and contributed significantly to the overthrow of the Queen Mother. As a reward, Bassompierre received the marshal's baton in 1622 and was sent as envoy to Spain (1621), Switzerland (1625) and England (1626), where he proved himself to be an excellent diplomat. As envoy in Spain, he negotiated the (never executed) Madrid Treaty in 1621, which provided for the return of the Valtellina to Graubünden .

In 1621 he took part in the siege of Saint-Jean-d'Angély as Maréchal de camp .

He was also able to distinguish himself as a military man after his return to France during the siege of La Rochelle and the storming of the Susa pass in 1629. Nevertheless, he was overthrown by the distrust and hatred of Richelieu , which he had drawn on the one hand through his connections to the staunch supporters of the Queen Mother Charles, Duke of Guise , and his sister Louise-Marguerite de Lorraine-Guise , on the other hand through his sarcastic jokes. Because of this, he was arrested on February 23, 1631 and locked in the Bastille , from which he was only released after the death of Richelieu († December 4, 1642) in 1643. He died on October 12, 1646.

Of perfect body beauty and agile mind, Bassompierre was the model of a French courtier of his time. Excessively indulging in luxury, play and love (he is said to have burned over 6,000 love letters at the time of his arrest), he lived the indulgence of the moment. An intimate relationship with Louise-Marguerite de Lorraine-Guise , the widow of François' de Bourbon , may have led to a secret marriage. Bassompierre's stay in prison broke the princess's heart. A common son died soon after the father. Another son of Bassompierre, Louis II (* 1610), fathered by Marie Charlotte de Balzac d'Entragues , died in 1676 as Bishop of Saintes.

Works

Bassompierre left memoirs ( "Journal de ma Vie" , Cologne 1665, 2 volumes; new edition by the Marquis de Chantérac, Paris 1870–77, 4 volumes) that were written in the Bastille and an interesting contribution to the history of the years 1598 to 1631, as well as a report on his missions in Spain, Switzerland and England (1668, 4 volumes).

  • 1665 Memoires du mareschal de Bassompierre, contenant l'histoire de sa vie et de ce qui s'est fait de plus remarquable à la cour de France pendant quelques années Volume 1 , Volume 2
  • 1665 Remarques de monsieur le Mareschal de Bassompierre sur les vies des Roys Henry IV, & Louys XIII , digitized
  • 1668 Ambassade du Maréchal de Bassompierre en Suisse: l'an 1625 Volume 1 , Volume 2
  • 1668 Ambassade en Espagne en 1621 et en d'autres états , digitized
  • 1668 Négociation du Maréschal de Bassompierre, envoyé ambassadeur extraordinaire en Angleterre de la part du roy très-chrestien, l'an 1626 digitized

literature

Web links

Commons : François de Bassompierre  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Gédéon Tallemant des Réaux : Les historiettes de Tallemant de Réaux . Volume 3. Levasseur, Paris 1834, p. 12.