Matthew of Vendôme (Abbot)

Matthew of Vendôme (French: Mathieu de Vendôme ; † September 25, 1286 ) was an abbot of Saint-Denis and regent of France.

Life

Matthew's family origins are unknown. The French church historian Michel Félibien suspected a relationship to the Count's House of Vendôme , but this is not proven by any contemporary source. He was a Benedictine and a confessor of King Louis IX. (Saint Louis) of France , in 1258 he was appointed abbot of the royal abbey of Saint-Denis. Under his supervision, extensive construction work was carried out on the abbey, which was expanded to include the newly founded Collège de Charité . In 1272, Matthew acted as mediator for the marriage of Prince Peter von Alençon with Johanna von Blois , where he presumably also carried out the wedding ceremony. At the behest of Louis IX. Around 1250, Matthew commissioned the monk Primat von Saint-Denis to compile and translate an anthology of Latin royal lives. The resulting work, the Roman aux rois , could 1274 King Philip III. and forms the basis of the Grandes Chroniques de France .

Matthew took over the reign of the kingdom twice: first in 1270 together with Simon II. De Clermont , after King Louis IX. set out on the seventh crusade ; again in 1285, when King Philip III. went on the Aragonese crusade and died in Perpignan . The following year Matthew himself died after handing over the government to King Philip the Fair . He was buried in his abbey.

literature

• Michel Félibien: Histoire de l'Abbaye royale de Saint-Denis. Paris 1706.
• Louis Mayeul Chaudon: Dictionnaire universel, historique, critique, et bibliographique. 1810.

predecessor	Office	successor
Henry II Mallet	Abbot of Saint-Denis 1258–1286	Renaud de Giffard