Charles of Lorraine (1524-1574)

Presentation

Charles of Own way is the second wire of Claude of Lorraine, first duke of Own way and Seigneur of Joinville, which were distinguished under François I {{er}} in the wars against Charles Quint, and of Antoinette of Bourbon-Vendôme.

Named archbishop of Rheims in 1538 at the thirteen years age, following the resignation of his/her uncle Jean in his favor. He takes again the title of cardinal of Lorraine after the death of his uncle (1547). Charles knows, with his older brother, Francois, duke of Own way, to gain the favor of the king Henri II. He and his/her brothers exert a great influence and play a great part in the businesses of the country.

Under the reign of Henri II, Charles professes opinions gallicanes. In addition, contrary to the constable of Montmorency, the cardinal and his François brother are burning partisans of the war against Habsbourg.

Intransigent defender of the apostolic and Roman Catholic church, the cardinal of Lorraine becomes thereafter one of the principal French figures of the Counter-Reformation by being made the defender of the decrees of the Concile of Thirty which it wishes to see applying in the kingdom.

According to Brantôme, “ any ecclesiastic who it was, it had the extremely smeared heart ”. As much his/her François brother is of an extraordinary moral strength, capable of generosity, as much Charles, on the contrary, is egoistic and insolate in success. But the cardinal is also a very skilful man. He is skilful, eloquent, full with resources and seduction. Its talent made of him a rival of Catherine de Médicis. Preaching the fight against Protestantism, it does not have of cease to fight the policy of civil tolerance of the queen mother. Having high intellectual abilities, the cardinal is employed many times at diplomatic ends.

The cardinal of Lorraine and his François brother succeed in obtaining the capacity with the advent of the young person François II (1559). The cardinal then holds entirely the administration of finances. He makes return the seals to the chancellor François Olivier then, with died of this one (March 1560), indicates Michel of Hospital (of which he supported the career of magistrate) like successor at the station.

However, Charles of Own way must yield his place after the death of the young king (December 5th 1561). He leaves the court later two months, accompanying his niece Marie Stuart with Joinville. The cardinal attends then impotent the introduction of Protestantism to the court. He however continues to play a big role at the time of the Colloque of Poissy where he is opposed to Theodore de Bèze, chief of the Protestant party. Its intransigence manages to ruin the reconciliation of the two religions the great spite of the queen mother.

Following the assassination of his brother François (February 18th 1563), Charles becomes the leader of the family of the Own way and the catholic party in France. He takes under his supervision the children of his brother deceased and seeks by all the means to harm Montmorency and more particularly the admiral de Coligny than he regards as person in charge of dead of his brother. The January 8th 1565, whereas the court is in the South, it misses little being made kill in a Parisian street by the troops of François de Montmorency, governor of Paris and wire of the constable Anne, for a dissension of precedence. Anxious to establish peace in the kingdom, the queen mother obliges it to reconcile with the clan of Montmorency with Moulins in 1566. It publicly kisses there the admiral de Coligny, but the second and third wars of religion enable him to continue the admiral of its vindication.

Later, it negotiates the marriage of Charles IX and Elisabeth of Austria (1569). Then, it leaves to Rome to take part in the Conclave which must elect a new pope. Opposed to the marriage between the princess Marguerite de Valois and Henri de Navarre, which must seal the union of the catholics and the Protestants, it tries to convince the pope not to give his agreement to the marriage.

It is with a joy and a surprise extremes that he learns the news from the Massacre of the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, arrived in Rome the September 5th 1572. It then hastens to regain Paris, where it thinks of being able to take again its place with the council of the king. But Catherine de Medicis, who fears her return to the business, states to him that he is not welcome.

Nevertheless, the Crown makes use regularly of the cardinal of Lorraine for his financial negotiations with the clergy. Charles dies of the continuations of a lung disease with Avignon the December 26th 1574. He is buried in the cathedral of Rheims.

Printed sources

Letters of the cardinal Charles of Lorraine (1524-1574) , s.d. Daniel Cuisiat, Geneva: Droz, coll “Work Humanism Rebirth”, 1998.

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