Henri d\' Escoubleau de Sourdis

Henri d' Escoubleau de Sourdis (1593 - Auteuil, the June 18th 1645), archbishop of Bordeaux (1629-1645), was general lieutenant of the royal marine under Louis XIII and took part for this reason in greatest military operations of this reign.

Wire junior by François d' Escoubleau, marquis de Sourdis and of Alluye, governor of Chartres and first rider of the Large Stable, and of Isabelle Babou of Bourdasière, rams of Alluye, aunt of Gabrielle d' Estrées, Henri d' Escoubleau passed his childhood to the castle of Jouy-in-Josas.

Intended for the ecclesiastical career, he inherited into 1623 his uncle the title bishop Maillezais. He took share with the Guerre Thirty Year old then in 1628 fought as an intendant of artillery to the Siège of the La Rochelle. The following year, it took the succession of his brother François with the archbishop's palace of Bordeaux. This succession, agreed several years before, was confirmed by a decree of the Cardinal of Richelieu.

At the time of the Business of the demons of Loudun, it tries to calm public agitation while making intern the patients and by putting a term at exorcisms, but it is taken speed by the Cardinal of Richelieu which, having in sight dismantling of places huguenotes in the area, benefits from these events to dispatch its plenipotentiary agent there, Jean Martin, Baron de Laubardement.

De Sourdis is received Commandeur of the Holy Spirit on May 14th, 1633, but the following year, Jean Louis de Nogaret of Valette, governor of Guyenne, makes steal its hat of a blow of cane at the time of a procession. Interdict of duel, Henri de Sourdis in vain requires the excommunication of its offender, but obtains his exile for Plassac.

It continues nevertheless its military activities and takes share with the release of the islands of Lérins in May 1637. He arrives to évincer Philippe de Longvilliers, knight of Poincy, the post of vice-admiral of France. Appointed general lieutenant in consideration of his qualities of navigator, Henri d' Escoubleau orders the fleet of the West and illustrates himself against the Spaniards by the victories of Guétaria and Laredo, but undergoes the disaster of Fontarabie (1638). He tries to reject the fault of it on one of his officers, Bernard of Valette, duke of Épernon, which had disobeyed its order to launch the attack by fear of a failure. De Sourdis obtains the support of Richelieu in this business, but is replaced by Jean Armand of With a grid-Brézé and affected to the fleet of Raising. On this new theater of operations, it presses the count d' Harcourt and the army of Italy at the time of the head office of Casale (1640), but the following year, fails to hold a complete blockade of the port of Tarragone. Following new military setbacks against the Spaniards, he is shown of treason and loses the favor of Richelieu, in spite of the protests of his officers. He is exiled in Provence, then finally obtains the authorization of Louis XIII to regain his diocese of Bordeaux. He will be however dislocated of his functions of archbishop by the pope because he carried the weapons. He dies in 1645 in Auteuil.

References

Eugene Sweats - “ Correspondance of Henri d' Escoubleau de Sourdis: increased orders, instructions, and letters of Louis XIII and the Cardinal of Richelieu has Mr. de Sourdis concerning the operations of the French fleets of 1636 has 1642, and accompanied by a historical text, notes, and of an introduction on the state of the Navy in France under the ministry for the Cardinal of Richelieu ” (1839), impr. from Crapelet, Paris.

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