Sully (Maximilien de Béthune)

Maximilien de Béthune, duke of Sully , par of France, sovereign prince of Henrichemont, marquis de Rosny, etc (1559-1641), are a minister of Henri IV, king of France and Navarre.

Trade-guild with Henri de Navarre

Born the December 13rd 1560 with the Rosny-on-Seine, close to Mantes, it belongs to the branch junior, not very fortunate and Calviniste, of a downward family of the sovereign counts of Artois, connected with the counts de Flandres. Second wire of François de Béthune and Charlotte Dauvet, the death of his older brother in 1575 makes of him the heir to the title of Baron de Rosny. In 1572, raises with the Collège of Burgundy, from Paris, it escapes the Massacre from the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre. He then becomes the companion of that which was yet only Henri de Navarre, that he follows in all his wars and to the sides of which he is characterized by his intrepidity. In 1576, it fights in the Protestant armies in Holland.

In 1583, with the castle of Bontin, it marries Anne de Courtenay, wealthy heiress. Very happy commercial speculations, like the trade of the horses for the army, even the skins of the cities taken by the Protestants enrich it in little time. In 1580, he becomes ordinary chamberlain, then member of the Council of Navarre. It is charged to negotiate with Henri III, in order to continue a common fight against the League. But the Traité of Nemours in 1585 brings Henri III closer to the Own way to the costs of Navarre. In 1587, it fights beside Henri de Navarre with Coutras, then in front of Paris, then with Arques in 1589, then with Ivry in 1590 where it is wounded. It is again wounded in Chartres in 1591. Become widowed, he marries in 1592 Rachel de Cochefilet, still a rich woman.

The minister

In 1593, it advises with the king to convert with Catholicism, in order to pacify the kingdom, but refuses itself to abjure. It then negotiates the rallying of some chiefs of the Ligue (Marquis de Villars, Duc of Own way). At the time of the Head office of Amiens in 1597, it plays there a crucial role with the head of artillery.

Henri IV understands quickly that it can entrust finances of the kingdom only to the man who manages his own businesses so well. It names it in 1596 with the Council of Finances then, towards 1598, Surintendant of finances. Sully gives then of the order in the accounts, while creating in 1601, a Room of justice intended to fight against the financial embezzlements. It makes return a considerable arrear, pays crushing debts (nearly 30 million books), is enough with the expenditure to the wars in Spain and Savoy, and with the purchase of the places which still remain with the hands of the chiefs members of a league. In 1598, it has made cancel all the ennoblements issued for 20 years. It removes the small Office S of finances and legal. It creates great provisioning of war, fights against the abuse and prodigalities and piles up a treasure (30 million) while decreasing the taxes. It makes restore with the king part of the royal field which had been alienated. The arrival in Europe of the American noble metals, make it possible Sully to balance the budget and to make economies. It is made name governor of the Bastille in 1602, where it stores part of the royal treasure which is assembled to 12 million books.

The paulette is founded in 1604, to institute the heredity of the Office S and to increase the public revenue.

In 1599, it is named Grand Master of artillery and Grand voyer of France, it then controls all the transportation routes. The main roads are recalled, embanked, paved. In preparation for the requirements in constructions and navy, it makes plant elms at the roadsides (famous elms of Sully).

He encourages especially the Agriculture by repeating “ Pâturage and tilling is the two udders whose France is fed, the true mines and treasures of Peru ”. To this end, he proclaims the freedom of the trade of the grains, and abolishes a great number of Péage S which are as many barriers between the provinces, he opens great transportation routes, and he makes dig several channels, in particular the Canal of Briare which connects the Seine to the Loire, begun in 1604 and finished in 1642.

He will push the peasants to be produced more than necessary in order to sell with the other countries, for that, he makes increase the surface cultivated, makes drain marshes. In order to protect them from the Tax department, it prohibits the seizure of the instruments of ploughing and a handing-over to them on the arrears of the size gets. It also will put an end to the devastation of the forests, to extend the culture of the vine…

As superintendent of the fortifications it makes establish an arsenal and strengthens the borders. In 1606, it is created even duke and of Sully.

The setting with the variation

After the death of Henri IV in 1610, it is named member of the Council of regency and prepares the budget of 1611. In complete dissension with Marie de Médicis, he resigns of his loads of Surintendant of finances and governor of the Bastille (1611); he preserves however the government of the Poitou. He had become unpopular, even among the Protestants, and near the peasants whom he had to overpower of taxes to face the expenditure for the war against Spain to which he had pushed. In 1616, it gives up the major part of these functions. It will live from now on far from the court, on its grounds of Sully, and is devoted to the drafting of its memories.

In 1621, it intervenes in the fights between the French Protestants and the royalty, at the time of the seat of Montauban by Louis XIII and in 1627-1628 at the time of the seat of La Rochelle. In 1634, it is named Marshal of France. He dies with the castle of Villebon (Eure-et-Loir) the December 22nd 1641. Its tomb is with Nogent-le-Rotrou (Eure-et-Loir).

Alliances and descent

Maximilien de Béthune made two marriages:

in 1583, Anne of Courtenay (1564-1589) of which it had a son Maximilien II, duke of Sully which continued;
in 1592, Rachel Cochefilet (1562-1659) of which it had a son and two girls: François de Béthune, duke of Orval; Marguerite who married Henri II of Rohan; Louise who married Alexandre de Lévis Mirepoix, Maréchal of the Faith

Quotations

Tilling and pasture is the two udders of France .
justice is the love guided by the light .
It false modesty consists in being put on the same row as the others for better showing than they are exceeded .

See too

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