Rennes Saint-Germain tombe BertranddArgentré

Bertrand d'Argentré (or Argentraeus) (19 May 1519 in Vitré, Ille-et-Vilaine – 13 February 1590) was a Breton jurist and historian. Argentraeus was born the son of Pierre d'Argentré,

seneschal The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...

Rennes Rennes (; br, Roazhon ; Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine departme ...

, and the nephew of historian Pierre Le Baud. After studies of law in

Bourges Bourges () is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre. It is the capital of the department of Cher, and also was the capital city of the former province of Berry. History The name of the commune derives either from the Bituriges, ...

, he was named seneschal of Vitré in 1541 and seneschal of Rennes in 1547. Dismissed from that post, he was named head of the présidial court of Rennes in 1582 instead, but refused to leave

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...

even when offered coveted court positions in Paris. In his judicial capacity, he frequently clashed with other jurisdictions such as that of the

Parlement A ''parlement'' (), under the French Ancien Régime, was a provincial appellate court of the Kingdom of France. In 1789, France had 13 parlements, the oldest and most important of which was the Parlement of Paris. While both the modern Fr ...

, which he considered ignorant of Breton customs. His principal legal work is the influential ''Nouvelle coutume de Bretagne'' (1580), a compilation of customary Breton law. In that work, D'Argentré fought against the influence of

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

and

Roman law Roman law is the legal system of ancient Rome, including the legal developments spanning over a thousand years of jurisprudence, from the Twelve Tables (c. 449 BC), to the '' Corpus Juris Civilis'' (AD 529) ordered by Eastern Roman emperor J ...

, which he considered overly procedural and inquisitive, unmerciful to the weak, and detrimental to individual liberty. His work as a historian also emphasised the historical independence of Brittany. The Estates of Brittany commissioned him in 1580 to write a ''Histoire de Bretagne'', which was promptly seized on the order of Henry III for "indignities against King and realm". The book was only allowed to appear in 1588, with extensive censorship of sensitive passages relating to the history of French-Breton relations. However, clandestine reprints of the unedited work remained widely available. He was also well known for his considerable collection of books that formed one of the largest private libraries of Renaissance France.Malcolm Walsby, 'The library of the Breton jurist and historian Bertrand d’Argentré in 1582' in M. Walsby and N. Constantinidou (eds) Documenting the Early Modern Book World: Inventories and Catalogues in Manuscript and Print (Leiden: Brill, 2013) 117-140. In 1589, he supported the insurrection of the

Duke of Mercœur The Seigneurs and Dukes of Mercœur were a line of powerful lords deriving their name from the estate of Mercœur in Auvergne, France. The line became extinct in the 14th century, and passed by inheritance to the dauphins of Auvergne, counts of C ...

, was persecuted by the French authorities and died one year later.

Works

* ''L'histoire de Bretaigne, des roys, ducs, comtes et princes d'icelle: l'établissement du Royaume, mutation de ce tiltre en Duché, continué jusques au temps de Madame Anne dernière Duchesse, & depuis Royne de France, par le mariage de laquelle passa le Duché en la maison de France''. Jacques du Puys, 1588. * ''Coustumes générales des pays et duché de Bretagne'', Paris, Nicolas Buon, 1608 (rédigé en 1568) *''Advis sur le partage des nobles'' (1570) *''Commentaires'' (sur l'Ancienne Coutume de Bretagne), on various topics (1576, 1584) *''Aitiologia'' (1584), summary of the debates about the reformation of the Breton customary law. * ''L'Histoire de Bretaigne, des rois, ducs, comtes, et princes d'icelle, depuis l'an 383 jusques au temps de madame Anne Reyne de France dernière Duchesse. Troisième édition revue et augmentée par messire Charles d'Argentré.'' Paris, by Nicolas Buon (1618).

External links

* Read the digitized book
Coustumes generales du pays et duché de Bretagne
on

Cujas Library Cujas Library (french: Bibliothèque Cujas), named after the French jurist and scholar Jacques Cujas (1520–1590), is an academic research library, and the largest law library in Europe.Oswald, Godfrey (2008). '' Library world records'' (2nd ...

website.

References

* * Malcolm Walsby,'The library of the Breton jurist and historian Bertrand d’Argentré in 1582' in M. Walsby and N. Constantinidou (eds) ''Documenting the Early Modern Book World: Inventories and Catalogues in Manuscript and Print'' (Leiden: Brill, 2013) 117-140. {{DEFAULTSORT:Argentre, Bertrand d 1519 births 1590 deaths People from Vitré, Ille-et-Vilaine 16th-century French lawyers Writers from Brittany French male writers