René de Birague (original name: Renato Birago; 2 February 1506 – 24 November 1583) was an Italian patrician who became a French cardinal and chancellor.

Biography

Born at

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

, he was the son of Giangiacomo Galeazzo Birago, ambassador of the duke of Milan in France, and Anna Trivulzio. Sent to papal Avignon, he cut his studies short to take up family duties at the unexpected death of his father. As a doctor of law he was admitted to the ''Collegio d'avvocati'' of Milan in 1536. After the

battle of Pavia The Battle of Pavia, fought on the morning of 24 February 1525, was the decisive engagement of the Italian War of 1521–1526 between the Kingdom of France and the Habsburg empire of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor as well as ruler of Spain, ...

(1525), when the French and their sympathizers were expelled from Milan, he and his three brothers, Louis, Pierre and Charles, escaped to France to avoid the vengeance of Francesco II Sforza, duke of Milan. Declared a traitor by the Spanish government in Milan, his properties were confiscated in 1536 (they were partially restored in 1556).

Francis I of France Francis I (french: François Ier; frm, Francoys; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin on ...

named him counselor of the

parlement de Paris The Parliament of Paris (french: Parlement de Paris) was the oldest ''parlement'' in the Kingdom of France, formed in the 14th century. It was fixed in Paris by Philip IV of France in 1302. The Parliament of Paris would hold sessions inside the ...

. Later, during French control of

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

, he was ''Maestro delle Richieste'' of the Parliament of

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The ...

, (1539) and its president in 1543. He married Valentina Balbiano (1518–1572), with whom he had two children, but after her death he took minor orders in Milan. Made president of the Superior Council of

Pinerolo Pinerolo (; pms, Pinareul ; french: Pignerol; oc, Pineròl) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont, northwestern Italy, southwest of Turin on the river Chisone. The Lemina torrent has its source at the boundary b ...

on 9 January 1563, then French ambassador to the

Council of Trent The Council of Trent ( la, Concilium Tridentinum), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation, it has been described a ...

in April, he was appointed Francis's ambassador to Emperor Ferdinand I in June and then to Maximilian, king of the Romans. He obtained a ''brevet'' of naturalization, September 1565, taking the name René de Birague, and his political career at the court of Charles IX advanced rapidly. He accompanied the king in his trip to

Guyenne Guyenne or Guienne (, ; oc, Guiana ) was an old French province which corresponded roughly to the Roman province of '' Aquitania Secunda'' and the archdiocese of Bordeaux. The name "Guyenne" comes from ''Aguyenne'', a popular transformation o ...

and served as procurator and lieutenant general in Lyon and other places September 1565 until 1568. Lyon, the scene of violence Protestant and Catholic clashes, was largely controlled by a deeply resented Italian economic elite. Closer to the court, he became Superintendent of Finances, 1568–1570. Knight of the Order of Saint-Michel, and eventually Commander of the Order of Saint-Esprit, (1579). In 1570, Charles IX named him

keeper of the seals The title keeper of the seals or equivalent is used in several contexts, denoting the person entitled to keep and authorize use of the great seal of a given country. The title may or may not be linked to a particular cabinet or ministerial offi ...

, a post that gave him a seat in the secret council. Thus, by virtue of his post, he attended the secret meeting of the council that decided upon the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre of Huguenots on 24 August 1572; he was in the King's chamber with the dukes of

Guise Guise (; nl, Wieze) is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. The city was the birthplace of the noble family of Guise, Dukes of Guise, who later became Princes of Joinville. Population Sights The remains ...

and

Nevers Nevers ( , ; la, Noviodunum, later ''Nevirnum'' and ''Nebirnum'') is the prefecture of the Nièvre department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in central France. It was the principal city of the former province of Nivernais. It is sou ...

, Tavannes and Retz, when Queen Catherine de' Medici arrived to determine the king, who was undecided. Birague was named chancellor of France as a reward for his participation on 17 March 1573; he was also promoted to the cardinalate on 21 February 1578 under the insistence of Henry III, though he never went to Rome to receive the red hat. He is alleged to have said that he was a cardinal without a title, a priest without benefices and a chancellor without the seal (Berton, ''Dictionnaire des cardinaux'', quoted), He died at Paris in 1583. His tomb included his portrait as a kneeling figure by Germain Pilon, who also executed the funeral cadaver portrait of his wife (both now in the

Louvre Museum The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

Sources

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Birague, Rene de 1506 births 1583 deaths Clergy from Milan 16th-century French cardinals Participants in the Council of Trent French Ministers of Finance Italian emigrants to France