Nicolas Rolin (1376–1462) was a leading figure in the history of

Burgundy Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

, becoming

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

Philip the Good Philip III (french: Philippe le Bon; nl, Filips de Goede; 31 July 1396 – 15 June 1467) was Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death. He was a member of a cadet line of the Valois dynasty, to which all 15th-century kings of France belon ...

(Philip III,

Duke of Burgundy Duke of Burgundy (french: duc de Bourgogne) was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by France in 1477, and later by Holy Roman Emperors and Kings of Spain from the House of Habsbu ...

). Born into a bourgeois family in

Autun Autun () is a subprefecture of the Saône-et-Loire department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of central-eastern France. It was founded during the Principate era of the early Roman Empire by Emperor Augustus as Augustodunum to give ...

, Rolin's first marriage in 1398 was part of a triple marriage of his

widow A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has died. Terminology The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed ''widowhood''. An archaic term for a widow is "relict," literally "someone left over". This word can ...

ed mother to a

bourgeois The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. Th ...

Beaune Beaune () is the wine capital of Burgundy in the Côte d'Or department in eastern France. It is located between Lyon and Dijon. Beaune is one of the key wine centers in France, and the center of Burgundy wine production and business. The annu ...

, accompanied by the marriages of her two sons to two daughters of the

bridegroom A bridegroom (often shortened to groom) is a man who is about to be married or who is newlywed. When marrying, the bridegroom's future spouse (if female) is usually referred to as the bride. A bridegroom is typically attended by a best man a ...

, Perrenet Le Mairet. However all three of these brides were dead within a few years. He next married Marie des Landes, before 1407, a marriage which paved the way for his entry to the bourgeoisie of

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

. In 1422, Rolin was made chancellor by Philip the Good, a post he held for more than forty years as one of the principal architects of the monarch's success. Rolin is closely linked with

John the Fearless John I (french: Jean sans Peur; nl, Jan zonder Vrees; 28 May 137110 September 1419) was a scion of the French royal family who ruled the Burgundian State from 1404 until his death in 1419. He played a key role in French national affairs during ...

who was

godfather Godfather most often refers to a male godparent in the Christian tradition. Godfather, God Father, or variants may also refer to: Crime * A synonym for crime boss * Capo dei capi, Italian for "boss of all bosses" People * The Godfather (wrestl ...

to his third son. In 1421, Nicolas Rolin married

Guigone de Salins Guigone de Salins (1403–1470) was a member of the nobility in the state of Burgundy in late medieval France. A well-known philanthropist in her time, she founded the Hospices de Beaune in 1443 with her husband Nicolas Rolin, chancellor to the Duk ...

(1403–1470) and together they established the

Hospices de Beaune The Hospices de Beaune or Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune is a former charitable almshouse in Beaune, France. It was founded in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin, chancellor of Burgundy, as a hospital for the poor. The original hospital building, the Hôtel-Dieu, one o ...

. Rolin was one of the participants in drafting the 1435 Treaty of Arras by which Charles VII recognised the independence of Burgundy, thus separating it from the English in the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French throne between the English House of Plantag ...

. One of the chancellor's sons, Jean Rolin, was made

bishop of Chalon-sur-Saône A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

in 1431, and

bishop of Autun The Roman Catholic Diocese of Autun (–Chalon-sur-Saône–Mâcon–Cluny) (Latin: ''Dioecesis Augustodunensis (–Cabillonensis–Matisconensis–Cluniacensis)''; French: ''Diocèse d'Autun (–Chalon-sur-Saône–Mâcon–Cluny)''), more simply ...

in 1436. Jean became a Cardinal in 1448, created by

Pope Nicholas V Pope Nicholas V ( la, Nicholaus V; it, Niccolò V; 13 November 1397 – 24 March 1455), born Tommaso Parentucelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 March 1447 until his death in March 1455. Pope Eugene made ...

, as part of diplomatic engagement between the Duchy of Burgundy and the Papacy. The house in which Rolin was born is now the Autun town museum and is known as the

Musée Rolin The Musée Rolin is an art museum in Autun, Burgundy, France. Created in 1878 on the initiative of the , it is located on the site of the former home of Chancellor Nicolas Rolin. Its collections range from Gallo-Roman archaeology to 20th cen ...

. He owned the

Château d'Oricourt The Château d'Oricourt is a castle in the commune of Oricourt in the department of Haute-Saône, in the Franche-Comté region of France. The original castle on the site was a feudal motte built in wood. The present castle was built during the 1 ...

and in 1435 he commissioned Jan van Eyck the famous ''The

Virgin with Child and Chancellor Rolin The ''Madonna of Chancellor Rolin'' is an oil painting by the Early Netherlandish master Jan van Eyck, dating from around 1435. It is kept in the Musée du Louvre, Paris, and was commissioned by Nicolas Rolin, aged 60, chancellor of the Duchy of ...

'', now at the Louvre. One of his sons was

Cardinal Jean Rolin Jean (Jehan) Rolin (1408–1483) was a French bishop and Cardinal. His father, Nicolas Rolin, was ducal Chancellor of Burgundy, and lord of Authumes. Jean became a Cardinal in 1448, created by Pope Nicholas V, as part of diplomatic engagement bet ...

. Another son, Louis, was killed on the field at the

battle of Grandson The Battle of Grandson, which took place on 2 March 1476, was part of the Burgundian Wars, and resulted in a major defeat for Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, at the hands of the Swiss. Prelude In late February 1476, Charles the Bold, al ...

in 1476, while a third, Antoine, held various court offices such as chamberlain to

Charles the Bold Charles I (Charles Martin; german: Karl Martin; nl, Karel Maarten; 10 November 1433 – 5 January 1477), nicknamed the Bold (German: ''der Kühne''; Dutch: ''de Stoute''; french: le Téméraire), was Duke of Burgundy from 1467 to 1477. ...

. Having founded the

with his wife in 1443, in 1452 Rolin established a new religious order, "Les sœurs hospitalières de Beaune". He ordered the painting of an altarpiece, ''

The Last Judgement The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Reckoning, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, Day of Resurrection or The Day of the Lord (; ar, یوم القيامة, translit=Yawm al-Qiyāmah or ar, یوم الدین, translit=Yawm ad-Dīn, ...

'' by the Flemish painter

Rogier van der Weyden Rogier van der Weyden () or Roger de la Pasture (1399 or 140018 June 1464) was an Early Netherlandish painting, early Netherlandish painter whose surviving works consist mainly of religious triptychs, altarpieces, and commissioned single and dip ...

for the hospices.

Sources

*''Charles VII'' by Georges Minois ''Parts of this article were initially translated from this Wikipedia article « :fr:Nicolas Rolin », specifically fro
this version
and from this Wikipedia article « :fr:Guigone de Salins », specifically fro

''

External links

Rolin family timeline
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rolin, Nicolas 1376 births 1462 deaths People from Autun Duchy of Burgundy People of the Hundred Years' War Arts in the court of Philip the Good