Claude de Bullion (13 October 1569 – 22 December 1640) was a French aristocrat and politician who served as a Minister of Finance under

Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown. ...

from 1632 to 1640.Ranum, Orest A. (1963). ''Richelieu and the councillors of Louis XIII: A study of the secretaries of state and superintendents of finance in the ministry of Richelieu, 1635-1642.'' Clarendon Press He was a close ally of

Cardinal Richelieu Armand Jean du Plessis, 1st Duke of Richelieu (9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), commonly known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a Catholic Church in France, French Catholic prelate and statesman who had an outsized influence in civil and religi ...

.Kettering, Sharon (1986). ''Patrons, brokers, and clients in seventeenth-century France.'' Oxford University Press,

Life and career

He became a lawyer at the

Parlement of Paris The ''Parlement'' of Paris () was the oldest ''parlement'' in the Kingdom of France, formed in the 14th century. Parlements were judicial, rather than legislative, bodies and were composed of magistrates. Though not representative bodies in the p ...

in 1594 and an advisor in 1595. In 1605, he became ''Maître des Requêtes'', and in 1606 he joined the Parliament of Grenoble as State Councillor and Chairman. In 1611 he bought the lordship of Bolt and later bought the lordship of Maule. In 1612, Seigneur de Bonnelles named him special ambassador to the Court of Turin. He bought in 1620 and built the famous gardens and ponds there. His holdings became known as

Bullion Bullion is non-ferrous metal that has been refined to a high standard of elemental purity. The term is ordinarily applied to bulk metal used in the production of coins and especially to precious metals such as gold and silver. It comes from ...

in 1621. He also possessed the lordships of Fervaques, Gallardon of Montlouet, Atilly, and Longchesne. In 1639, he bought Château d'Esclimont, and his was known as creator of

Louis d'Or The Louis d'or () is any number of French coins first introduced by Louis XIII in 1640. The name derives from the depiction of the portrait of King Louis on one side of the coin; the French royal coat of arms is on the reverse. The coin was r ...

. He later built a hotel in Paris that contained two galleries. In 1632 he became Minister of Finance under

, concurrently with

Claude Bouthillier Claude Bouthillier, Sieur de Fouilletourte (1581 – 13 March 1652) was a French statesman and diplomat. He held a number of offices, including Secretary of State and Superintendent of Finances, and distinguished himself in diplomacy throughout ...

. de Bullion was also named Lord Chancellor of The Order of the Holy Spirit from 1633 to 1636. He was married to Angélique Faure in 1612. Their son

Noël de Bullion Noel or Noël may refer to: Christmas * , French for Christmas * Noel is another name for a Christmas carol Places * Noel, Missouri, United States, a city *Noel, Nova Scotia, Canada, a community *Noel Park, a suburb in Greater London, Engla ...

succeeded his father as Lord Chancellor of The Order of the Holy Spirit. He died suddenly in Paris in 1640, leaving his wife to control his huge fortune.Simpson, Patricia (1997). ''Marguerite Bourgeoys and Montreal, 1640-1665.'' McGill-Queen's Press, He was buried at night due to his unpopularity as Finance Minister. His tomb was destroyed during the French Revolution.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bullion, Claude De 1569 births 1640 deaths Finance ministers of France