Regnault de Chartres ( in Ons-en-Bray - 4 April 1444 in

Tours Tours ( ; ) is the largest city in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabita ...

) was a

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

archbishop of Rheims The Archdiocese of Reims or Rheims (; French: ''Archidiocèse de Reims'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastic territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. Erected as a diocese around 250 by Sixtus of Reims, the diocese was elevated to ...

peer of France The Peerage of France () was a hereditary distinction within the French nobility which appeared in 1180 during the Middle Ages. The prestigious title and position of Peer of France () was held by the greatest, highest-ranking members of the Fr ...

(as Archbishop-Duke of Rheims) and

chancellor of France The Chancellor of France (), also known as the Grand Chancellor or Lord Chancellor, was the officer of state responsible for the judiciary of the Kingdom of France. The Chancellor was responsible for seeing that royal decrees were enrolled and ...

during the reign of King

Charles VII of France Charles VII (22 February 1403 – 22 July 1461), called the Victorious () or the Well-Served (), was King of France from 1422 to his death in 1461. His reign saw the end of the Hundred Years' War and a ''de facto'' end of the English claims to ...

. In 1429 during the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...

he anointed and crowned the dauphin Charles

king of France France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions. Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I, king of the Fra ...

Rheims Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded by ...

, thus upholding the

Valois dynasty The Capetian House of Valois ( , also , ) was a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty. They succeeded the House of Capet (or "Direct Capetians") to the French throne, and were the royal house of France from 1328 to 1589. Junior members of th ...

's claim to the French throne against the English claim of King

Henry VI of England Henry VI (6 December 1421 – 21 May 1471) was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and 1470 to 1471, and English claims to the French throne, disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. The only child of Henry V of England, Henry V, he succeeded ...

Early life

Regnault de Chartres was born from the second marriage of his father, Hector de Chartres, Lord of Lyons-en-

Beauvaisis Beauvais ( , ; ) is a town and commune in northern France, and prefecture of the Oise département, in the Hauts-de-France region, north of Paris. The commune of Beauvais had a population of 56,020 , making it the most populous town in the ...

, Ons-en-Bray (beheaded in Paris in 1418) with Blanche de Clermont-

Nesle Nesle () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Nesle is situated at the junction of the D930 and D337 roads, some southwest of Saint-Quentin. The Ingon, a small stream, passes through the commu ...

. Regnault had two brothers: the elder one, Pierre de Chartres, and Hector de Chartres the Younger (killed in 1415 at Agincourt). It is possible, but not certain, that these de Chartres belong to the notable

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

of the vidames de Chartres (it is generally accepted that Regnault was related to the family of Beauvilliers; but the arms of the latter are very similar to those of the vidames, bearing ''bands and merlettes''), and/or to the Chartres family of Ver-lès-Chartres from the 12th-13th centuries.

During the reign of Charles VI

He was a

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

in the chapter of the

Beauvais Cathedral Beauvais Cathedral otherwise the Cathedral of Saint Peter of Beauvais () is a Catholic church in the northern town of Beauvais, Oise, France. It is the seat of the Bishop of Beauvais, Noyon and Senlis. The cathedral is in the High Gothic style, ...

and was elected its

dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean * Dean Sw ...

in 1404. Subsequently, he served as chamberlain and

referendary Referendary is the English form of a number of administrative positions, of various rank, in chanceries and other official organizations in Europe. Pre-modern history The office of ' (plural: ', from the Latin ', "I inform") existed at the Byza ...

of antipope

John XXIII Pope John XXIII (born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death on 3 June 1963. He is the most recent pope to take ...

and presided over the Paris Court of Accounts. He was appointed to the archbishopric of Rheims on 2 January 1414Regnault de Chartres
Cardinals Created by

Eugene IV Pope Eugene IV (; ; 1383 – 23 February 1447), born Gabriele Condulmer, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 March 1431 to his death, in February 1447. Condulmer was a Venetian, and a nephew of Pope Gregory XII ...

( 1431-

1447 Year 1447 (Roman numerals, MCDXLVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. Events January–March * January 4 – Barnaba Adorno becomes the new Doge of Genoa, Doge of the Republic of Genoa when his cousin :i ...

) but he did not take office until 16 July 1429, the day before the coronation of Charles VII. In 1415 he attended the

Council of Constance The Council of Constance (; ) was an ecumenical council of the Catholic Church that was held from 1414 to 1418 in the Bishopric of Constance (Konstanz) in present-day Germany. This was the first time that an ecumenical council was convened in ...

.Histoire généalogique et chronologique de la maison royale de France, des pairs, grands officiers de la Couronne, de la Maison du Roy et des anciens barons du royaume
by Anselme de Sainte-Marie. Vol. 6, 1730. (p. 399) On 16 August 1418 he was named lieutenant du roi and adviser to the Dauphin, in the provinces of

Languedoc The Province of Languedoc (, , ; ) is a former province of France. Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately . History ...

Lyonnais The Lyonnais (, ) is a historical province of France which owes its name to the city of Lyon. The geographical area known as the ''Lyonnais'' became part of the Kingdom of Burgundy after the division of the Carolingian Empire. The disintegra ...

and

Mâconnais The Mâconnais () district is located in the south of the Burgundy wine region in France, west of the Saône river. It takes its name from the town of Mâcon. It is best known as a source of good value white wines made from the Chardonnay grape; t ...

During the reign of Charles VII

On 28 March 1424 he became chancellor, succeeding Martin Gouge for several months until the latter was reinstated. He was again appointed chancellor of France on 8 November 1428. He participated in the war councils in Orleans. The king sold him the city of

Vierzon Vierzon () is a Communes of France, commune in the Cher (department), Cher departments of France, department, Centre-Val de Loire, France. Geography A medium-sized town by the banks of the river Cher (river), Cher with some light industry and a ...

on 7 August 1425.Histoire des chanceliers de France et des gardes de sceaux de France
by François Du Chesne. 1680. (p. 483) On 17 July 1429 he

consecrated Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

Charles VII in Rheims, in the presence of

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc ( ; ; – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the Coronation of the French monarch, coronation of Charles VII o ...

. On 10 October, on safe conduct, he left for Saint-Denis to negotiate with the English represented by the

bishop of Thérouanne A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

, Lewis of Luxembourg, counselor of Henry VI of England. On 26 July 1432 he received 600 mouton d’or from the king for negotiating a peace treaty in Auxerre. He was appointed to the Archbishopric of Embrun by Pope Eugene IV in 1434, but preferred to stay in Rheims.Bibliothèque sacrée
by

Charles-Louis Richard Charles-Louis Richard (April 1711 – 16 August 1794) was a Catholic theologian and publicist. Life Richard was born at Blainville-sur-l'Eau, in Lorraine. His family though of noble descent, was poor, and he received his education in the schoo ...

. Vol. 29,

1827 Events January–March * January 5 – The first regatta in Australia is held, taking place in Tasmania (called at the time ''Van Diemen's Land''), on the River Derwent at Hobart. * January 15 – Furman University, founded in 1826, b ...

(Embrun & Agde p. 97, Orléans p. 15) On 6 July 1435 he was in Arras to negotiate a

treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, convention ...

with the

Duke of Burgundy Duke of Burgundy () was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by the Crown lands of France, French crown in 1477, and later by members of the House of Habsburg, including Holy Roman E ...

Philip the Good Philip III the Good (; ; 31 July 1396 – 15 June 1467) ruled as Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death in 1467. He was a member of a cadet line of the Valois dynasty, to which all 15th-century kings of France belonged. During his reign, ...

, then in Calais to reduce the tensions between France and England. On 4 April 1436 he was named administrator of the bishopric of Agde, and officiated at the wedding of the Dauphin

Louis Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also ...

to Margaret of Scotland, on 24 June in Tours. Pope Eugene IV appointed him to the bishopric of Orléans ''

in commendam In canon law, commenda (or ''in commendam'') was a form of transferring an ecclesiastical benefice ''in trust'' to the ''custody'' of a patron. The phrase ''in commendam'' was originally applied to the provisional occupation of an ecclesiastica ...

'' on 17 March 1439. He took possession of it on 25 October, and officiated at the wedding of

Charles, Duke of Orléans Charles of Orléans (24 November 1394 – 5 January 1465) was Duke of Orléans from 1407, following the murder of his father, Louis I, Duke of Orléans. He was also Duke of Valois, Count of Beaumont-sur-Oise and of Blois, Lord of Coucy, ...

and

Mary of Cleves Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...

in 1440 in

Saint-Omer Saint-Omer (; ; Picard: ''Saint-Onmé'') is a commune and sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department in France. It is west-northwest of Lille on the railway to Calais, and is located in the Artois province. The town is named after Sa ...

. In recognition of his services, the king obtained for him the position of cardinal: he was named cardinal at the General Council held in Florence on 18 December 1439,Traité de l'indult du Parlement de Paris
by Melchior Cochet de Saint-Valier. Vol. 1,

1747 Events January–March * January 31 – The first venereal diseases clinic opens at London Lock Hospital. * February 11 – King George's War: A combined French and Indian force, commanded by Captain Nicolas Antoine II ...

. (p. 76) and took over the titular church of Santo Stefano al Monte Celio on 8 January 1440.

Death

He was given the bishopric of Mende in 1444 when, after mid-Lent, he went to Tours to see Charles VII and conduct peace negotiations with England. As he was going to speak to the king, he was taken with an illness and died suddenly on 4 April 1444. He was buried in the (now destroyed) Fransciscan church. After his death his archbishopric remained vacant for almost seven months. The arms of Regnault de Chartres are emblazoned as follows: ''

Argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to b ...

, a two

fess In heraldry, a fess or fesse (from Middle English ', Old French ', and -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... ', and charge on a coat of arms">Latin ' ...

gules In heraldry, gules () is the tincture with the colour red. It is one of the class of five dark tinctures called "colours", the others being azure (blue), sable (black), vert (green) and purpure (purple). Gules is portrayed in heraldic hatch ...

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chartres, Renault de Archbishops of Reims Bishops of Agde Bishops of Orléans 15th-century French cardinals Chancellors of France People of the Hundred Years' War People from Île-de-France 1444 deaths