Samblançay, or Semblançay, is a French noble family of

Touraine Touraine (; ) is one of the traditional provinces of France. Its capital was Tours. During the political reorganization of French territory in 1790, Touraine was divided between the departments of Indre-et-Loire, :Loir-et-Cher, Indre and Vien ...

, originally from the merchant class and taking their name from a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

Indre-et-Loire Indre-et-Loire () is a department in west-central France named after the Indre River and Loire River. In 2019, it had a population of 610,079.Louis XI Louis XI (3 July 1423 – 30 August 1483), called "Louis the Prudent" (), was King of France from 1461 to 1483. He succeeded his father, Charles VII. Louis entered into open rebellion against his father in a short-lived revolt known as the ...

, who narrowly escaped death for conspiracy under Charles VIII.Un cahier de travail de l'inquisiteur Jean de Beaune
/ref> His son, , baron de Semblançay, vicomte de Tours, became general of finances before 1497, and from 1518 was superintendent of finances. Convicted of

peculation Embezzlement (from Anglo-Norman, from Old French ''besillier'' ("to torment, etc."), of unknown origin) is a type of financial crime, usually involving theft of money from a business or employer. It often involves a trusted individual taking ...

in connection with the supplies for the army in Italy, Jacques de Beaune was executed at Montfaucon on 9 August 1527. His eldest son,

Martin de Beaune Martin may refer to: Places Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Europe * Martin, Croatia, a village * Martin, Slovakia, a city * Martín del Río, Aragón, Spain * Mart� ...

, who became

archbishop of Tours The Archdiocese of Tours (; ) is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. The archdiocese has roots that go back to the 3rd century, while the formal erection of the diocese dates from the 5th century. The ecclesiastical pro ...

in 1520, died in the same year as his father. Another son, Guillaume de Beaune, general of finances under his father, and banished from 1527 to 1535, was the father of

Renaud de Beaune Renaud de Beaune (12 August 1527 – 27 September 1606) was a French Catholic ecclesiastic. Life He held secular positions such as Councillor of Parliament and Chancellor of Francis of Valois, Duke of Touraine. The royal court greatly favoured h ...

(1527–1606),

archbishop of Bourges In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...

(1581) and

archbishop of Sens The Archdiocese of Sens and Auxerre (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Senonensis et Antissiodorensis''; French language, French: ''Archidiocèse de Sens et Auxerre'') is a Latin Church, Latin archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. The archdiocese co ...

(1595). His efforts at pacification during the

wars of religion A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war (), is a war and conflict which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion and beliefs. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the extent ...

culminated in the conversion of Henry IV, and it was he who presided at the ceremony of the king's

abjuration Abjuration is the solemn repudiation, abandonment, or renunciation by or upon oath, often the renunciation of citizenship or some other right or privilege. The term comes from the Latin ''abjurare'', "to forswear". Abjuration of the realm Abju ...

of Protestantism on 25 July 1593. Renaud was one of the most famous orators of his time, and records of some of his speeches still exist, as well as his Reformation de l'université de Paris (1605 and 1667). Another descendant of Jacques de Beaune was

Charlotte de Sauve Charlotte de Beaune Semblançay, Viscountess of Tours, Baroness de Sauve, Marquise de Noirmoutier (26 October 1551 – 30 September 1617) was a French noblewoman and a mistress of King Henry of Navarre, who later ruled as King Henry IV of Franc ...

(c.1550–1617), a courtesan whom

Catherine de' Medici Catherine de' Medici (, ; , ; 13 April 1519 – 5 January 1589) was an Italian Republic of Florence, Florentine noblewoman of the Medici family and Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 by marriage to Henry II of France, King Henry II. Sh ...

employed to discover the secrets of her courtly enemies. She counted among her lovers and dupes the king of Navarre (

Henry IV of France Henry IV (; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry (''le Bon Roi Henri'') or Henry the Great (''Henri le Grand''), was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 16 ...

), the duc d'Alencon (Henry III.), Henry I., duc de Guise and others. The duc de Guise was killed as he left her apartments in the early morning of Christmas Day 1588. She was married early in life to

Simon Fizes, baron de Sauves Simon Fizes, baron de Sauves (1535? - 27 November 1579) was a Secretary of State under Charles IX of France, and Henry III of France. Life Originally from the region of Pézenas, he was the son of peasants taught by the church clerk, Jean de Roco ...

a secretary of state, and again in 1584 to , marquis de Noirmoutiers, by whom she had a son, Louis, 1st duc de Noirmoutiers, a ducal line which became extinct in 1733. Charlotte died on 30 September 1617.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Samblancay French families