Charles de Bourbon (cardinal)

Called Charles de Bourbon, Cardinal of Bourbon, (* December 22 1523 in the castle of La Ferté -sous -Jouarre; † May 9, 1590 in Fontenay -le- Comte ) was from 1550 to 1590 and Archbishop of Rouen from 1548 to his death Cardinal.

As a prince of the blood closely related with both the French kings and the king of Navarre House, he was of the Catholic League of the Guises three days after the assassination of Henry III. 1589 under the name of Charles X. proclaimed the new king of France, to prevent Charles ' nephew, the Huguenot Henry of Navarre, the succession could begin. But already in March 1590, Charles de Bourbon recognized his rivals to the throne as the legitimate king of France. The name of Charles X. was repaid on adoption of Parlements of Paris from all incurred to date records and public documents.

Life

Childhood and youth

Charles was the eighth child and fifth son, so Charles ' IV de Bourbon and his wife Françoise d' Alençon, duchesse de Beaumont, daughter of René de Valois to the world. Even a prince of the blood, he was also related through his older brother Antoine de Bourbon, who was also his godfather with the royal house of Navarre.

From early childhood his parents had provided an ecclesiastical career for him, and aimed his education he received at Castle La Fere in Picardy, from the beginning from a career within the Catholic Church. He then went with his cousin Charles de Lorraine - Guise, who later became Archbishop of Reims, to Paris, to study at the Collège de Navarre.

At the age of only 16 years, Charles was appointed on July 5, 1540 to the Bishop of Nevers. It was the first of six episcopal office, which he held during his life.

A brilliant career

On January 23, 1544 Charles de Bourbon was the bishopric of Saintes awarded another lucrative benefice before it. Proposal of King Henry II on January 9, 1547 by Pope Paul III was appointed cardinal of the class of a cardinal deacon with the titular church of San Sisto Vecchio. Subsequently, he called himself Cardinal of Vendôme (French Cardinal de Vendôme ), because his uncle Louis de Bourbon- Vendôme, who was also a Cardinal since 1517, Cardinal de Bourbon was already mentioned. Only after his death in March 1557 Charles was called the Cardinal of Bourbon.

As of March 9, 1550, he also held the office of Bishop of Carcassonne, a position he held until December 15, 1553 and then again in the period of October 4, 1565 to 1567. 1550 also fell at the bishop seat of Nantes. Highlight of the year was for Charles on October 3, but his appointment as Archbishop of Rouen, with whom he became the successor of Georges II d' Amboise. His solemn entry into Rouen took place on 11 April 1551 in which not only the most important nobles of the kingdom, all suffragan bishops of the ecclesiastical province were present; among others, Charles d' Humières ( Bishop of Bayeux ), Gabriel Le Veneur de Tillières ( bishop of Évreux ) and Pierre Duval ( Bishop of Sées ).

On April 22, 1559, he was appointed as the successor to François ' de Montmorency governor of Paris and the Ile- de -France, and clothed thus in addition to his ecclesiastical offices for the first time a secular items. In August 1562, Charles succeeded his late brother Antoine as head of the Royal Advisors Charles IX. after and retained the post under Charles 's successor Henry III. However, at the Estates General in Orléans from December 1560, he participated as a representative of the clergy.

1561 the class of a cardinal priest Charles de Bourbon was awarded by the Pope, and he then moved to the titular church of San Crisogono. In the period from 1565 to 1590 he also served as papal legate of Avignon.

Having dispensed with the exception of the seat in Rouen gradually to all Bishops Offices, Charles was on the recommendation of Charles IX. appointed on August 26, 1569 by Pope Pius V. Bishop of Beauvais and remained so until August 1575th symbolically took the Abbot of Notre Dame de Chart Rice from the diocese of Châlons, Louis de Mainteterne, office on October 30, 1569 for Charles, because the newly appointed bishop did not want to go there myself because of heavy fighting around Beauvais during the wars of Religion. His first presence in Beauvais is guaranteed only for May 1572. Previously, he had initiated the construction of the Carthusian monastery of Notre Dame de Bonne- Espérance in Aubevoye Gaillon in 1571, which was after him called Chartreuse de Bourbon. Two other construction projects Charles ' were the foundation of a monastery of the Paulaner 1580 in Dieppe and the establishment of Abtspalastes (French Palais Abbatial ) of Saint- Germain -des- Prés in 1586 by the architect Guillaume Marchant.

King of the Catholic League

After the death of François- Hercules de Valois the childless Henry III specific. the Navarrese King Henry to the heir to the throne. However, the party of the Guises would not accept a Huguenot on the French throne and leaned Henry of Navarre therefore strictly from. Duke Henri I de Lorraine, duc de Guise ended Dec. 31, 1584 Philip II of Spain secretly the Treaty of Joinville, which was ratified by Pope Sixtus V.. The contract provided for the death of Henry III. Charles de Bourbon as before heir to rule in this way all the other French princes entitled to inherit the Reformed faith. In July 1585 succeeded the League even Henry III. wrest the Treaty of Nemours, the only allowed the practice of the Catholic faith in France and Huguenots excluded from any public office. Henry of Navarre thus retired from de facto heir to the throne. In July 1588, Henry III agreed. also recognized in the Edit de l' Union, in which he Charles de Bourbon as his " next of kin " ("[ ... ] plus proche parent de son sang [ ... ]") and implicitly as the legitimate successor.

By excluding the strongest competitor, the way to the French throne was for Charles since paved, but during the Estates-General in Blois, this situation changed in a flash. Henry III. had put her captive on December 23, 1588 as the Cardinal Guise - trailer after the assassination of Henri I de Lorraine and bring to Tours. When the king was on August 2, 1589 come by assassination died, Charles was - though still alive in captivity - from the head of the Catholic League, Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne, under the name of Charles X. still king proclaimed. The Parlement of Paris, then adopted on 21 November 1589 on March 5, 1590, two arrangements, the "true and legitimate King of France " him ("[ ... ] vrai et légitime roy de France [ ... ]") appointed. The League then started to mint coins with his likeness and his coat of arms and bring them into circulation. Because of their small number, these are now collector's items.

Meanwhile, in prison in the castle of Fontenay -le- Comte in Poitou, who now 66 -year-old Charles sent in March 1590 the Registrar with a letter to his nephew, Henry IV, in which he recognized him as the rightful king, but in spite of this letter was he a prisoner and died on 9 May in 1590 the custody of kidney stones. His body was buried in the Carthusian monastery of Aubevoye, his heart in the Church of Saint -Nicolas buried in Fontenay -le- Comte.

On September 3, 1594, the Paris Parlement issued a decree which ordered that the name of Charles X. from all public records should be deleted.

Other offices and activities

In addition to his duties as bishop was Charles de Bourbon also commendatory many French monasteries, including some of the wealthiest in the country, such as the Abbey Jumièges, the monasteries of St. Germain -des- Prés, La Sainte- Trinité in Vendôme and Saint Ouen in Rouen as well as the abbeys of Corbie and Saint Denis. At times he controlled more than 20 monasteries, which made ​​him one of the richest princes of France. In addition, he was appointed the first Commander of the Order of the Holy Spirit on December 31, 1579.

As one of the most senior prelates of France, who also was prince of the blood, Charles took his time before almost all marriages of members of the royal family. This included the marriage of Francis II and Mary Stuart at the Notre -Dame de Paris cathedral as well as the marriage of Elisabeth of Valois with the Spanish King Philip II ( represented by Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alba ) and Charles IX. of France Elisabeth of Austria, which he crowned about four months later, in Saint- Denis also to the queen. In August 1572 he dared also Henri I de Bourbon and his own niece Marie de Clèves ( 1553-1574 ), whose godfather he was, and led the formal betrothal ceremony of Princess Margaret of Valois with the Huguenot King Henry of Navarre in the Louvre. The wedding ceremony of Henry III. and Louise de Lorraine - Vaudémont in the cathedral of Reims was celebrated by him on February 15, 1575.

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