Jean Richardot
Encyclopedia
Statesman
A statesman is usually a politician or other notable public figure who has had a long and respected career in politics or government at the national and international level. As a term of respect, it is usually left to supporters or commentators to use the term...
and diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
from the Franche-Comté
Franche-Comté
Franche-Comté the former "Free County" of Burgundy, as distinct from the neighbouring Duchy, is an administrative region and a traditional province of eastern France...
, who held high political office during the Dutch Revolt
Dutch Revolt
The Dutch Revolt or the Revolt of the Netherlands This article adopts 1568 as the starting date of the war, as this was the year of the first battles between armies. However, since there is a long period of Protestant vs...
and played an important role in restoring Habsburg rule in the Southern Netherlands
Southern Netherlands
Southern Netherlands were a part of the Low Countries controlled by Spain , Austria and annexed by France...
.
Early life and career
Jean Richardot belonged to the network of families from the Franche-Comté that rose to important posts in the administration of the Habsburg NetherlandsHabsburg Netherlands
The Habsburg Netherlands was a geo-political entity covering the whole of the Low Countries from 1482 to 1556/1581 and solely the Southern Netherlands from 1581 to 1794...
under the patronage of Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle
Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle
Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle , Comte de La Baume Saint Amour, was a Burgundian statesman, made a cardinal, who followed his father as a leading minister of the Spanish Habsburgs, and was one of the most influential European politicians during the time which immediately followed the appearance of...
. He was born in Champlitte
Champlitte
Champlitte is a commune in the Haute-Saône department in the region of Franche-Comté in eastern France.-References:*...
in 1540 as the son of Guillaume Grusset and Marguerite Richardot. His uncle on his mother's side was François Richardot
François Richardot
François Richardot , was a celebrated Burgundian-French Catholic preacher, and confessor to Margaret of Parma. He was Bishop of Arras from 1561-1574.He was an Augustinian Hermit, and became titular bishop of Nicopolis in 1554....
, the confessor of Margaret of Parma
Margaret of Parma
Margaret, Duchess of Parma , Governor of the Netherlands from 1559 to 1567 and from 1578 to 1582, was the illegitimate daughter of Charles V and Johanna Maria van der Gheynst...
, a close collaborator of Granvelle and his successor as bishop of Arras
Roman Catholic Diocese of Arras
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Arras, is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church, in France. The episcopal see is the Arras Cathedral, in the city of Arras. The diocese encompasses all of the Department of Pas-de-Calais, in the Region of Nord-Pas-de-Calais...
. François Richardot supervised his nephew's education and furthered his first steps in the Habsburg administration. Whether out of gratitude or calculation, Jean Grusset subsequently adopted his uncle's surname. After his humanities at the Collège Granvelle in Besançon
Besançon
Besançon , is the capital and principal city of the Franche-Comté region in eastern France. It had a population of about 237,000 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2008...
, Jean studied law at the universities of Leuven
Old University of Leuven
The Old University of Leuven is the name historians give to the university, or studium generale, founded in Leuven, Brabant , in 1425, and closed in 1797, a week after the cession to the French Republic of the Austrian Netherlands and the principality of Liège by the Treaty of Campo Formio.When...
, where he established strong ties with one of his professors, Peter Peckius
Petrus Peckius the Elder
Petrus Peckius the Elder , also known as Pierre Peckius, was an eminent Netherlandish jurist, one of the first to write about international maritime law, and the father of Petrus Peckius the Younger.He was an orthodox Catholic and remained loyal to the Crown during the Eighty Years' War...
. He continued his studies in Rome and Padua
University of Padua
The University of Padua is a premier Italian university located in the city of Padua, Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 as a school of law and was one of the most prominent universities in early modern Europe. It is among the earliest universities of the world and the second...
and obtained his doctorate in law from the University of Bologna
University of Bologna
The Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna is the oldest continually operating university in the world, the word 'universitas' being first used by this institution at its foundation. The true date of its founding is uncertain, but believed by most accounts to have been 1088...
.
Thanks to the patronage of Granvelle, Philip II
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
appointed Richardot councillor in the Great Council of Mechelen
Great Council of Mechelen
From the 15th century onwards, the Great Council of the Netherlands at Mechelen was the highest court in the Burgundian Netherlands. It was responsible for the Dutch-, French- and German-speaking areas...
in 1568. Seven years later he was promoted to the Privy Council, one of the three Collateral Councils that advised the Governor-General of the Habsburg Netherlands, a post that was at the time held by Don Luis de Requesens y Zúñiga. In the confusion that followed the death of Requesens, Richardot sided with the Dutch Revolt
Dutch Revolt
The Dutch Revolt or the Revolt of the Netherlands This article adopts 1568 as the starting date of the war, as this was the year of the first battles between armies. However, since there is a long period of Protestant vs...
and its leader William the Silent
William the Silent
William I, Prince of Orange , also widely known as William the Silent , or simply William of Orange , was the main leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish that set off the Eighty Years' War and resulted in the formal independence of the United Provinces in 1648. He was born in the House of...
. The move earned him an appointment to the Privy Council of the rebels' Governor-General Archduke Matthias
Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor
Matthias of Austria was Holy Roman Emperor from 1612, King of Hungary and Croatia from 1608 and King of Bohemia from 1611...
. In that capacity he was sent to Arras to use his local connections to dissuade the States of Artois
County of Artois
The County of Artois was an historic province of the Kingdom of France, held by the Dukes of Burgundy from 1384 until 1477/82, and a state of the Holy Roman Empire from 1493 until 1659....
from joining the Union of Arras.
Rise to power under Farnese
Richardot would soon follow the example of the States of Artois, Hainaut and Lille, Douai and Orchies and reconcile with the new Governor-General, Alexander FarneseAlexander Farnese, Duke of Parma
Alexander Farnese was Duke of Parma and Piacenza from 1586 to 1592, and Governor of the Spanish Netherlands from 1578 to 1592.-Biography:...
. Farnese was quick to recognize Richardot's talents, confirmed his membership of the Privy Council in 1580 and saw to his appointment as president of the Council of Artois in 1581. One of his first achievements was persuading the States of Artois to accept the return of Spanish units from the Army of Flanders
Army of Flanders
The Army of Flanders was a Spanish Habsburg army based in the Netherlands during the 16th to 18th centuries. It was notable for being the longest standing army of the period, being in continuous service from 1567 until its disestablishment in 1706...
. Soon thereafter Richardot was knighted by Philip II. On 26 February 1583, he was appointed councillor of the Council of State, the highest of the Collateral Councils and as such in charge of advising on matters of state. Farnese employed Richardot in many of the negotiations that secured the reconciliation of towns in Flanders
County of Flanders
The County of Flanders was one of the territories constituting the Low Countries. The county existed from 862 to 1795. It was one of the original secular fiefs of France and for centuries was one of the most affluent regions in Europe....
and Brabant
Duchy of Brabant
The Duchy of Brabant was a historical region in the Low Countries. Its territory consisted essentially of the three modern-day Belgian provinces of Flemish Brabant, Walloon Brabant and Antwerp, the Brussels-Capital Region and most of the present-day Dutch province of North Brabant.The Flag of...
. Among these were Ypres
Ypres
Ypres is a Belgian municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres and the villages of Boezinge, Brielen, Dikkebus, Elverdinge, Hollebeke, Sint-Jan, Vlamertinge, Voormezele, Zillebeke, and Zuidschote...
, Bruges
Bruges
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
, Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
and Antwerp. He was also put in charge of the delegation that met with the envoys of Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
at Bourbourg
Bourbourg
Bourbourg is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is situated in the maritime plain of northern France, at the heart of a triangle formed by Dunkirk, Calais, and Saint-Omer.-Heraldry:-Historical sites:...
in 1587, in a feigned attempt to end hostilities between England and Spain. Meanwhile Farnese sent Richardot twice to the court of Madrid. His mission in 1583-1584 was to obtain more men and money for the war in the Netherlands. In 1589 he was sent to explain Farnese's failure to invade England with the Spanish Armada
Spanish Armada
This article refers to the Battle of Gravelines, for the modern navy of Spain, see Spanish NavyThe Spanish Armada was the Spanish fleet that sailed against England under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia in 1588, with the intention of overthrowing Elizabeth I of England to stop English...
.
The disgrace and death of Farnese in December 1592 put Richardot's career on hold. The acting Governor-General Count Peter Ernst von Mansfeld even sought means to remove him from the Council of State. Initially, the Count of Fuentes
Pedro Henriquez de Acevedo, Count of Fuentes
Pedro Henriquez d'Azevedo y Alvarez de Toledo, Count of Fuentes de Valdepero was a Spanish general and statesman....
was no less hostile, though he came to value Richardot's abilities towards the end of his tenure as acting Governor-General.
President of the Privy Council under the Archdukes
Richardot saw his political fortunes restored after Cardinal-Archduke Albert was installed as the new Governor-General in February 1596. On 15 May 1597 Albert's recommendation ensured his appointment to the post of Chief-President of the Privy Council. From then on Richardot would be the highest ranking and most influential subject of the Habsburg Netherlands serving the Governor-General and subsequently the sovereign Archdukes Albert and IsabellaInfanta Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain
Isabella Clara Eugenia of Austria was sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands in the Low Countries and the north of modern France, together with her husband Albert. In some sources, she is referred to as Clara Isabella Eugenia...
. As a well known supporter of a general pacification in the Netherlands, he was often depicted by those in favor of continuing the war against the United Provinces and their English and French allies as lacking in loyalty to the Spanish crown. In spite of that opposition, Richardot's policies would gradually prevail.
At every stage Richardot was at the center of the negotiations, as a rule seconded by the archducal Audiencier Louis Verreycken. Between February and May 1598, the two of them teamed up with Juan de Tassis in the talks leading to the Peace of Vervins
Peace of Vervins
The Peace of Vervins was signed between the representatives of Henry IV of France and Philip II of Spain, on 2 May 1598, at the small town of Vervins in Picardy, northern France, close to the territory of the Habsburg Netherlands...
between Philip II and Henry IV of France
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
. Two years later, Richardot had to admit defeat when talks held at Boulogne broke up over issues of precedence, thereby wasting the chance to bring an end to the war between Elizabeth I and Philip III
Philip III of Spain
Philip III , also known as Philip the Pious, was the King of Spain and King of Portugal and the Algarves, where he ruled as Philip II , from 1598 until his death...
. When the succession of James I of England
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
opened a new window of opportunity, Richardot, Verreycken and Charles princely count of Arenberg
Charles de Ligne, 2nd Prince of Arenberg
Princely Count Charles of Arenberg, duke of Aarschot , baron of Zevenbergen, knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece, was the second Princely Count of Arenberg and a leading aristocrat of the Habsburg Netherlands, who served as a courtier, soldier, minister and diplomat.-Background and early...
participated between May and August 1604 in the conference at Somerset House that elaborated the Treaty of London. In an effort to conclude a peace treaty with the Dutch Republic
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
, Ambrogio Spinola and Richardot acted as the chief negotiators in the Habsburg delegation at the conference of The Hague from February to August 1608. Hopes to reach a definitive peace foundered however on irreconcilable issues of religion and trade. Under the mediation of France and England, the parties then settled for the Twelve Years' Truce
Twelve Years' Truce
The Twelve Years' Truce was the name given to the cessation of hostilities between the Habsburg rulers of Spain and the Southern Netherlands and the Dutch Republic as agreed in Antwerp on 9 April 1609. It was a watershed in the Eighty Years' War, marking the point from which the independence of the...
that was signed in Antwerp in April 1609.
Death and descendants
Almost immediately after concluding the Truce, the archducal regime was confronted with the succession disputeWar of the Jülich Succession
The War of the Jülich Succession was a conflict that began in 1609 and ended in 1614 with the signing of the Treaty of Xanten.-Background:...
over the Duchies of Jülich
Duchy of Jülich
The Duchy of Jülich comprised a state within the Holy Roman Empire from the 11th to the 18th centuries. The duchy lay left of the Rhine river between the Electorate of Cologne in the east and the Duchy of Limburg in the west. It had territories on both sides of the river Rur, around its capital...
, Cleves
Duchy of Cleves
The Duchy of Cleves was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. It was situated in the northern Rhineland on both sides of the Lower Rhine, around its capital Cleves and the town of Wesel, bordering the lands of the Prince-Bishopric of Münster in the east and the Duchy of Brabant in the west...
and Berg. Soon Henry IV of France and Archduke Albert were sharply divided over how to deal with the crisis. To make matters worse, the Prince of Condé chose that moment to flee to Brussels with his wife, Charlotte Marguerite de Montmorency, thereby hoping to put her out of reach of the French king's amorous attentions. Hoping to avert a war, Richardot travelled to the French Court in August 1609 with instructions to assure Henry IV of Albert's neutrality in both affairs. In a show of displeasure, Henry conducted the audience outdoors, compelling the almost septuagenarian minister to stand bareheaded in the Sun for over an hour. Apparently suffering from the effects of hyperthermia, Richardot died on the way home at the residence of his son and namesake, the Bishop of Arras, on 3 September. He was buried in the chapel of the Most Holy Sacrament of Miracles of the then collegiate church of St Gudula in Brussels.
In 1568 Jean Richardot married Anne Courcol de Baillencourt, who descended of a noble family from Artois. The couple had twelve children. Among them were:
- Françoise, married Conrad Schetz aka van Ursel, created baron of Hoboken in 1600, first archducal ambassador in England (1604-1609), ancestor of the Dukes d'Ursel.
- Jean Richardot the YoungerJean Richardot the YoungerJean Richardot the Younger was bishop of Arras and prince-archbishop of Cambrai, duke of Cambrai and count of the Cambrésis...
, bishop of ArrasRoman Catholic Diocese of ArrasThe Roman Catholic Diocese of Arras, is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church, in France. The episcopal see is the Arras Cathedral, in the city of Arras. The diocese encompasses all of the Department of Pas-de-Calais, in the Region of Nord-Pas-de-Calais...
(1603-1609) and prince-archbishop of Cambrai (1609-1614). - François, lieutenant of a company of cavalry, died in the Battle of NieuwpoortBattle of NieuwpoortThe Battle of Nieuwpoort, between a Dutch army under Maurice of Nassau and Francis Vere and a Spanish army under Albert of Austria, took place on 2 July 1600 near the present-day Belgian city Nieuwpoort.-Campaign:...
. - Pierre, abbot of EchternachAbbey of EchternachThe Abbey of Echternach is a Benedictine monastery in the town of Echternach, in eastern Luxembourg. The Abbey was founded by St Willibrord, the patron saint of Luxembourg, in the seventh century...
(1607-1628). - Guillaume Richardot, who was educated in the house of Justus LipsiusJustus LipsiusJustus Lipsius was a Southern-Netherlandish philologist and humanist. Lipsius wrote a series of works designed to revive ancient Stoicism in a form that would be compatible with Christianity. The most famous of these is De Constantia...
, styled baron of Lembeek, created count of GalmaardenGalmaardenGalmaarden is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the towns of Galmaarden proper, Tollembeek and Vollezele. On January 1, 2006 Galmaarden had a total population of 8,058. The total area is 34.93 km² which gives a population density of 231...
(in FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
: Gammeranges) in 1623. - Antoine Richardot, who was also educated in the house of Justus LipsiusJustus LipsiusJustus Lipsius was a Southern-Netherlandish philologist and humanist. Lipsius wrote a series of works designed to revive ancient Stoicism in a form that would be compatible with Christianity. The most famous of these is De Constantia...
, captain of a company of cavalry, died of his wounds after an encounter at RheinbergRheinbergRheinberg is a town in the district of Wesel, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated on the left bank of the Rhine, approx. north of Moers and south of Wesel....
.