Pierre Séguier
Encyclopedia
Pierre Séguier was a French statesman, chancellor of France from 1635.
. His grandfather, Pierre Séguier (1504–1580), was président à mortier
in the parlement of Paris from 1554 to 1576, and the chancellor's father, Jean Séguier, a seigneur d'Autry, was civil lieutenant of Paris at the time of his death in 1596.
Pierre was brought up by his uncle, Antoine Séguier, president and mortier in the parlement, and became master of requests in 1620. From 1621 to 1624 he was intendant of Guyenne, where he became closely allied with the duc d'Épernon
. In 1624 he succeeded to his uncle's charge in the parlement, which he filled for nine years.
under Richelieu, he proceeded to bully and humiliate the parlement
in his turn. He became allied with the cardinal's family by the marriage of his daughter Marie with Richelieu's nephew, Pierre César du Cambout, marquis de Coislin, and in December 1635 he became chancellor of France. In 1637 Séguier was sent to examine the papers of the queen, Anne of Austria
, at Val-de-Grâce
. According to Anquetil
, the chancellor saved her by warning her of the projected inquisition.
In 1639 Seguier was sent to punish the Normans
for the insurrection of the Nu-Pieds
, the military chief of the expedition, Gassion, being placed under his orders. He put down pillage with a strong hand, and was sufficiently disinterested to refuse a gift of confiscated Norman lands. He was the submissive tool of Richelieu in the prosecutions of Cinq-Mars
and François Auguste de Thou
in 1642. His authority survived the changes following on the successive deaths of Richelieu and Louis XIII
, and he was the faithful servant of Anne of Austria and of Mazarin. His resolute attitude towards the parlement of Paris made the chancellor one of the chief objects of the hatred of the Frondeurs.
On 25 August 1648, Séguier was sent to the parlement to regulate its proceedings. On the way he was assailed by rioters on the Pont-Neuf, and sought refuge in the house of Louis Charles d'Albert, duc de Luynes. In the course of the concessions made to the Fronde
in 1650, Séguier was dismissed from his office of keeper of the seals.
He spent part of his retirement at Rosny, with his second daughter Charlotte and her husband, the duke of Sully. He was recalled in April 1651, but six months later, on the king's attaining his majority, Séguier was again disgraced, and the seals were given to President Mathieu Molé
, who held them with a short interval till his death in 1656, when they were returned to Séguier. Séguier lived for some time in extreme retirement in Paris, devoting himself to the affairs of the academy.
When Paris was occupied by the princes in 1652, he was for a short time a member of their council, but he joined the king at Pontoise
in August, and became president of the royal council. After Mazarin's death in 1661 Séguier retained but a shadow of his former authority. He showed a great violence in his conduct of the case against Fouquet
, voting for the death of the prisoner.
In 1666 Séguier was placed at the head of a commission called to simplify the police organization, especially that of Paris; and the consequent ordinances of 1667 and 1670 for the better administration of justice were drawn up by him.
Séguier died at Saint-Germain-en-Laye
in 1672.
, which from that time until his death held its sessions in his house. His library was one of the most valuable of his time, only second, perhaps, to the royal collection. It contained no less than 4000 manuscripts in various languages, the most important section of them being the Greek manuscripts. A catalogue was drawn up in Latin and in French (1685–1686) by the duc de Coislin. The chancellor's great-grandson, Henri Charles du Cambout de Coislin
, bishop of Metz, commissioned Bernard de Montfaucon
, a Benedictine
of the Congregation of St Maur, to prepare a catalogue of the Greek manuscripts. with commentaries. This work was published in folio 1715, as Bibliotheca Coisliniana, olim Segueriana.... The greater part of the printed books were destroyed by fire, in the abbey of St Germain-des-Prés, in 1794.
Early years
Born in Paris, France of a prominent legal family originating in QuercyQuercy
Quercy is a former province of France located in the country's southwest, bounded on the north by Limousin, on the west by Périgord and Agenais, on the south by Gascony and Languedoc, and on the east by Rouergue and Auvergne....
. His grandfather, Pierre Séguier (1504–1580), was président à mortier
Président à mortier
The office of président à mortier was one of the most important legal posts of the French ancien régime. The présidents were principal magistrates of the highest juridical institutions, the parlements, which were the appeal courts....
in the parlement of Paris from 1554 to 1576, and the chancellor's father, Jean Séguier, a seigneur d'Autry, was civil lieutenant of Paris at the time of his death in 1596.
Pierre was brought up by his uncle, Antoine Séguier, president and mortier in the parlement, and became master of requests in 1620. From 1621 to 1624 he was intendant of Guyenne, where he became closely allied with the duc d'Épernon
Jean Louis de Nogaret de La Valette
Jean Louis de Nogaret de La Valette , created Duke of Épernon, was a powerful member of the French nobility at the turn of the 17th century. He was deeply involved in plots and politics throughout his life....
. In 1624 he succeeded to his uncle's charge in the parlement, which he filled for nine years.
Career
In this capacity he showed great independence with regard to the royal authority; but when in 1633 he became keeper of the sealsKeeper of the seals
The title Keeper of the Seals or equivalent is used in several contexts, denoting the person entitled to keep and authorize use of the Great Seal of a given country. The title may or may not be linked to a particular cabinet or ministerial office.- Canada :...
under Richelieu, he proceeded to bully and humiliate the parlement
Parlement
Parlements were regional legislative bodies in Ancien Régime France.The political institutions of the Parlement in Ancien Régime France developed out of the previous council of the king, the Conseil du roi or curia regis, and consequently had ancient and customary rights of consultation and...
in his turn. He became allied with the cardinal's family by the marriage of his daughter Marie with Richelieu's nephew, Pierre César du Cambout, marquis de Coislin, and in December 1635 he became chancellor of France. In 1637 Séguier was sent to examine the papers of the queen, Anne of Austria
Anne of Austria
Anne of Austria was Queen consort of France and Navarre, regent for her son, Louis XIV of France, and a Spanish Infanta by birth...
, at Val-de-Grâce
Val-de-Grâce
This article describes the hospital and former abbey. For the main article on Mansart and Lemercier's central church, see Church of the Val-de-Grâce....
. According to Anquetil
Louis-Pierre Anquetil
Louis-Pierre Anquetil was a French historian.He was born in Paris. In 1741 he joined the religious community of the Génofévains, where he took holy orders and became professor of theology and literature...
, the chancellor saved her by warning her of the projected inquisition.
In 1639 Seguier was sent to punish the Normans
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
for the insurrection of the Nu-Pieds
Revolt of the va-nu-pieds
The Revolt of the va-nu-pieds was a popular uprising in Normandy in 1639 following Louis XIII of France's decision to set up the gabelle in Cotentin in place of the privilege of the quart-bouillon.-Bibliography:...
, the military chief of the expedition, Gassion, being placed under his orders. He put down pillage with a strong hand, and was sufficiently disinterested to refuse a gift of confiscated Norman lands. He was the submissive tool of Richelieu in the prosecutions of Cinq-Mars
Henri Coiffier de Ruzé, Marquis of Cinq-Mars
Henri Coiffier de Ruzé, Marquis de Cinq-Mars was a favourite of King Louis XIII of France who led the last and most nearly successful of the many conspiracies against the king's powerful first minister, the Cardinal Richelieu....
and François Auguste de Thou
François Auguste de Thou
François-Auguste de Thou was a French magistrate. The eldest son of Jacques-Auguste de Thou, he was a councillor to the parliament of Paris in 1626 and a conseiller d'État shortly afterwards. He was unwise enough to link himself to cardinal Richelieu's enemies...
in 1642. His authority survived the changes following on the successive deaths of Richelieu and Louis XIII
Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1610 to 1643.Louis was only eight years old when he succeeded his father. His mother, Marie de Medici, acted as regent during Louis' minority...
, and he was the faithful servant of Anne of Austria and of Mazarin. His resolute attitude towards the parlement of Paris made the chancellor one of the chief objects of the hatred of the Frondeurs.
On 25 August 1648, Séguier was sent to the parlement to regulate its proceedings. On the way he was assailed by rioters on the Pont-Neuf, and sought refuge in the house of Louis Charles d'Albert, duc de Luynes. In the course of the concessions made to the Fronde
Fronde
The Fronde was a civil war in France, occurring in the midst of the Franco-Spanish War, which had begun in 1635. The word fronde means sling, which Parisian mobs used to smash the windows of supporters of Cardinal Mazarin....
in 1650, Séguier was dismissed from his office of keeper of the seals.
He spent part of his retirement at Rosny, with his second daughter Charlotte and her husband, the duke of Sully. He was recalled in April 1651, but six months later, on the king's attaining his majority, Séguier was again disgraced, and the seals were given to President Mathieu Molé
Mathieu Molé
Mathieu Molé was a French statesman.The son of Edouard Molé , who was for a time procureur-general, he was educated at the University of Orléans...
, who held them with a short interval till his death in 1656, when they were returned to Séguier. Séguier lived for some time in extreme retirement in Paris, devoting himself to the affairs of the academy.
When Paris was occupied by the princes in 1652, he was for a short time a member of their council, but he joined the king at Pontoise
Pontoise
Pontoise is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris, in the "new town" of Cergy-Pontoise.-Administration:...
in August, and became president of the royal council. After Mazarin's death in 1661 Séguier retained but a shadow of his former authority. He showed a great violence in his conduct of the case against Fouquet
Nicolas Fouquet
Nicolas Fouquet, marquis de Belle-Île, vicomte de Melun et Vaux was the Superintendent of Finances in France from 1653 until 1661 under King Louis XIV...
, voting for the death of the prisoner.
In 1666 Séguier was placed at the head of a commission called to simplify the police organization, especially that of Paris; and the consequent ordinances of 1667 and 1670 for the better administration of justice were drawn up by him.
Séguier died at Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Saint-Germain-en-Laye is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris from the centre.Inhabitants are called Saint-Germanois...
in 1672.
Culture
Séguier was a man of great learning, and throughout his life a patron of literature. In December 1642 he succeeded Richelieu as official "protector" of the Académie françaiseAcadémie française
L'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,...
, which from that time until his death held its sessions in his house. His library was one of the most valuable of his time, only second, perhaps, to the royal collection. It contained no less than 4000 manuscripts in various languages, the most important section of them being the Greek manuscripts. A catalogue was drawn up in Latin and in French (1685–1686) by the duc de Coislin. The chancellor's great-grandson, Henri Charles du Cambout de Coislin
Henri Charles du Cambout de Coislin
Henri-Charles du Camboust was a French prelate. He was bishop of Metz from 1697 to 1732, and duc de Coislin from 1710.-Life:...
, bishop of Metz, commissioned Bernard de Montfaucon
Bernard de Montfaucon
Bernard de Montfaucon was a French Benedictine monk, a scholar who founded a new discipline, palaeography; an editor of works of the Fathers of the Church; he is also regarded to be one of the founders of modern archaeology.-Early life:Montfaucon was born January 13, 1655 in the castle of...
, a Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
of the Congregation of St Maur, to prepare a catalogue of the Greek manuscripts. with commentaries. This work was published in folio 1715, as Bibliotheca Coisliniana, olim Segueriana.... The greater part of the printed books were destroyed by fire, in the abbey of St Germain-des-Prés, in 1794.