Louis I de Lorraine, Cardinal de Guise facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Louis I de Lorraine |
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| Cardinal Bishop of Metz |
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Portrait of the Cardinal
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| Church | Roman Catholic Church |
| Diocese | Metz |
| Appointed | 5 October 1568 |
| Reign ended | 29 March 1578 |
| Predecessor | François de Beaucaire de Péguillon |
| Successor | Charles de Lorraine-Vaudémont |
| Other posts | Cardinal-priest of San Tommaso in Parione |
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| Consecration | 1 April 1571 by Charles de Lorraine |
| Created Cardinal | 22 December 1553 |
| Rank | Cardinal-priest |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 21 October 1527 Joinville, France |
| Died | 29 March 1578 (aged 50) Paris, France |
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Louis de Lorraine (born October 21, 1527, in Joinville, France – died March 29, 1578, in Paris) was an important French cardinal and Bishop in the Roman Catholic Church. He lived during a time of big changes in France, including the Italian Wars and the French Wars of Religion.
Louis was the third son of Claude, Duke of Guise and Antoinette de Bourbon. From a young age, he was chosen to have a career in the church. When he was just 18, he became Bishop of Troyes. He couldn't fully do the job yet because he was too young. He later became Bishop of Albi and then Archbishop of Sens. In 1568, he became the Prince-Bishop of Metz, a role he held until he died ten years later.
Louis was very loyal to the Catholic cause. He often pushed for stronger actions against Protestants during the religious wars. He even crowned King Henri III in 1575.
Contents
Early Life and Family Connections
Louis de Lorraine was born in 1527. He was the fourth son of Claude, Duke of Guise and Antoinette de Bourbon. His family was very powerful in France.
His Brothers and Sister
Louis had several famous brothers and a sister. His brothers included François, Duke of Guise, Charles, Cardinal of Lorraine, Claude, Duke of Aumale, François de Lorraine, Grand Prior, and René, Marquis of Elbeuf. His sister, Marie de Guise, was the mother of Mary, Queen of Scots.
Because the family had so many sons, Louis was chosen to join the church. This helped keep the family's wealth and power from being split up too much.
Church Positions and Wealth
Even though his older brother, Charles, was a very powerful cardinal, Louis also held many important church positions. These positions, called "benefices," gave him a lot of wealth. He controlled several abbeys, which were like large monasteries with land and income.
When Louis became a cardinal in 1553, his family was very proud. They now had two cardinals in the same generation. To keep their church wealth strong, they sometimes traded or passed on church positions. Louis gave some of his abbeys to his nephew, Claude, Chevalier d'Aumale. These positions brought in a lot of money for his nephew. When Cardinal Louis died in 1578, his nephew inherited even more of his abbeys.
Church Career and Political Role
Louis de Lorraine started his church career at a young age. He quickly gained important roles.
Bishop of Troyes and Albi
On May 11, 1545, when he was 18, Louis became Bishop of Troyes. He had to act as an administrator because he was not yet old enough to be a full bishop. He could only take on the full duties when he turned 27.
In 1550, he became the Bishop of Albi. He stayed in this role until 1561. During this time, he was not seen as active enough in dealing with Protestants in his area. After leaving Albi, he received a large yearly payment from the church. He also received money from other church areas, even though he had never been their bishop.
Louis was made a cardinal by Pope Julius III on December 22, 1553. This was a very high honor in the Catholic Church.
Involvement in the Italian Wars
In 1554, during the Italian Wars, Louis was with the French king at the Battle of Renty. The French won a surprise victory. Louis was there to see the king receive the rewards from the battle.
By 1558, Louis and his family, the Guises, were very powerful in France. His niece, Mary, Queen of Scots, was married to the Dauphin, who was the future king of France. Louis was present at the wedding celebrations.
During King Charles IX's Reign
Louis continued to be an important figure during the reign of King Charles IX.
Archbishop of Sens
In 1561, Louis became the Archbishop of Sens. However, he resigned this position in 1562. During his time as Archbishop of Sens, a sad event happened. Protestants in the town were attacked by angry crowds in April 1562. After leaving Sens, Louis decided to step back from actively leading a diocese.
Meeting at Saverne
In February 1562, Louis traveled to Saverne with his brothers, including the Duke of Guise and Cardinal Lorraine. They met with the Duke of Württemberg, a Protestant German leader. Louis and his brothers discussed the idea of converting to Lutheranism, a different branch of Protestantism. The meeting seemed positive. However, when the Duke of Guise returned to France, his troops attacked a Protestant gathering in Wassy. This event made the idea of the Guise family converting impossible.
After the Duke of Guise's Death
In March 1563, Louis's brother, the Duke of Guise, was assassinated. Louis and his brother Claude, Duke of Aumale rushed to be with him. They wanted to make sure that the Duke's final moments showed him as a strong Catholic. This was important because there had been rumors about other nobles not being fully Catholic when they died. Louis and Aumale succeeded in making sure their brother's strong Catholic faith was clear to everyone.
Working for Peace
After the first French War of Religion ended with the Peace of Amboise, Catherine de Medici, the Queen Mother, worked to bring peace among the nobles. Louis de Lorraine helped in this effort. He was one of the few members of his family who stayed at court during a long royal tour of France from 1564 to 1566. His family had faced some royal displeasure and had gone back to their home in Joinville.
In 1565, Louis attended the Conference of Bayonne. During this meeting, a Spanish leader praised Louis for his strong Catholic beliefs. Although the meeting was about royal marriages, some Protestants wrongly thought it was a plan to harm French Protestants. This misunderstanding helped start the second War of Religion.
The Third War of Religion
In May 1568, during a council meeting, Louis and his brother Cardinal Lorraine argued that Protestants should be brought back to Catholicism. They believed Protestants should be kept under guard until then. Their advice was not followed at that moment.
On October 5, 1568, Louis became Bishop of Metz. That same month, he traveled with the king's brother, Anjou, who was leading a campaign against the Protestants. During this war, Louis was sent to Spain to ask King Philip II for more troops to help the French crown.
Peace of Saint-Germain-en-Laye
To help secure the Peace of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Queen Mother Catherine de Medici wanted her daughter, Marguerite de Valois, to marry Henri, King of Navarre, who was a Protestant. This was a difficult marriage for the church because it involved a Catholic and a Protestant. The Pope would not approve it. So, it was decided the marriage would happen based on the king's authority. Louis and other cardinals were pressured to agree to this marriage, and they eventually did.
During King Henri III's Reign
Louis de Lorraine continued to play a key role during the reign of King Henri III.
He had the honor of crowning King Henri III at Reims on February 13, 1575.
In 1576, Louis joined a group of nobles who wanted to keep fighting the religious wars until there was a complete victory for the Catholics. They did not want to make peace too soon. In 1577, when the sixth War of Religion began, Louis and other powerful nobles, like the Duke of Guise, pushed for war against the Protestants. This was despite the fact that the Estates General (a kind of parliament) had refused to pay for the war.
Louis de Lorraine died in 1578.
See also
- House of Guise
