Jean François Paul de Gondi

Jean François Paul de Gondi studied at Lycée Louis-le-Grand. The recorded working language is French. Positions recorded include Roman Catholic Archbishop of Paris and cardinal. Work by Jean François Paul de Gondi is recorded in the collections of Geldersch Landschap en Kasteelen.

• Type — Cardinal • Honorific Prefix — His Eminence • Name — Jean François Paul de Gondi • Title — Cardinal, Archbishop of Paris • Church — Catholic Church • Archdiocese — Paris • Term Start — 21 May 1654 • Term End — 15 February 1662 • Predecessor — Jean-François de Gondi • Successor — Pierre de Marca • Other Post — Abbot of Saint-Denis (1661–1679) Cardinal-Priest of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva (1655–1679) • Ordination — November 1643 • Consecration — 31 January 1644 • Consecrated By — Jean-François de Gondi • Cardinal — 19 February 1652 • Rank — Cardinal-Priest • Created Cardinal By — Innocent X • Born — 20 September 1613 • Birthplace — Montmirail, France • Died — 24 August 1679 (aged 65) • Place of death — Paris, France

• Illustration — Jean-François Paul de Gondi as a young cardinal of the church. Jean-François de Gondi was born in Montmirail, in the Brie region of northern France. He was the third son in his family, and according to Tallemant des Réaux was made a knight of Malta on the very day of his birth. The death of his second brother, however, destined him for a closer connection with the Church. The Retz side of his family had much church influence, and though young Jean-François was not much attracted to the clergy, his family insisted that he join it. They said he lacked the appearance of a soldier, being short, near-sighted, ugly and awkward. He was tutored by St. Vincent de Paul and educated at the Sorbonne. When he was eighteen, he wrote Conjuration de Fiesque, a little historical essay, influenced by the Italian of Agostino Mascardi, and audaciously insinuating revolutionary principles.

The district of Retz or Rais is in southern Brittany, and has been under the control of several different families. Retz always spelled the word "Rais." The barony of Retz first belonged to the House of Retz, then to the Chabot family and the Laval family. Gilles de Rais, a Laval and comrade in arms of Joan of Arc, was executed without an heir, so the barony passed successively to the families of Tournemine, Annebaut and Gondi. In 1581, it became a duchy, with Albert de Gondi its first duke. His brother Pierre de Gondi became bishop of Paris in 1570 and cardinal in 1587. Pierre was succeeded by his nephews Henri de Gondi (d. 1622) and Jean-François de Gondi (d. 1654), for whom the episcopal see of Paris was erected into an archbishopric in 1622. Finally, Jean François was then succeeded by Pierre's great-nephew Jean François Paul de Gondi.

Retz received no preferment of importance during Cardinal Richelieu's life. Even after the minister's death, though he was presented to Louis XIII and well received, he found difficulty in attaining the co-adjutorship with reversion of the archbishopric of Paris. But almost immediately after the king's death, Anne of Austria appointed him to the coveted post on All Saints Eve, 1643. Retz, who had, according to some accounts, already plotted against Richelieu, set himself to work to make the utmost political capital out of his position. His uncle had lived in great seclusion; Retz, on the contrary, gradually acquired a very great influence with the populace of the city. This influence he gradually turned against Cardinal Mazarin, which helped lead to the outbreak of the Fronde in October 1648.[2] Of the two parties who joined the Fronde, Retz could only depend on the bourgeoisie of Paris. He had some speculative tendencies in favour of popular liberties, and even perhaps of republicanism, but represented no real political principle, which inevitably weakened his position. When the breakup of the Fronde came he was left in the lurch, having more than once been in no small danger from his own party. However, because of a misapprehension on the part of Pope Innocent X, he had been made cardinal. In 1652, he was arrested and imprisoned, first for 15 months at Vincennes, then at Nantes; he escaped after two years, and traveled through Europe, hiding in Holland, Germany and Flanders.[3] He went to Rome more than once, and helped elect Pope Alexander VII. In 1662, Louis XIV received him back into favor, and asked him to formally serve as envoy to Rome several times. For this reconciliation to occur, he resigned his claims to the archbishopric of Paris. He was appointed abbot of St-Denis, and restored to his other benefices with the payment of arrears.

The last seventeen years of Retz's life were passed partly in his diplomatic duties (he was again in Rome at the papal conclaves of 1667 and 1669), partly in Paris, partly at his estate of Cornmercy, but mostly at Saint-Mihiel in Lorraine. His debts were enormous, and in 1675 he made over to his creditors all his income except twenty thousand livres. He died at Paris on 24 August 1679. During these last years he corresponded with Madame de Sévigné, a relative by marriage.

He also worked under the names Gondi and Kardinál de Retz. The authorities additionally record the headings Jean François Paul De Gondi, François Paul de Gondi, Paolo Gondi, Jean-François-Paul de Gondi and Jean François Paul de Gondi, cardinal de Retz. His recorded language was French. His recorded confession was Catholic Church. He was the child of Filippo Emanuele di Gondi and Françoise-Marguerite de Silly.

Indexed under European Political History Analysis, Historical Studies and Socio-cultural Analysis, Reformation and Early Modern Christianity, Education, sociology, and vocational training, French Urban and Social Studies. Recorded as writer, catholic priest, memoirist, politician and catholic bishop. Career and activity. Recorded positions include Roman Catholic Archbishop of Paris, cardinal and titular archbishop. He belonged to Accademia della Crusca and Benedictines.