Henri Coiffier de Ruzé, Marquis of Cinq-Mars (1620 – 12 September 1642) was a
favourite
A favourite (British English) or favorite (American English) was the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person. In post-classical and early-modern Europe, among other times and places, the term was used of individuals delegated s ...
of King
Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown ...
, who led the last and most nearly successful of many
conspiracies
A conspiracy, also known as a plot, is a secret plan or agreement between persons (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder or treason, especially with political motivation, while keeping their agree ...
against the
Cardinal Richelieu, the king's powerful first minister.
Life
Cinq-Mars was the son of Marshal
Antoine Coiffier de Ruzé, marquis d'Effiat, a close friend of
Cardinal Richelieu, who took the boy under his protection on his father's death in 1632.
Career
As the son of the marquis d'Effiat, a famous
Superintendent of Finances who was also a good friend of Richelieu's, Cinq-Mars came to court very early.
In 1639, after the exile of the royal favourite
Marie de Hautefort
Marie de Hautefort (1616 – 1691), was a French noble and lady-in-waiting, a trusted confidante and adviser of King Louis XIII of France. They did not have a sexual relationship and she was thereby a favorite rather than a royal mistress. She w ...
, Richelieu introduced the young Cinq-Mars to Louis, hoping he would find favour with the king, thus allowing Richelieu to exercise even greater control over the king. Cinq-Mars indeed quickly established himself as a royal favourite, and was raised to
Grand Squire of France. The cardinal believed he could easily control Cinq-Mars, but instead Cinq-Mars pressed the king for important favours and tried to convince the king to have Richelieu executed.
In 1641, Cinq-Mars was active in the
Comte de Soissons' rebellion, but the effort failed. The next year, he conspired again with the king's brother,
Gaston, Duke of Orleans, to try to get support for the rebellion from
Philip IV, the king of Spain; Richelieu's spy service caught him doing so.
Consequently, Richelieu had Cinq-Mars imprisoned and
beheaded
Decapitation or beheading is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and most other animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood, while all other organs are deprived of the ...
in the
Place des Terreaux
The Place des Terreaux is a square located in the centre of Lyon, France, on the Presqu'île between the Rhône and the Saône rivers, at the foot of the hill of La Croix-Rousse in the 1st arrondissement. It borders both the Hôtel de Ville and ...
in
Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...
, along with his accomplice,
François Auguste de Thou. The French writer,
Tallemant, relates that the king showed no emotions concerning the execution: he said "''Je voudrais bien voir la grimace qu'il fait à cette heure sur cet échafaud''" ('I would like to see the grimace he is now making on this scaffold'). The Marquis of Cinq-Mars' last words were, "''Mon Dieu! Qu’est-ce que ce monde''" ('My God! What is this world?').
Miscellaneous
Alfred de Vigny
Alfred Victor, Comte de Vigny (27 March 1797 – 17 September 1863) was a French poet and early French Romanticist. He also produced novels, plays, and translations of Shakespeare.
Biography
Vigny was born in Loches (a town to which he never r ...
wrote a novel ''Cinq-Mars'', inspired by the story of the marquis, and published in
1826
Events January–March
* January 15 – The French newspaper '' Le Figaro'' begins publication in Paris, initially as a weekly.
* January 30 – The Menai Suspension Bridge, built by engineer Thomas Telford, is opened between the island ...
.
Charles Gounod
Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (18 ...
wrote an
opera of the same name which premiered on April 5, 1877.
Barbara Strozzi composed a
cantata about the execution of the marquis
Il lamento sul Rodano severo).
A famous historical painting by
Paul Delaroche
Hippolyte-Paul Delaroche (17 July 1797 – 4 November 1856) was a French painter who achieved his greater successes painting historical scenes. He became famous in Europe for his melodramatic depictions that often portrayed subjects from English ...
shows
Cardinal Richelieu in a gorgeous barge, preceding the boat carrying Cinq-Mars and
De Thou to their execution.
Historical accounts are Jeanne-Pauline Basserie, ''La conjuration de Cinq-Mars'' (Paris, 1896) and Anaïs Bazin, ''Histoire de France sous Louis XIII'' (Paris).
Vol I (1840)
Vol III
Livre IX
/ref>
Footnotes
External links
*
Historiettes
(in 17th century French)
(in French)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cinq-Mars, Henri Coiffier De Ruze, Marquis Of
1620 births
1642 deaths
Coiffier de Ruze, Henri
Grand Squires of France
Executed French people
People executed by France by decapitation
French royal favourites
LGBT nobility
17th-century executions by France
Male lovers of royalty
17th-century LGBT people
Court of Louis XIII