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 si ...

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 Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu (; 9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a French clergyman and statesman. He was also known as ''l'Éminence rouge'', or "the Red Eminence", a term derived from the ...

, 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

, 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 The Superintendent of Finances (french: Surintendant des finances) was the name of the minister in charge of finances in France from 1561 to 1661. The position was abolished in 1661 with the downfall of Nicolas Fouquet, and a new position was c ...

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, 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 Grand Écuyer de France or Grand Squire of France or Grand Equerry of France was one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France and a member of the Maison du Roi ("King's Household") during the Ancien Régime. The name "écuyer", the French ...

. 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 i ...

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 ...

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of th ...

, along with his accomplice,

François Auguste de Thou François-Auguste de Thou (c. 1607 - 12 September 1642) was a French magistrate. He was born in Paris, the eldest son of Jacques-Auguste de Thou. In 1617, with the death of his father, he inherited the office of Master of the Bookstore. Nicolas ...

. 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 o ...

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'' (1859); his '' Roméo et Juliette'' (1867) also remai ...

wrote an opera of the same name which premiered on April 5, 1877.

Barbara Strozzi Barbara Strozzi (also called Barbara Valle; baptised 6 August 1619 – 11 November 1677) was an Italian composer and singer of the Baroque Period. During her lifetime, Strozzi published eight volumes of her own music, and had more secular ...

composed a

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning of th ...

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

in a gorgeous barge, preceding the boat carrying Cinq-Mars and

De Thou De Thou may refer to: * Jacques Auguste de Thou (1553–1617), French historian, book collector and president of the Parlement de Paris * François Auguste de Thou François-Auguste de Thou (c. 1607 - 12 September 1642) was a French magistrate. H ...

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 IIILivre 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