Martin Ruzé, Lord of Beaulieu of Longjumeau and Chilly (c. 1526, in

Tours Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 ...

– 6 November 1613, in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

) was a French politician of the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century, who was

Secretary of State of the Maison du Roi The Secretary of State of the Maison du Roi (french: Secrétaire d'État à la Maison du Roi) was the secretary of state in France during the Ancien Régime and Bourbon Restoration in charge of the Département de la Maison du Roi. The exact com ...

(or King's Secretary) under

Henry III of France Henry III (french: Henri III, né Alexandre Édouard; pl, Henryk Walezy; lt, Henrikas Valua; 19 September 1551 – 2 August 1589) was King of France from 1574 until his assassination in 1589, as well as King of Poland and Grand Duke of ...

Henry IV of France Henry IV (french: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry or Henry the Great, was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarc ...

and

Louis XIII 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 ...

Biography

He was the son of William Ruzé, Adviser to the Parliament, and Catherine Briconnet. He was the son of another William Ruzé, Lord of Beaulieu, Receiver General of

Touraine Touraine (; ) is one of the traditional provinces of France. Its capital was Tours. During the political reorganization of French territory in 1790, Touraine was divided between the departments of Indre-et-Loire, :Loir-et-Cher, Indre and Vie ...

, Mayor of

in 1534. He had a brother, also named William Ruzé (born about 1520; died 28 September 1587), who was confessor and adviser of kings Henry II, Charles IX and Henri III, who was appointed bishop of

Saint-Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany, on the English Channel coast. The walled city had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth from local extortion and overseas adventures. In 1944, the Alli ...

1570, then bishop of

Angers Angers (, , ) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Anjou until the French Revolution. The inhabitants of both the city and the prov ...

on 29 August 1572. He began his career in the entourage of the king in 1551, with Henry II. From 1571 to 1588 he was general superintendent of ammunition and food. In 1573-1574 he was secretary to the

King of Poland Poland was ruled at various times either by dukes and princes (10th to 14th centuries) or by kings (11th to 18th centuries). During the latter period, a tradition of free election of monarchs made it a uniquely electable position in Europe (16t ...

and in that capacity, he countersigned and raised the royal seal on the letters of King. In August 1574 he was appointed fifth secretary of state. On 25 September 1576 he became advisor of the king and his secretary Finance, and to the Queen Mother (

Catherine de Medici Catherine de' Medici ( it, Caterina de' Medici, ; french: Catherine de Médicis, ; 13 April 1519 – 5 January 1589) was an Florentine noblewoman born into the Medici family. She was Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 by marriage to King H ...

). In 1578, after the resignation of Louis Valley, he was provided with the load controller of the Chancellery. On 10 April 1589 he became Grand Treasurer of the Order of the Holy Spirit to replace the former Secretary of State

Nicolas de Neufville, seigneur de Villeroy Nicolas IV de Neufville, seigneur de Villeroy (1543 – 12 November 1617) was a secretary of state under four kings of France: Charles IX, Henry III, Henry IV, and Louis XIII. The most distinguished of all sixteenth-century French secretaries, ...

, in disgrace, and he retained that office until his death. On 15 April 1589 he installed, for Henry III,

Philippe de Mornay Philippe de Mornay (5 November 1549 – 11 November 1623), seigneur du Plessis Marly, usually known as Du-Plessis-Mornay or Mornay Du Plessis, was a French Protestant writer and member of the anti-monarchist '' Monarchomaques''. Biography H ...

in the office of Governor of

Saumur Saumur () is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. The town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgueil, Coteaux du Layon, etc.. Saumur statio ...

. The ceremony took place in front of the arbor: Florent Lessart, the former governor, faithful to Henry III brought the keys of the city, but out of spite and shame, he dropped to the ground. It is the king's secretary, who then picked up and presented them to the new governor. In 1590, when Henri IV unsuccessfully besieged

Laon Laon () is a city in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. History Early history The holy district of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held strategic importance. In ...

, faithful to the Catholic League, which was then headed by the

Duke of Mayenne Duke of Mayenne (duc de Mayenne) is a title created for a cadet branch of the House of Guise. It subsequently passed by marriage to the Gonzaga in 1621. They sold it to Cardinal Mazarin in 1654; he bestowed it on his niece, Hortense Mancini in 1 ...

, the king had with him, Louis Potier de Gesvres and Louis Revol, while Peter Forget de Fresnes was in Paris. In 1596, he bought land

Longjumeau Longjumeau () is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Inhabitants of Longjumeau are known as ''Longjumellois'' (). History Longjumeau Party School In 1911, Lenin founded the Longjumeau ...

, Chilly-Michel Gaillard. Having no children, he bequeathed his property to Antoine Coëffier de Ruzé, Marquis

Effiat Effiat () is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France. See also *Communes of the Puy-de-Dôme department The following is a list of the 464 communes of the Puy-de-Dôme department of France. Intercommunalities ...

, his nephew, who later became Superintendent of Finance (1626) and

Marshal of France Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1 ...

(1631). In 1601, during the reign of Henry IV, he was appointed Grand Master of Mining and Pierre de Beringhen comptroller-general. Sully ordered them to form a committee to study and conduct excavations in the kingdom of France. On 3 March 1606 Henri IV gets him enlisting Antoine Lomenie, Adviser to the King in his Councils, Cabinet Secretary, who had long been his chief clerk, to relieve him in his task, Because of his age. On 26 August 1609 he established a will to his heir nephew

Antoine Coëffier de Ruzé d'Effiat Antoine is a French given name (from the Latin ''Antonius'' meaning 'highly praise-worthy') that is a variant of Danton, Titouan, D'Anton and Antonin. The name is used in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, West Greenland, Haiti, French Guiana, ...

, on condition of taking the name and arms of Ruze. He died on 6 November 1613. The black marble tomb, topped by a statue of the deceased kneeling, can be seen in the church of Saint-Etienne de Chilly-Mazarin.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruzé de Beaulieu, Martin 1526 births 1613 deaths Ministers of Marine and the Colonies