Michel de Sèvre or de Seurre (active 1539–1593) was a member of the
Knights Hospitaller, a French courtier and diplomat, and Grand Master of the
Order of Saint Lazarus from 1564 to 1578 and from 1586 to 1593.
Early life
Michel de Sèvre was born in
Lumigny-en-Brie, the son of Antoine de Sèvre, lord of Ville-du-Bois in the parish of Lumigny, and of Louise de Verdelot, daughter of Georges de Verdelot, lord of Prèz, and Catherine de Sailly, lady of Mersan.
On June 11, 1539, he entered the Knights Hospitaller in the Grand Priory of France.
Career
In 1560, de Sèvre was Ordinary Gentleman of the King's Chamber, King's Chamberlain, Counselor in his Privy Council and captain of fifty men-at-arms. That year he was sent to the court of Queen
Elizabeth I of England as ambassador of King
Francis II of France
Francis II (french: François II; 19 January 1544 – 5 December 1560) was King of France from 1559 to 1560. He was also King consort of Scotland as a result of his marriage to Mary, Queen of Scots, from 1558 until his death in 1560.
He ...
, to negotiate the
withdrawal of French and English forces from Scotland. He was, at the time, a royal chamberlain, privy councillor, and captain of a company of men at arms. He continued in office as ambassador until 1562, when he was recalled by King
Charles IX of France.
In 1564 he was appointed Grand Master of the Order of Saint Lazarus, serving in that capacity until 1578, and then again from 1586 to 1593.
Seigneur de Sèvre was known for his cynical and caustic wit. In 1584 he was physically assaulted in the council chamber by King
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 ...
, for a perceived insult.
[ Pierre de L'Estoile, ''Mémoires et Journal'', Collection complète des mémoires relatifs à l'histoire de France 45, ed. Alexandre Petitot et al., 1825,pp. 272-273.]
References
Bibliography
* Sèvre, Michel de. ''A Knight of Malta at the Court of Elizabeth I: The Correspondence of Michel de Seure, French Ambassador, 1560-1561''. Camden Fifth Series, v. 45. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press for the Royal Historical Society, 2014.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sevre, Michel
People of the Tudor period
Knights Hospitaller
Ambassadors of France to the Kingdom of England
16th-century French diplomats
Recipients of the Order of Saint Lazarus
Grand Masters of the Order of Saint Lazarus