Michel Bucy (1484 – 8 February 1511) was the

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

Bourges Bourges () is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre. It is the capital of the department of Cher, and also was the capital city of the former province of Berry. History The name of the commune derives either from the Bituriges, t ...

, and the

illegitimate son Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as '' ...

of Louis XII.

Birth and early life

Michel Bucy was born in 1484 to Louis d'Orléans and an unknown mother. Bucy's mother has been the subject of debate: while some speculate that his mother was a count laundress, others believe that his mother was from the House of Amboises given that the Amboises controlled the lands of Bussy (Bucy). Bucy attended the University of Orleans.

Career

At 21, Bucy was named the archbishop of Bourges by his father in November 1505. Although it was standard practice at the time for kings to name underaged individuals from important families as prelates, Louis XII was relatively conservative in this practice, which highlights Bucy as a notable exception. At the onset, Bucy's selection was controversial among the deans, canons, and the chapter as one had to be at least 35 to become an archbishop. Nonetheless, the vast majority of the chapter supported Bucy because of his royal backing, with only one member advocating for a

fair election A free and fair election is defined by political scientist Robert Dahl as an election in which "coercion is comparatively uncommon". A free and fair election involves political freedoms and fair processes leading up to the vote, a fair count of ...

. At this time, Bucy's status as Louis XII's son was not publicly known. Eventually, Bucy received the chapter's overwhelming support and votes – with one

abstention Abstention is a term in election procedure for when a participant in a vote either does not go to vote (on election day) or, in parliamentary procedure, is present during the vote, but does not cast a ballot. Abstention must be contrasted with ...

. Bucy then declared that it was up to the Pope to judge his qualifications to become archbishop. In his letters to the Pope, Bucy described his position as the illegitimate son of Louis XII and noted that when asked by his father which profession he would be interested in, Bucy – supposedly inspired by Saint Sulpice – chose the Catholic Church. Bucy officially became archbishop on 22 February, 1506. Although Bucy technically could not become an archbishop due to his young age, he was formally inducted and is generally given that title by the Catholic Church and biographers of his father. In 1509, Bucy

consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

the Church of Saint-Aignan after six additional chapels were added to its nave and other extensive reconstruction efforts were completed.

Death and Resting Place

Bucy died on 8 February 1511. He is buried by the

Bourges Cathedral Bourges Cathedral (French language, French: ''Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Bourges'') is a Roman Catholic church architecture, church located in Bourges, France. The cathedral is dedicated to Saint Stephen and is the seat of the Archbishop of Bou ...

, near the chancellor's stall and next to the archbishopric – the archbishop's break room. On his tombstone's epithet, he is only referred to as the patriarch and primate of the Aquitaines.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bucy, Michel 1484 births 1511 deaths Archbishops of Bourges French Roman Catholic archbishops 16th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in France Sons of kings