Nicolas de Thou (1528 – 5 November 1598) was a French prelate of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. He was a cleric,

Bishop of Chartres The oldest known list of bishops of Chartres is found in an 11th-century manuscript of Trinity Abbey, Vendôme. It includes 57 names from Adventus (Saint Aventin) to Aguiertus (Agobert) who died in 1060. The most well-known list is included in the ...

, and, in politics, a figure instrumental in the

coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a coronation crown, crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the ...

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 ...

, the first monarch of the

Bourbon dynasty The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a European dynasty of French origin, a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Spanis ...

in France. Born 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 ...

, de Thou was a son of (d. 1544), Président of the

Parlement de Paris The Parliament of Paris (french: Parlement de Paris) was the oldest ''parlement'' in the Kingdom of France, formed in the 14th century. It was fixed in Paris by Philip IV of France in 1302. The Parliament of Paris would hold sessions inside the ...

; brother to Christophe de Thou (1508–82), who became Premier Président of the Parlement de Paris; and later, uncle to noted historian

Jacques-Auguste de Thou Jacques Auguste de Thou (Thuanus) (8 October 1553, Paris – 7 May 1617, Paris) was a French historian, book collector and president of the Parliament of Paris. Life Jacques Auguste de Thou was the grandson of , president of the Parliament ...

. De Thou became a

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western can ...

of the Cathedral of Paris in 1547, and

by a

bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e., cows), bulls have long been an important symbol in many religions, includin ...

of 8 April 1573. As bishop, he played a prominent role in the War of the Three Henrys (1584-1598), in which power was transferred from

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 ...

to Henry of Navarre, who then became Henry IV. His antipathy for the Catholic League, shared by his brother Président Christophe de Thou, made his position difficult when the people of

Chartres Chartres () is the prefecture of the Eure-et-Loir department in the Centre-Val de Loire region in France. It is located about southwest of Paris. At the 2019 census, there were 170,763 inhabitants in the metropolitan area of Chartres (as d ...

, who were devoted to the League, shut their gates to the troops of King Henry III on 17 January 1589 and subsequently welcomed

Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne (26 March 1554 – 3 October 1611), or Charles de Guise, was a French nobleman of the house of Guise and a military leader of the Catholic League, which he headed during the French Wars of Religion, followi ...

, recognizing the aged

Cardinal de Bourbon Charles de Bourbon, cardinal de Bourbon, archbishop of Rouen (22 September 1523 – 9 May 1590) was a French noble, prelate and disputed king of France as the Catholic ''Ligue'' candidate from 2 August 1589 – 9 May 1590. Born the third son of ...

as king. Nicholas de Thou temporised, and on 20 April 1591 received in his place

Henry of Navarre 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 monarch ...

, the future Henry IV. On 21 September 1591 he attended the assembly of bishops, which declared "null, unjust and suggested by the malice of the enemies of France

Pope Gregory XIV Pope Gregory XIV ( la, Gregorius XIV; it, Gregorio XIV; 11 February 1535 – 16 October 1591), born Niccolò Sfondrato or Sfondrati, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 5 December 1590 to his death in October ...

's Bull of Excommunication against Henry of Navarre, and on 25 July 1593 he assisted at Henry IV's

abjuration Abjuration is the solemn repudiation, abandonment, or renunciation by or upon oath, often the renunciation of citizenship or some other right or privilege. The term comes from the Latin ''abjurare'', "to forswear". Abjuration of the realm Abj ...

in St.-Denis. As Reims was still in the power of the Duke of Mayenne, Chartres was chosen for the coronation. To end the dispute with Renaud de Beaune, Archbishop of Bourges, who had just been appointed

Archbishop of Sens The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sens and Auxerre (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Senonensis et Antissiodorensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Sens et Auxerre'') is a Latin Rite Archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The Archdiocese compr ...

and who claimed the honour of anointing the king, de Thou by a skillful move had himself appointed by

Nicolas de Pellevé Nicolas Pellevé. Nicolas de Pellevé (18 October 1518 – 24 March 1594) was a French archbishop and Cardinal. He was a major figure of the Catholic League. Early life Nicolas de Pellevé, the second son of Charles de Pellevé, Sieur de Jou ...

, the

Archbishop of Reims The Archdiocese of Reims (traditionally spelt "Rheims" in English) ( la, Archidiœcesis Remensis; French: ''Archidiocèse de Reims'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastic territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. Erected as a diocese ...

, as his representative and was thus commissioned to proceed with the coronation. Instead of the Sainte Ampoule there was brought from

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 ...

a miraculous oil preserved in Marmoutier Abbey. The anointing took place on 27 February 1594, and the next day Nicolas de Thou bestowed on the king the Collar of the Order of the Holy Ghost. De Thou died at

Villebon-sur-Yvette Villebon-sur-Yvette (, literally ''Villebon on Yvette'') is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France, about 20 kilometers south of Paris. Thanks to the presence of the business centers of Courtaboeuf and Grand ...

on 5 November 1598. He left various pastoral writings and a book entitled ''Cérémonies observées au sacre et couronnement d'Henri IV, roi de France''.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Thou, Nicolas 1528 births 1598 deaths Bishops of Chartres 16th-century French Roman Catholic bishops