André d'Espinay (died 1500) (called the Cardinal of Bordeaux or the Cardinal of Lyon) was a French

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

and cardinal.

Biography

André d'Espinay was born in Champeaux, Ille-et-Vilaine, ca. 1451, the son of Richard d'Espinay (chamberlain to

Francis II of Brittany Francis II ( Breton: ''Frañsez II'', French: ''François II'') (23 June 1433 – 9 September 1488) was Duke of Brittany from 1458 to his death. He was the grandson of John IV, Duke of Brittany. A recurring theme in Francis' life would be h ...

) and Beatrix de

Montauban Montauban (, ; oc, Montalban ) is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department, region of Occitania, Southern France. It is the capital of the department and lies north of Toulouse. Montauban is the most populated town in Tarn-et-Garonne, ...

. He had two sisters and seven brothers, four of whom were also bishops – ⁣

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

, Jean senior, Jean junior and Guillaume. Their sister François d'Espinay became abbess of Saint-Georges de Rennes in 1485. He became a licentiate in

canon law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

. After completing his education, he became a protonotary apostolic. He also 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 ca ...

of the cathedral chapter of

Bordeaux Cathedral Bordeaux Cathedral, officially known as the Primatial Cathedral of St Andrew of Bordeaux (french: Cathédrale-Primatiale Saint-André de Bordeaux), is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to Saint Andrew and located in Bordeaux, France. It is the ...

. He was next the Prior of the Priory of Saint-Martin-des-Champs. On April 10, 1479, he was elected

Archbishop of Bordeaux The Archdiocese of Bordeaux (–Bazas) (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Burdigalensis (–Bazensis)''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Bordeaux (–Bazas)''; Occitan: ''Archidiocèsi de Bordèu (–Vasats)'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or a ...

; his election was confirmed by Pope Sixtus IV on April 28, 1479. He took possession of the see in 1482 and occupied it until his death. Following the death of Louis XI of France in 1483, he traveled to

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...

to serve Charles VIII of France. He attended the

Assembly of the French clergy The assembly of the French clergy (''assemblée du clergé de France'') was in its origins a representative meeting of the Catholic clergy of France, held every five years, for the purpose of apportioning the financial burdens laid upon the clergy ...

in 1485. Under Charles VIII, he served as governor of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 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), ma ...

. On October 1, 1488, he was named

Archbishop of Lyon The Archdiocese of Lyon (Latin: ''Archidiœcesis Lugdunensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Lyon''), formerly the Archdiocese of Lyon–Vienne–Embrun, is a Latin Church metropolitan archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. The Archbishops o ...

, occupying that see until his death, while also retaining the metropolitan see of Bordeaux. At the request of Charles VIII, Pope Innocent VIII made Espinay a

cardinal priest A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

in the

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of March 9, 1489. He received the red hat and the

titular church In the Catholic Church, a titular church is a church in Rome that is assigned to a member of the clergy who is created a cardinal. These are Catholic churches in the city, within the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Rome, that serve as honorary des ...

San Martino ai Monti San Martino ai Monti, officially known as Santi Silvestro e Martino ai Monti ("Saints Sylvester & Martin in the Mountains"), is a minor basilica in Rome, Italy, in the Rione Monti neighbourhood. It is located near the edge of the Parco del Colle ...

on March 23, 1489. He returned to the

Kingdom of France The Kingdom of France ( fro, Reaume de France; frm, Royaulme de France; french: link=yes, Royaume de France) is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the medieval and early modern period ...

in 1490, becoming commendatory abbot of Holy Cross Abbey, Bordeaux, an office he held until 1499. He did not participate in the papal conclave of 1492 that elected Pope Alexander VI. On November 1, 1492, the new pope named him papal legate to Charles VIII of France. As such, the cardinal accompanied Charles VIII on his campaigns during the

Italian War of 1494–1498 Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

, and was close to the king during the 1495 Battle of Fornovo. Returning to France, he served as

apostolic administrator An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic adm ...

of the metropolitan see of Aix from October 1499 to May 1500. He was also a benefactor of the

Celestines The Celestines were a Roman Catholic monastic order, a branch of the Benedictines, founded in 1244. At the foundation of the new rule, they were called Hermits of St Damiano, or Moronites (or Murronites), and did not assume the appellation of Ce ...

. He died in the Château de la Tournelle in Paris on November 10, 1500. He is buried in the Church of the Celestines in Paris.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Espinay, Andre D 1500 deaths 15th-century French cardinals Year of birth unknown Archbishops of Bordeaux