Claude de Bullion (13 October 1569 – 22 December 1640) was a French aristocrat and politician who served as a Minister of Finance under

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 ...

from 1632 to 1640.Ranum, Orest A. (1963). ''Richelieu and the councillors of Louis XIII: A study of the secretaries of state and superintendents of finance in the ministry of Richelieu, 1635-1642.'' Clarendon Press He was a close ally of Cardinal Richelieu.Kettering, Sharon (1986). ''Patrons, brokers, and clients in seventeenth-century France.'' Oxford University Press,

Life and career

He became a lawyer at the

Parliament of 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 ...

in 1594 and an advisor in 1595. In 1605, he became ''Maître des Requêtes'', and in 1606 he joined the Parliament of Grenoble as State Councillor and Chairman. In 1611 he bought the lordship of Bolt and later bought the lordship of Maule. In 1612, Seigneur de Bonnelles named him special ambassador to the Court of Turin. He bought in 1620 and built the famous gardens and ponds there. His holdings became known as Bullion in 1621. He also possessed the lordships of Fervaques, Gallardon of Montlouet, Atilly, and Longchesne. In 1639, he bought Château d'Esclimont, and his was known as creator of

Louis d'Or The Louis d'or () is any number of French coins first introduced by Louis XIII in 1640. The name derives from the depiction of the portrait of King Louis on one side of the coin; the French royal coat of arms is on the reverse. The coin was rep ...

. He later built a hotel in Paris that contained two galleries. In 1632 he became Minister of Finance under

, concurrently with

Claude Bouthillier Claude Bouthillier, Sieur de Fouilletourte (1581 – 13 March 1652) was a French statesman and diplomat. He held a number of offices, including Secretary of State and Superintendent of Finances, and distinguished himself in diplomacy throughout ...

. de Bullion was also named Lord Chancellor of The Order of the Holy Spirit from 1633 to 1636. He was married to Angélique Faure in 1612. Their son Noël de Bullion succeeded his father as Lord Chancellor of The Order of the Holy Spirit. He died suddenly in Paris in 1640, leaving his wife to control his huge fortune.Simpson, Patricia (1997). ''Marguerite Bourgeoys and Montreal, 1640-1665.'' McGill-Queen's Press, He was buried at night due to his unpopularity as Finance Minister. His tomb was destroyed during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bullion, Claude De 1569 births 1640 deaths French Ministers of Finance