Georges de Selve (1508 – 12 April 1541) was a French scholar, diplomat and ecclesiastic.

Biography

He was the son of Jean de Selve, a jurist and Parlement president, and brother of

Odet de Selve Odet de Selve (c. 1504-1563) was a French diplomat. He was the son of Jean de Selve, first president at the parliaments of Rouen and Bordeaux, vice-chancellor of Milan, and ambassador of the king of France. In 1540 Odet was appointed councillor ...

. Three other brothers served as diplomats. Georges de Selve was Bishop of Lavaur from 1526 (at age 18) to 1540. He was sent by

King Francis I of France Francis I (french: François Ier; frm, Francoys; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once ...

as ambassador to the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

, Austria (in April 1540), to the Pope in Rome, to England, Germany and Spain. He is the figure of the right in a picture by

Hans Holbein the Younger Hans Holbein the Younger ( , ; german: Hans Holbein der Jüngere; – between 7 October and 29 November 1543) was a Germans, German-Swiss people, Swiss painter and printmaker who worked in a Northern Renaissance style, and is considered o ...

, ''

The Ambassadors ''The Ambassadors'' is a 1903 novel by Henry James, originally published as a serial in the ''North American Review'' (NAR). The novel is a dark comedy which follows the trip of protagonist Lewis Lambert Strether to Europe to bring the son o ...

'', and Jean de Dinteville is the other one, which hangs in the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director o ...

, London. De Selve was just 25 when Holbein painted him and he is wearing the vestments of a clergyman, who represent the interests 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 ...

, since he had just been appointed Bishop of Lavaur in France. He wrote on theology, studied with and was a patron of Eli Levita from 1534, and was commissioned by the king to make translations. He died on 12 April 1541 at the age of 33 and is interred at

Lavaur Cathedral Lavaur Cathedral (french: Cathédrale Saint-Alain de Lavaur) is a Roman Catholic church and former cathedral located in the town of Lavaur, Tarn, France. The cathedral is a national monument since 1911. Eglise Saint-Alain Until the Concordat of 18 ...

Bibliography

*Robert J. Kalas, ''The Selve Family of Limousin: Members of a New Elite in Early Modern France,'' The Sixteenth Century Journal, 18 (1987), 147-172

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Selve, Georges De 1508 births 1541 deaths 16th-century French diplomats 16th-century French Roman Catholic bishops Bishops of Lavaur Ambassadors of France to the Republic of Venice Ambassadors of France to Austria Ambassadors of France to the Kingdom of England Ambassadors of France to Spain