Jean d'Estrées (; 1666 – 3 March 1718) was a French

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, ...

. He was the son of Jean II d'Estrées and his wife Marie Marguerite Morin. He was 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. Si ...

, the nephew of Cardinal

César d'Estrées César d'Estrées (5 February 1628 – 18 December 1714) was a French diplomat and cardinal. Biography Estrées was born and died in Paris. He was the son of Marshal François Annibal d'Estrées and nephew of Gabrielle d'Estrées, mistre ...

and brother of Marshal Victor Marie d'Estrées, both academics. In 1691, Jean d'Estrées was abbot of Villeneuve, and in that capacity attended the States of Nantes.Pierre-Hyacinthe Morice, ''Histoire ecclesiastique et civile de Bretagne'' (1756)
p. 154 (cliv)
/ref> In 1692, he was given his first diplomatic mission, being responsible for the assurance of Portuguese neutrality during the

War of the Grand Alliance The Nine Years' War (1688–1697), often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg, was a conflict between Kingdom of France, France and a European coalition which mainly included the Holy Roman Empire (led by t ...

. Earning a doctorate in

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...

in 1698, he became the abbot of Évron. In 1703, he joined his uncle in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

, who was the ambassador to France, and succeeded him after two years. In 1711 he was elected to l'

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

, which had searched for a suitable candidate to replace his well-known predecessor, Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux. Jean d'Estrées was also named to the '' Conseil d'État'' (Council of State) and the

Archbishopric of Cambrai The Archdiocese of Cambrai ( la, Archdiocesis Cameracensis; French: ''Archidiocèse de Cambrai'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France, comprising the arrondissements of Avesnes-sur-He ...

in 1716, but died before his coronation.

References

Biography from l'Académie française, in French
{{DEFAULTSORT:Estrees, Jean D' 1666 births 1718 deaths Clergy from Paris 18th-century French Roman Catholic priests 17th-century French Roman Catholic priests French abbots Members of the Académie Française 17th-century French diplomats Diplomats from Paris Ambassadors of France to Spain