Artus Gouffier de Boissy (6 September 1474 – 13 May 1519 in

Montpellier Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...

) was a French nobleman and politician. He was baron of Roannez, count of Étampes, count of

Caravaggio Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (also Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi da Caravaggio; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), known mononymously as Caravaggio, was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the fina ...

, baron of Passavant, of Maulévrier, of la Mothe-Saint-Romain, of Bourg-Charente and of Saint-Loup, lord of Oiron, of Villedieu-sur-Indre, of Valence and of Cazamajor.

Life

The eldest son of Guillaume Gouffier de Boisy, sénéchal of

Saintonge Saintonge may refer to: *County of Saintonge, a historical province of France on the Atlantic coast * Saintonge (region), a region of France corresponding to the historical province * Saintonge ware, a medieval pottery type produced in Saintes reg ...

, and of Philippine de Montmorency, he began his court career as a page to Charles VIII, who his father had served as preceptor. He accompanied Charles on the conquest of the

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples (; ; ), officially the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was established by the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–1302). Until ...

in 1495, as well as accompanying

Louis XII of France Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), also known as Louis of Orléans was King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples (as Louis III) from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Marie of Cleves, he succeeded his second ...

to Italy. He served as

Grand Master of France The Grand Master of France () was, during the and Bourbon Restoration in France, one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France and head of the "", the king's royal household. The position is similar to that of Lord Steward in England. Histo ...

from January 1515 and attempted to negotiate a lasting peace between France and the

House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful Dynasty, dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout ...

at the time of his early death. At the Château d'Oiron, Artus had construction works carried out, intended to make it the heart of the family's possessions. In addition to the construction of a gallery, he also started the construction of the Saint-Maurice collegiate church, right next to the castle, which was only completed after his death by his wife and which still houses his

Tomb effigy A tomb effigy (French language, French: ''gisant'' ("lying")) is a sculpted effigy of a deceased person usually shown lying recumbent on a rectangular slab, presented in full ceremonial dress or wrapped in a shroud, and shown either dying or sh ...

today.

Marriage and children

He married in February 1499, Hélène d'Hangest, only daughter of Jacques de Hangest, seigneur de Genlis.
They had two daughters, Hélène and Anne, and one son : * Claude Gouffier, his successor and

Grand Squire of France The Grand Écuyer de France or Grand Squire of France or Grand Equerry of France was one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France and a member of the Maison du Roi ("King's Household") during the Ancien Régime. The name "écuyer", the French ...

Life

Marriage and children

Further reading