Robert Briçonnet (c.1450 – 3 June 1497) was a French churchman and courtier, and
Archbishop of Reims
The Archdiocese of Reims or Rheims (; French language, French: ''Archidiocèse de Reims'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastic territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. Erected as a diocese around 250 by Sixtus of Reims, the diocese w ...
from 1493.
Life
He was the fifth son of Jean Briçonnet, and an elder brother of the Cardinal Guillaume Briçonnet. He owed much to the credit which Guillaume had with
Charles VIII of France
Charles VIII, called the Affable (; 30 June 1470 – 7 April 1498), was King of France from 1483 to his death in 1498. He succeeded his father Louis XI at the age of 13. His elder sister Anne acted as regent jointly with her husband Peter II, Du ...
, when it came to his rapid elevation to public offices and dignities.
He was named Canon of St.-Aignan at
Orléans
Orléans (,"Orleans" (US) and Abbey of St. Vaast at Arras, and in 1493 he was raised to the archiepiscopal See of Reims, four years before the Cardinal himself was appointed to that see.
Charles also appointed him President of the Superior Tribunal of Finances, and
Chancellor of France
The Chancellor of France (), also known as the Grand Chancellor or Lord Chancellor, was the officer of state responsible for the judiciary of the Kingdom of France. The Chancellor was responsible for seeing that royal decrees were enrolled and ...
. He enjoyed this new dignity for only twenty-two months before his death, which occurred at Moulins. He showed himself, as did his brothers and nephews, a patron of men of letters.