Marc-René de Voyer de Paulmy d'Argenson (1623–1700)
Marc-René de Voyer de Paulmy d'Argenson (1623-1700) seigneur d'Argenson et de Vueil-le-Mesnil, comte de Rouffiac, was a French knight, politician and diplomat.
Biography
A son of René de Voyer de Paulmy d'Argenson[1] and of Hélène de La Font, Marc-René de Voyer was born at Blois on 13 of December 1623.[1]
Like his father Marc-René also was a lawyer, being councillor at the parlement de Rouen (1642) and maître des requêtes. He attended his father in all his duties and succeeded him as the French ambassador to the Venetian Republic. In 1655 he returned from his embassy in Venice, ruined, and lost favour with Cardinal Mazarin, who removed him from his office of councillor of state. He then gave up public affairs and retired to his estates, where he occupied himself with good works. In September 1656 he entered the Company of the Holy Sacrament, a secret society for the diffusion of the Catholic religion. He died in May 1700.[1]
Family
On 8 May 1650 he married Marguerite Houlier de La Pouyade. They had 7 children:
- Marc-René de Voyer de Paulmy d'Argenson (1652-1721), became lieutenant général de police;[1]
- Antoinette-Catherine (born 28 January 1654, Venice), on 17 May 1667 married Louis de Valory, chevalier, seigneur d'Estilly;
- Françoise, died childless;
- François-Élie (1656-1728), who became archbishop of Bordeaux.[1]
- Thérèse-Hélène, died childless;
- Marie-Scholastique (born 10 February 1661), Carmelite nun at Angoulême;
- Joseph-Ignace (30 December 1662 - 1690), made a knight of Malta on 30 March 1666 whilst still a minor.
Works
Besides writing the Annals of the society, he composed many pious works, which were destroyed in the fire at the Louvre in 1871. Some of his correspondence with the once famous letter-writer, Jean Louis Guez de Balzac (1597-1654), has been published.[1]
Notes
References
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Argenson". Encyclopædia Britannica. 2 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 457–460. Endnotes:
- Fr. Rabbe (November 1899), "Compagnie du Saint-Sacrement", in the Revue historique
- Beaucher-Filleau (1900), Les Annales de la compagnie du Saint-Sacrement, Paris
- R. Allier (1902), La Cabale des dévots, Paris