L’ombre d’un secrétaire d’État. L’ascension de la maison de Villeroy (fin du XVe siècle-1567)

Abstract

Nicolas IV of Neufville became secretary of state in 1567, at only twenty-four years of age, thanks to the social advancement of his ancestors. From working as fishmongers in the fifteenth century, they had come to acquire important offices in the financial administration and chancery of the Valois monarchy in the following century. In addition to that tradition of service, Nicolas IV inherited a robust social and political network extending from the Le Gendres, who were partly responsible for the fortune of the family, to the L’Aubespines, who introduced them into the world of the grands commis of the monarchy. Finally, the family gradually rose towards noble status by amassing significant financial and patrimonial assets, by adopting the social and cultural practices of the nobility and by gaining a prestigious reputation. All those elements formed the ‘‘ shadow’’ of young Villeroy’s persona in 1567 : the new secretary of state brought his family’s reputation to fruition as a guarantee that he was perfectly qualified to serve the crown.