Concino Concini
Encyclopedia
Concino Concini, Count della Penna, Marquis et Maréchal d'Ancre (Florence, 1575 - Paris, 24 April 1617), was an Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 politician, best known for being a minister of Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1610 to 1643.Louis was only eight years old when he succeeded his father. His mother, Marie de Medici, acted as regent during Louis' minority...

, as the favourite
Favourite
A favourite , or favorite , was the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person. In medieval and Early Modern Europe, among other times and places, the term is used of individuals delegated significant political power by a ruler...

 of his mother.

Life

A nobleman native of Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....

, he went to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 with Maria de Medici, wife of King Henri IV
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....

, and married the queen's lady-in-waiting, Leonora Dori
Leonora Dori
Leonora Dori , later Galigaï d'Ancre, , was an Italian alleged witch. She was a favourite of Marie de Médicis or Maria de' Medici, queen consort and later regent of France....

, known as "Galigaï". It is generally thought that the favour his wife enjoyed with the queen, combined with his wit and boldness, contributed to make Concini's fortune. In 1610, he purchased the marquisate of Ancre
Ancre
The Ancre is a river of Picardy, France. Rising at Miraumont, a hamlet near the town of Albert, it flows into the Somme at Corbie. It crosses no départements other than the Somme.-See also:* Battle of the Ancre Heights...

 and the position of first gentleman-in-waiting. Then he obtained successively the governments of Amiens
Amiens
Amiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardy...

 and of Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...

, governor of Péronne, Roye and Montdidier and in 1613 the baton of marshal of France.

From then first minister of the realm, he abandoned the policy of Henri IV, compromised his wise legislation, allowed the treasury to be pillaged, and drew upon himself the hatred of all classes. The nobles were bitterly hostile to him, particularly Henry II de Bourbon, prince de Condé
Henry II de Bourbon, prince de Condé
Henri de Bourbon became Prince of Condé shortly after his birth, following the death of his father Henri I...

, with whom he negotiated the Treaty of Loudun
Treaty of Loudun
The Treaty of Loudun was signed on May 3, 1616, in Loudun and ended the war between the war that originally began due to a power struggle between Queen Regent Marie de Medici's favorite Concino Concini, the Marquis d'Ancre and Henry II, the third Prince of Condé and the next in line for the throne....

 in 1616, and whom he had arrested in September 1616. This was done on the advice of Cardinal Richelieu, whose introduction into politics was favoured by Concini.

By 1617, Louis XIII, incited by his favourite Charles de Luynes
Charles de Luynes
Charles d'Albert, Duke of Luynes , was constable of France.He was the first son of Honoré d'Albert , seigneur de Luynes, who was in the service of the three last Valois kings and of Henry IV of France.Charles was brought up at court and attended the dauphin, later Louis XIII...

 (who later became Duke of Luynes), was tired of Concini's tutelage. The baron de Vitry, Nicolas de L'Hospital, head of the royal guards, received in the king's name the order to imprison him.
According to some authors, young Louis XIII agreed that Concini could be killed if he resisted. Apprehended on the bridge of the Louvre
Louvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...

, Concini was killed by guards after allegedly calling out "À moi !" ("To me!") for help, which was interpreted as resistance. According to other authors, it was decided that Concini would be killed regardless. The action was the result of a secret plot organised by Louis XIII king of France and Charles de Luynes, which was then executed by the Baron of Vitry. Concini had to be eliminated because he was perceived by Louis XIII as a menace - a powerful politician, having a personal army of 7,000 soldiers and important supporters and contacts among the aristocrats of France.

After his murder, the Queen Mother was ordered to retire to Blois.

Concini's wife, Leonora, was arrested, imprisoned in Blois
Blois
Blois is the capital of Loir-et-Cher department in central France, situated on the banks of the lower river Loire between Orléans and Tours.-History:...

 and accused of sorcery
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...

. She was beheaded and her body subsequently burned at the stake on July 8 of the same year in Place de Grève
Place de Grève
The public square in the 4th arrondissement of Paris that is now the Place de l'Hôtel de Ville was, before 1802, called the Place de Grève. The French word grève refers to a flat area covered with gravel or sand situated on the shores or banks of a body of water...

, Paris. Concini's son, Henry, born in 1605, fled France, but was killed in 1631 in Florence.

The Concinis' chattels and estates, in particularly the castle of Lésigny
Lésigny, Seine-et-Marne
Lésigny is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne département in the Île-de-France region in the south-eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from Paris....

 and the palace of Rue de Tournon were confiscated by King Louis XIII and given to Charles de Luynes
Charles de Luynes
Charles d'Albert, Duke of Luynes , was constable of France.He was the first son of Honoré d'Albert , seigneur de Luynes, who was in the service of the three last Valois kings and of Henry IV of France.Charles was brought up at court and attended the dauphin, later Louis XIII...

.

In 1617-1618, many rumours, fake news and pamphlets were distributed in Paris to justify Concini’s murder.

In 1767, D. Sandellius published at Brescia
Brescia
Brescia is a city and comune in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, between the Mella and the Naviglio, with a population of around 197,000. It is the second largest city in Lombardy, after the capital, Milan...

, De Concini vita, On the role of Concini, see the Histoire de France, published under the direction of Ernest Lavisse
Ernest Lavisse
Ernest Lavisse was a French historian.- Biography :He was born at Le Nouvion-en-Thiérache, Aisne.In 1865 he obtained a fellowship in history, and in 1875 became a doctor of letters; he was appointed maître de conférence at the École Normale Supérieure, succeeding Fustel de Coulanges, and then...

, vol. vi. (1905), by Mariejol.

External links

  • http://www.uni-mannheim.de/mateo/camenaref/cmh/cmh404.html
  • http://www.bartleby.com/65/ma/MariedeM.html
  • http://www.uni-mannheim.de/mateo/camenaref/cmh/cmh404.html
  • http://www.h-france.net/vol5reviews/kettering2.html
  • http://www.baroque.it/personaggi/luigiXIII.htm
  • http://cronologia.leonardo.it/storia/aa1610.htm
  • http://www.materialismo.it/Sintesi%20libri/ministoria_della_censura.htm
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