François-Joachim de Pierre de Bernis
Saint-Marcel d'Ardèche, France | |
|---|---|
| Died | 3 November 1794 (aged 79) Rome, Papal States |
| Nationality | French |
| Education | Lycée Louis-le-Grand |
François-Joachim de Pierre de Bernis, comte de Lyonnais (22 May 1715 – 3 November 1794) was a French
Biography
Born at
Bernis became known as one of the most expert
In 1752, Bernis was appointed to the French embassy at Venice,[4] where he acted, to the satisfaction of both parties, as mediator between the republic and Pope Benedict XIV. During his stay in Venice he received subdeacon's orders, and on his return to France in 1755 was made a papal councillor of state.[2]
Bernis took an important part in the delicate negotiations between France and Austria which preceded the Seven Years' War. He regarded the alliance purely as a temporary expedient, and did not propose to employ the whole forces of France in a general war. But he was overruled by his colleagues. Bernis became secretary for foreign affairs on 27 June 1757,[4] but owing to his attempts to counteract the spendthrift policy of the marquise de Pompadour and her followers, he fell into disgrace and was, in December 1758, banished to Soissons by Louis XV, where he remained in retirement for six years. In the previous November he had been created cardinal by Pope Clement XIII.[2]
On the death of the royal mistress in 1764, Bernis was recalled and once more offered the seals of office, but declined them, and was appointed
Bernis lost his influence under Pius VI, who was friendly to the Jesuits, to whom he was hostile. He was reduced almost to penury but the court of Spain, mindful of the support he had given to their ambassador in obtaining the condemnation of the Jesuits, came to his relief with a handsome pension.[2] He devoted himself to the French exiles, placing his palace at the disposal of the princesses of France who had sought refuge in Rome, for Pope Pius VI bestowed on him posthumously the epithet "Protector of the Church of France".[3]
Bernis died at Rome on 3 November 1794, and was buried in the church of S. Luigi de Francesi. In 1803 his remains were transferred to the cathedral at Nîmes. His poems, the longest of which is La Religion vengée[5] (Parma, 1794), were collected and published after his death (Paris, 1797, etc.). His Mémoires et lettres 1715-58 (8 vols. Paris. 1878) are still interesting to the historian.[2]
See also
- Comte de Lyon
- Papal conclave, 1769
- Papal conclave, 1774-1775
Notes
- ^ Florida International University website, The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church section, Consistories for the creation of Cardinals, 18th Century (1700–1799)
- ^ a b c d e f Chisholm 1911.
- ^ a b c Sollier, Joseph. "François-Joachim-Pierre de Bernis." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 2. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 7 January 2019.
- ^ a b c "François-Joachim de PIERRE de BERNIS Elected in 1744 in chair 3", Academie-francaise.fr. Accessed 7 March 2024.
- ^ ABE Books website, La religion vengee poeme en dix chants
Attribution:
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Bernis, François Joachim de Pierre de". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 803.
References
- Frédéric Masson, prefaces to the Mémoires et lettres, and Le Cardinal de Bernis depuis son ministère (Paris, 1884)
- Edmond et Jules de Goncourt, Mme de Pompadour (Paris, 1888)
- Sainte-Beuve, Causeries du lundi, t. viii.
- Marcus Cheke, The Cardinal de Bernis (London, 1958).
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "François-Joachim-Pierre de Bernis". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
