Maximilien de Béthune, Duke of Sully

French prime minister

• Born: December 13, 1559
• Birthplace: Rosny-sur Seine, near Nantes, France
• Died: December 22, 1641
• Place of death: Villebon, near Chartres, France

Sully helped to stabilize the French monarchy and the country itself after the disastrous and destructive wars between the Protestant Huguenots and the Catholics. He instituted governmental reforms and promoted infrastructure improvements at the national level.

Early Life

The duke de Sully (deh sew-lee) was born in the Seine River valley. His father, François de Béthune, the baron de Rosny, and his mother, Charlotte de Béthune, were part of the French lower nobility as well as members of the Reformed, or Huguenot, faith. As such, in 1562, they joined Louis I de Bourbon (prince of Condé), Admiral Gaspard II de Coligny, and other Calvinists in defense of their religious liberties. The resulting conflict, known as the Wars of Religion (1562-1595), would throw France into civil war and devastate the country. Charlotte died in 1566 and François followed nine years later. Sully, their oldest surviving male child, became baron de Rosny at the age of sixteen.

Even though the young boy’s childhood was marred by tragedy, turmoil, and brutal warfare between Catholics and Protestants, his family provided for his future. He was given a gentlemen’s education, complete with tutor and social instruction, and while the quality was mediocre, it was enough to permit his introduction at age twelve to Henry of Navarre, the future King Henry IV of France. Henry, six years his senior, took an interest in the young noble and kept him in Paris, where Sully studied mathematics and engineering at the College of Bourgoyne. In 1572, the boy was among a select number of Protestant gentleman who were present at Henry’s wedding, and one of the few to escape the ensuing slaughter of Huguenots at the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre. Like Henry, he saved himself by denying his faith and remained in the city under close surveillance for four years. He was also with the king of Navarre when the two escaped Paris in 1576 to rally the decimated Huguenot party.

Life’s Work

From 1576 to 1594, Sully rose in the esteem of his patron because of his loyalty and efficiency. He learned the trade of war and soon excelled as an engineer, or sapper, and in the use of artillery. He fought at Cazaux (1577), Cahors (1580), Coutras (1587), Arques (1589), d’Ivry (1590), Chartres (1591), Rouen (1592), Dreux (1593), and Laon (1594), and was present at the final capitulation of Paris in 1594 (one year after Henry renounced Protestantism). Although Sully was valuable as a soldier, the young king of France (1589) increasingly used him for other tasks. Sully was sent to raise money for the army, sent on diplomatic missions, and negotiated the surrender of Catholic leaders and strongholds.

Working in the shadow of the king, the young Baron was steadily promoted. In 1578, he became a councilor of Navarre. Twelve years later, he was created a member of the ruling council of state, and in 1596, he was elevated to the council of finance. Three years later, he was named chancellor, and in 1601, named superintendent of finance. Personal rewards also followed: the enlargement of the barony of Rosny (1599), the rank of marquis (1601), count of Moret (1603), duke de Sully (1606), and peer of the realm (also 1606). Governorships, the control of the king’s artillery and fortifications, and other offices, each commanding a salary, added to his growing position and wealth.

Henry’s favor and support, however, were neither easy to attain nor maintain, because they depended upon results. If Sully failed to produce what the king needed, the young favorite would fall from grace, as other ministers before him had done. In addition, even though Henry understood the needs of the kingdom, he was driven by necessity. Until 1598 the king was obliged to maintain a large army in the field, and its support transcended all other work. The councils of state and finance knew that the peasantry and the clergy were close to bankruptcy, that taxes were insufficient to support the kingdom, and that Henry’s personal lands were mortgaged, alienated, or devastated. They also knew that if the army was not paid, all would be lost. In addition, the king was by inclination a generous man. He gave to his friends, like Sully, his mistresses (of which there were many), his children (legitimate and illegitimate), his nobles, and the needy. Some of this was necessary. Likewise, taxes needed to be reduced or rebated for farmers whose lands had been ravaged during the wars and for officials who were unable to collect where there was no profit. Money also was needed for road and bridge repair, for industrial refurbishing, and for reclaiming the lands devastated by years of war.

The solution to France’s problems was available. The peasantry needed to be taxed less and the towns more. Furthermore, the crown needed to stop tax farming, the selling of offices, the granting of pensions, and permitting nobles and town councils to preempt royal revenues. Both the king and Sully understood this, but when Henry wrote his minister that “my stew pot is empty” and “for six months I have not received a penny,” Sully was compelled to act. He scoured the countryside for untapped sources of money. From two provinces alone he took 72 wheelbarrow loads of money but by questionable means. It came from the church, forced loans from nobles and merchants, and the sale of offices.

Fortunately, the conversion of the king to Catholicism (1593) and a war with Spain (1595-1598) brought the Wars of Religion to an end. Sully supported both policies, even though he remained a Huguenot, convinced that even the most recalcitrant Catholics would rally behind a Catholic king. He also was the minister who negotiated the final peace with Spain. The army was, at last, disbanded and the outward flow of money stemmed.

Sully, with headquarters at the Bastille, soon sought to stabilize the kingdom. The duke worked long hours, waking before sunrise, attending two sessions of the council of finance each day, and spending the rest of his time working either on army accounts or on the king’s records. He spent years pouring over old books and re-creating missing ones to restore Henry’s lost revenues. As before, he pursued old debts and reclaimed mortgaged and sold or granted royal lands if a document was flawed. Taxes were readjusted and nobles as well as towns were brought under stricter control by the Crown. Roads were put back in order, internal security was guaranteed, and trade and travel were promoted. Unfortunately, the selling of offices, tax farming, and internal tolls persisted.

The relationship between the monarch and his minister remained close but difficult. The duke was outspoken and had a low tolerance for bureaucrats and nobles who rendered poor service, calling them buffoons. He also angered Henry when he took positions against the king’s generous gifts and building programs. On one occasion, a quarrel reached the point of an open split, in which the king informed the duke that the roads were free and that he could use them at any time. Yet, reflection, especially upon Henry’s part, and the use of individual audiences with Sully, generally kept the peace. The monarch, a good judge of individuals, knew that Sully was devoted to him and would do anything to promote the king’s or the kingdom’s welfare.

The relationship, unusual as it may have been, came to an end in 1610. Henry, on the verge of war with Spain once again, was assassinated on his way to consult with Sully. The king’s Catholic wife became regent for his young son, Louis, and Sully, a Huguenot, was soon excluded from the regency. The duke retired to his favorite residence of Villebon, where he lived until his death more than thirty years later. While there, he wrote a history of the reign of Henry IV, almost as a substitute for the work of state in which he was no longer involved.

Significance

The duke de Sully rose from obscurity to become the chief minister of Henry IV for nearly fifteen years. He was not a great financier nor a man who was ahead of his time, but he understood the workings of supply and demand and directed the stabilization of France between 1596 and 1610. He brought the return of peace and prosperity, made the life of the peasantry easier, and initiated the reform that prime ministerCardinal de Richelieu and others would continue. In recognition of the former minister’s accomplishments, Louis XIII , Henry’s son, would make Sully a marshal of France in 1634. The old man, now in his seventies, felt his work validated and was deservedly proud.

Bibliography

Barbiche, Bernard. Sully. Paris: Albin Michel, 1978. The most complete biography available of the duke de Sully.

Koenigsberger, H. G. “Western Europe and the Power of Spain.” The Counter-Reformation and Price Revolution, 1559-1610. New Cambridge Modern History. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1968. A solid and necessary background for the Huguenot-Catholic conflict.

Lodge, Eleanor C. Sully, Colbert, and Turgot: A Chapter in French Economic History. Washington, N.Y.: Kennikat Press, 1931. An excellent economic interpretation of three key financial figures in the ancien régime.

Major, J. Russell. Bellievre, Sully, and the Assembly of Notables of 1596. Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1974. A fine discussion of the economic woes of the 1590’s.

Trevor-Roper, H. R. “Spain and Europe, 1598-1621.” In The Decline of Spain and the Thirty Years’ War, 1609-1648. New Cambridge Modern History. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1970. Additional information on Sully and the problems faced by France during the reign of Henry IV.