Portrat of René de Birague by an anonymous artist

René de Birague (Renato Biragro), (Milan, February 2, 1506 – November 24, 1583 in Paris) was a Milanese patrician who became a French cardinal and chancellor. Milan (Milano Milan (listen) is one of the largest cities in Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy. Events 962 - Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor Events 380 - Theodosius I makes his adventus, or formal Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official usually a bishop, of the Catholic Church. Chancellor or chancellour (archaic ( Latin: cancellarius) is an official Title used in countries whose civilization has arisen

He was the son of Giangiacomo Galeazzo Birago, ambassador of the duke of Milan in France, and Anna Trivulzio. The following is a list of rulers of Milan from the 13th century to 1859 when Milan and the rest of Lombardy were incorporated into the Kingdom of Sent to papal Avignon, he cut his studies short to take up family duties at the unexpected death of his father. Avignon (/aviɲɔ̃/ in French) ( Provençal: Avinhon in classical norm or Avignoun in Mistralian norm is a commune As a doctor of law he was admitted to the Collegio d'avvocati of Milan in 1536. After the battle of Pavia (1525), when the French and their sympathizers were expelled from Milan, he and his three brothers, Louis, Pierre and Charles, escaped to France to avoid the vengeance of Francesco II Sforza, duke of Milan. Francesco II Sforza ( February 4 1495 &ndash October 24 1535) also known as Francesco Maria Sforza, was the last Duke of Milan Declared a traitor by the Spanish government in Milan, his properties were confiscated in 1536 (they were partially restored in 1556).

François I of France named him counselor of the parlement de Paris. Francis I (September 12 1494 &ndash March 31 1547 was crowned King of France in 1515 in the cathedral at Reims and reigned until 1547 This article is for the Ancien Régime institution For the post-Revolutionary and present-day institution see French Parliament. Later, during French control of Piedmont, he was Maestro delle Richieste of the Parliament of Turin, (1539) and its president in 1543. Piedmont ( Piemonte; Piedmontese and Occitan: Piemont; French: Piémont) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy.

He married Valentina Balbiano (1518–1572), with whom he had two children, but after her death he took minor orders in Milan. Made president of the Superior Council of Pinerolo, January 9, 1563, then French ambassador to the Council of Trent in April, he was appointed Francis's ambassador to Emperor Ferdinand I in June and then to Maximilian, king of the Romans. Pinerolo is a Town and commune in north-western Italy, 40 kilometres southwest of Turin on the river Chisone. The Council of Trent was the 19th Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. Ferdinand I Holy Roman Emperor ( Alcalá de Henares (near Madrid) Kingdom of Castile (now Spain) 10 March 1503 &ndash Maximilian II ( July 31, 1527 &ndash October 12, 1576) was king of Bohemia from 1562 king of Hungary and Croatia

He obtained a brevet of naturalization, September 1565, taking the name René de Birague, and his political career at the court of Charles IX advanced rapidly. Charles IX (27 June 1550 &ndash 30 May 1574 born Charles-Maximilien, was King of France, ruling from 1560 until his death He accompanied the king in his trip to Guyenne and served as procurator and lieutenant general in Lyon and other places September 1565 until 1568. Aquitaine (Aquitània Akitania archaic Guyenne / Guienne (Occitan Guiana) is one of the 26 Regions of France, in the south-western part of Lyon, the scene of violence Protestant and Catholic clashes, was largely controlled by a deeply resented Italian economic elite.

Closer to the court, he became Superintendent of Finances, 1568–1570. The Superintendent of Finances (Surintendant des finances was the name of the minister in charge of finances in France from 1561 to 1661 Knight of the Order of Saint-Michel, and eventually Commander of the Order of Saint-Esprit, (1579). The Order of Saint Michael (Ordre de Saint-Michel was the first French chivalric order, founded by Louis XI of France in 1469 in competitive response Not to be confused with the Congregation of the Holy Ghost (Spiritans.

In 1570, Charles IX named him keeper of the seals, a post that gave him a seat in the secret council. The title Keeper of the Seals or equivalent is used in several contexts denoting the person entitled to keep and authorize use of the Great Seal of a given country This article is about the present-day French institution For institutions with the same name during the Ancien Régime in France see Conseil du Roi. Thus, by virtue of his post, he attended the secret meeting of the council that decided upon the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre of Huguenots, August 24, 1572; he was in the King's chamber with the dukes of Guise and Nevers, Tavannes and Retz, when Queen Catherine de' Medici arrived to determine the king, who was undecided. The St Bartholomew's Day massacre ( Massacre de la Saint-Barthélemy in French) was a wave of Roman Catholic Mob violence against the Huguenots Count of Guise and Duke of Guise were titles in the French nobility is a list of the counts of Nevers, who were the rulers of County of Nevers. Catherine de' Medici (April 13 1519 &ndash January 5 1589 was born in Florence, Italy as Caterina Maria Romula di Lorenzo de' Medici. Birague was named chancellor of France as a reward for his participation, March 17, 1573; he was also promoted to the cardinalate February 21, 1578 [1] under the insistence of Henri III, though he never went to Rome to receive the red hat. Chancellor or chancellour (archaic ( Latin: cancellarius) is an official Title used in countries whose civilization has arisen Henry III of France (Henri III Henryk ( September 19 1551 – August 2, 1589) He is alleged to have said that he was he said that he was a cardinal without a title, a priest without benefices and a chancellor without the seal (Berton, Dictionnaire des cardinaux, quoted [2]).

His tomb included his portrait as a kneeling figure by Germain Pilon, who also executed the funeral cadaver portrait of his wife (both now in the Louvre Museum) [3]. Germain Pilon (c 1537 Paris - 1590 Paris) was one of the most important sculptors of the French Renaissance. The Louvre Museum (Musée du Louvre located in Paris is the world's most visited art museum a historic monument and a national museum of France

References

• Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church: René de Birague