Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle
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His Eminence Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle Count of La Baume Saint-Amour. |
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| Cardinal, 1st Archbishop of Mechelen | |
portrait by Willem Key
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| See | Mechelen-Brussel |
| Term ended | 1596 |
| Successor | Joannes Hauchin |
| Other posts | Bishop of Arras |
| Orders | |
| Created Cardinal | 1561 |
Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle (20 August 1517 – 21 September 1586), Comte de La Baume Saint Amour, was a Burgundian statesman, made a cardinal, who followed his father as a leading minister of the Spanish Habsburgs, and was one of the most influential European politicians during the time which immediately followed the appearance of Protestantism in Europe; "the dominating Imperial statesman of the whole century". He was also a notable art collector, the "greatest private collector of his time, the friend and patron of Titian and Leoni and many other artists".
He was born in the Free Imperial City of Ornans, now in France, then a self-governing city surrounded by the Imperial territory of the Franche-Comté. His father, Nicholas Perrenot de Granvelle (1484–1550), afterwards became chancellor of the empire under Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, held an influential position in the Netherlands, and from 1530 until his death he was one of the emperor's most trusted advisers in Germany. On the completion of his studies in law at Padua and in divinity at Leuven, Antoine held a canonry at Besançon in eastern France, then was promoted to the bishopric of Arras with a dispensation due to his age of barely twenty-three (1540). He was ordained into the priesthood in 1540.
In his episcopal capacity he attended several diets of the empire, as well as the opening meetings of the Council of Trent, which he addressed on behalf of Charles V. The influence of his father, now chancellor, led to Granvelle being entrusted with many difficult and delicate pieces of public business. In the execution of these tasks he developed a talent for diplomacy, while at the same time acquiring an intimate acquaintance with most of the currents of European politics. He was involved in the settlement of the terms of peace after the defeat of the Schmalkaldic League at the Battle of Mühlberg in 1547, a settlement in which, to say the least, some particularly sharp practice was exhibited. In 1550, he succeeded his father in the office of secretary of state; in this capacity he attended Charles in the war with Maurice of Saxony, accompanied him in the flight from Innsbruck, and afterwards drew up the Peace of Passau (August 1552).
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