Early years Georges d'Amboise was born at
Château de Chaumont, son of Pierre d'Amboise and Anne du Beueil. He was only fourteen when his father procured for him the
bishopric of Montauban, and Louis XI appointed him one of his
almoners. On arriving at manhood d'Amboise attached himself to the party of
Louis, duc d'Orléans, in whose cause he suffered imprisonment at
Corbeil, and on whose return to the royal favor he was elevated to the
archbishopric of Narbonne, (June 18, 1482) in which the pope refused to confirm him; after some time he changed his see for that of
Rouen (1493). On the appointment of Orléans as governor of
Normandy, d'Amboise became his lieutenant-general. In 1498 the duc d'Orléans mounted the throne as
Louis XII, and d'Amboise was suddenly raised to the high position of cardinal (September 17, 1498) and prime minister. In December 1498, he obtained the annulment of the marriage of King Louis to Jeanne de Valois (who was incapable of bearing children); King Louis then married
Anne de Bretagne, widow of his predecessor King Charles VIII, in January 1499.
Italian Wars His foreign policy was animated by the aim of increasing French power in
Italy by the conquest of the Milanese territories, in which he can be seen as the continuator of the policies of
Étienne de Vesc. On 9 February 1499, he signed a treaty with Venice to which
Pope Alexander VI adhered. He accompanied Louis and entered with him into Milan 6 October 1499; he was charged with organizing that province under French control, then returned to France in November. After the revolt of March 1500 in favor of
Ludovico Sforza, the cardinal was appointed lieutenant general; he retook the
duchy of Milan and sent Sforza to France as a prisoner. He made a triumphal entrance into Lyon on 23 June and received from Louis XII the countship of Lomello. The Cardinal returned to Italy at the beginning of 1501 for the attempted conquest of Naples; he went to Trent as ambassador in October 1501. His administration in France was, in many respects, well-intentioned and useful. Having the good fortune to serve a king who was both economical and just, he was able to diminish the imposts, to introduce order among the soldiery, and above all, by the ordinances of 1499, to improve the organization of justice. He was also zealous for the reform of the church, and particularly for the reform of the monasteries; and it is greatly to his credit that he did not avail himself of the extremely favorable opportunities he possessed of becoming a pluralist. He regularly spent a large income in charity, and he labored strenuously to stay the progress of the
plague and
famine which broke out in 1504.
Construction of the Butter Tower The
Butter Tower of
Rouen Cathedral was erected in the early 16th century. d'Amboise had authorised the burning of
butter instead of oil, which was scarce, in lamps during Lent, collecting monies of
six deniers Tournois from each diocesan for this permission. A bell for the tower was cast in 1501 and named for George d'Amboise. It cracked in 1786 and was melted down for cannon during the
French Revolution.
Aspirations for the Papacy On the death of
Pope Alexander VI (1492–1503) he aspired to the papacy during the
papal conclave, September 1503. He had French troops at the gates of Rome, by means of which he could easily have frightened the conclave and induced them to elect him; but he was persuaded to trust to his influence; the troops were dismissed, and an Italian was appointed as
Pius III (1503); and again, on the death of Pius within the month, another Italian,
Julius II (1503–13), was chosen. On 4 December 1503 Cardinal d'Amboise received as compensation the title of papal legate for life in France and of
Avignon. , near
Bourges (Cher).
League of Cambrai He was one of the negotiators of the disastrous
Treaty of Blois (1504), and in 1508 of the
League of Cambrai against
Venice. In 1509 he again accompanied Louis XII into Italy, but on his return he was seized at the city of
Lyon with a fatal attack of
gout in the stomach. He died there on 25 May 1510. His body was removed to Rouen; and a magnificent tomb, on which he is represented kneeling in the attitude of prayer, was erected to his memory in the cathedral of that town. Throughout his life he was an enlightened patron of letters and art, and it was at his orders that the
Château de Gaillon near Rouen was built. The town of
Amboise owes much of its importance to the renown of Georges d'Amboise, whose forebears, however, forfeited the
château whence they derived their name. His nephews
Louis d'Amboise,
Georges II d'Amboise and
François Guillaume de Castelnau de Clermont-Ludève were also made cardinals. ==Popular culture==