He was the son of
Charles de Neufville (1566–1642), Marquis of Villeroy and of Alincourt, and his second wife, Jacqueline de Harlay. His grandfather
Nicolas de Neufville served as a
secretary of state under
Charles IX,
Henry III,
Henry IV, and
Louis XIII. Nicolas de Neufville studied at the court of Louis XIII as an enfant d’honneur. In 1615, he was made governor of the
Lyonnais under his father's supervision – an effective governor, he served in that post until his father's death in 1642. He served in Italy with Lesdiguières and was promoted to
marshal of France on 20 October 1646 thanks to being the protégé of cardinal
Jules Mazarin. In March 1646, the queen-mother made marshal de Villeroy governor of
Louis XIV, under Mazarin's authority chosen as "surintendent for the government and conduct of the king". It is difficult to attribute him any good or bad influence in the young king's education. He was made duke of Villeroy in September 1651 and admitted to the
peerage of France in 1663. He served as
Grand Master of France at Louis XIV's coronation and was made a knight of the
Order of the Holy Spirit on 31 December 1661. Louis XIV also made him head of the
Conseil royal des finances in 1661, a role (of particular importance at the time of the suppression of the
surintendance des finances, but becoming largely honorific) he held until his death. ==Hotel de Villeroy==