Notorious or The Heart for Which Nothing Was Impossible

The life of this man could be the basis for a novel in the spirit of “Monte Cristo in Reverse” – with a dizzying career of a financier and diplomat at the beginning and an unfair accusation, imprisonment and escape at the end. The name of our hero will mean little to the general public in Russia, but the reader is certainly familiar with him from Bulgakov's novel:

“— The first!” Koroviev exclaimed, “Mr. Jacques and his wife. I recommend to you, Queen, one of the most interesting men! A convinced counterfeiter, a traitor to the state, but a very good alchemist. He became famous for,” Koroviev whispered in Margarita's ear, “for poisoning the king's mistress.”“.

Who are you, Mr. Jacques, and why have you earned both notoriety and literary immortality? However, enough of the introduction – let us move on to medieval France.

Needed where was born

“There are many ways to make a career, but the surest of them is to be born into the right family” – in our story, this recipe for success from Donald Trump should be supplemented with the words “… and in the right city.” Being born in the city of Bourges will play a key role in the meteoric rise of our hero.

At the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries, Bourges enjoyed the fame of a major trading center and the “capital of alchemy.” In the 1420s, at the height of the civil strife of the Hundred Years' War, the young King of France, Charles VII, found refuge here. Bourges would become home for the Dauphin, who had received the contemptuous nickname “the King of Bourges,” for many years – Charles would return to Paris only in 1437. His son, the future King Louis XI, would be born here. And here, in Bourges, he would become friends with his peer, Jacques Coeur, the son of a successful fur trader.

A successful marriage to the granddaughter of the head of the Mint gave Coeur access to the Dauphin's inner circle. Relying on the family's money and the support of the King of France, Coeur puts into practice a daring plan to take away part of the business from the Venetians and Genoese, who controlled trade with the Middle East. Coeur builds a fleet, the base of which becomes the port of Montpellier. His ships carry fabrics, copper and other goods to Syria, Lebanon and Egypt, returning with silk, spices, precious stones and wines. Coeur's commercial genius makes Montpellier the main trading city of the south of France – it will lose this title to Marseille only at the end of the 15th century.

Coeur's wealth reaches fantastic proportions. Contemporaries do not believe that a person can earn so much through trade, and seek a more plausible explanation. And again, Coeur's birthplace plays a role. Bourges is the “capital of alchemists”, and Jacques's wealth is connected with magic, rumor has it. According to rumors, Jacques's father barely made ends meet until he met the famous alchemist Raymond Lully. Lully allegedly revealed the secret of the philosopher's stone to the unsuccessful merchant, who then passed on to Jacques the secret of turning lead into gold. True, Lully died in 1316, almost a century before Jacques Coeur was born – but that's too bad for the facts!

So, Ker acquired a reputation as a magician and alchemist. It was only a short time before he was suspected of counterfeiting…

Icarus of Bourges

Meanwhile, the Hundred Years' War is coming to an end. Joan of Arc has defeated the English, the Dauphin is crowned Charles VII and occupies Paris in 1437. The ruined country needs a smart financier, and Charles remembers his friend from his youth in Bourges. Jacques Coeur is rich and has an excellent understanding of finances – by appointing him head of the Mint, Charles made the right choice.

During the Hundred Years' War, the country was flooded with English and French coins from different periods. Having become the owner of the Mint, Coeur unified the issue of coins, removing excess money supply from circulation – his example would later be followed by the head of the English Mint, Sir Isaac Newton. In 1438, he became an argentier – the royal treasurer, and three years later, finally, received the nobility. Playing on his last name – Coeur in French means “heart” – he chose the phrase “For a valiant heart, nothing is impossible” as his motto. And it seems that, indeed, for Coeur, everything is possible.

Enjoying the king's full trust, Coeur represents France as a diplomat. He concludes a peace treaty between the Sultan of Egypt and the Knights of Malta of Rhodes, obtains privileges for French ambassadors in the Levant, thus laying the foundations for centuries of French influence in the Middle East. It is to Coeur that Europe owes the bloodless end to the nearly half-century-long Papal Schism – he persuaded Antipope Felix V to resign and make peace with Pope Nicholas V. This diplomatic success will later play an important role in Coeur's life.

In Bourges, Coeur builds a residence that, according to contemporaries, surpassed the royal palaces. How strangely the deck is shuffled – two centuries later, this palace will be bought by another famous financier of France – Jean-Baptiste Colbert, and he will also fall into disgrace at the end of his life… However, we will tell about Colbert in the following issues.

Having achieved incredible power and wealth, Coeur did not forget about his relatives. His son became the Archbishop of Bourges, his brother became the Bishop of Luçon, his sister became the wife of the king's secretary, and his daughter married the son of the Viscount of Bourges.

Wasn't it too much for a fur trader's son? Like Icarus, Coeur had flown too high. The entire commercial and political elite were in his debt, just waiting for an excuse to get rid of their creditor. And such an excuse was found.

Who killed Agnes Sorel?

Despite the intrigues and envy, Coeur's position seemed unshakable. Jacques was friends not only with the king, but also with his favorite, Agnes Sorel. Ill-wishers whispered that Jacques and Agnes were connected by a closer relationship than just friendship. Otherwise, why would Sorel make Coeur her executor in her will? It was not without reason, oh, it was not without reason…

Agnès Sorel and Jacques Coeur had one thing in common: they both had great influence on the king, which could not help but arouse the envy of the courtiers. The first officially recognized mistress of the French king in history, Agnès was imitated, and she was hated and despised.

Agnes dictated fashion at court, and her low-cut dresses shocked the clergy. The indignation of the holy fathers reached its limit when they saw the so-called “Melun Diptych”. The artist Jean Fouquet, commissioned by Etienne Chevalier (who later replaced Coeur as the king's treasurer), depicted the king's mistress and the mother of his children born out of wedlock in the form of the Virgin Mary.

This diptych is worth lingering over in a little more detail.

Sorel brought into fashion dresses that exposed one breast – it is this feature of Agnes's clothing that is reflected in the painting. By the way, the fashion for bare breasts in Europe lasted until the 18th century! The angels in the painting are the king's children, and the three blue angels are Agnes's children from Charles. On the left side of the diptych, Etienne himself is depicted with his patron, St. Stephen (Etienne in French). The saint in the painting is a mediator who addresses the Virgin Mary with Etienne Chevalier's request. The baby on the right side of the diptych points his finger at Etienne – this means that his request has been heard.

In the winter of 1450, Charles set out on a campaign in Normandy. Agnes, pregnant with her fourth child, followed him to Jumièges to support the king. Suddenly, she fell ill. Agnes died after giving birth to a daughter – she was only 28 years old.

What caused Agnes' death is still a mystery. According to the most common version, the favorite died of dysentery. Modern researchers believe that mercury could have been the cause of death – Agnes, nicknamed “Lady of Beauty”, actively used cosmetics that included this toxic metal at that time.

It is possible that Charles's son, the future King Louis XI, who was jealous of her influence on his father, could have been involved in the death of his favorite.

Be that as it may, Agnes' death could have been beneficial to many, but not to Jacques Coeur. But his debtor, the court lady Jeanne de Vendome, accused Jacques of the death of the unfortunate Agnes.

Oh, man, what's wrong with you…

The trial of Coeur, long and unfair, took place without witnesses for the defense. In addition to poisoning, Coeur was charged with “damaging” coins, although the reduction in the weight of money could not have occurred without the king's knowledge. The list of charges included practicing magic, high treason, refusing to help a Christian who had escaped from slavery and was seeking salvation on his galley off the coast of the Middle East, kidnapping people…

Jacques' death sentence was commuted to repentance and a fine, and his property was confiscated. But a few years later, with the help of loyal friends, he escaped from prison and reached Rome in 1455 via Tarascon, Marseille, Nice and Pisa. Remembering the merits of the diplomat who stopped the “Great Schism” of the church, Pope Nicholas V warmly welcomed Ker. Not long before, Constantinople had fallen, and Ker was offered to lead a campaign against the Turks. As captain of a flotilla, Ker set off for the Greek islands, but fell ill and died on the island of Chios on November 25, 1456. If things had turned out differently, perhaps Ker would have gained the reputation of a defender of the faith instead of a counterfeiter and poisoner – after all, nothing is impossible for a valiant heart.

Jacques Coeur's great contemporary, the poet François Villon, took the story of the outstanding financier in a philosophical vein. In 1461, he immortalized his name with just one stanza in his poem “The Testament”: “When I am tormented by poverty / My heart quietly says to me: / “Oh, man, what's wrong with you, / Well, you are not Coeur and not stuffed / Ecu, that's why you look so Lenten? / But it is better, brother, to walk in a chlamys, / Than to be a lord who lies / In a magnificent tomb in the best form.”

Whether Coeur deserved his bad reputation during his lifetime is hard to say now. But his story, full of incredible adventures and great achievements – monetary and tax reforms, the restoration of France’s economy destroyed by the Hundred Years’ War, diplomatic successes, the creation of the first regular military units in Europe, the organization of trade with the Middle East – certainly deserves immortality, albeit literary.