Briconnet, Guillaume

(1445-1514)

   cardinal

   A trusted adviser to charles vii and later louis xi, Guillaume Briconnet, after the death of his wife, became bishop of Saint-Malo, archbishop of Reims, and later of Narbonne, and cardinal. It was said that Charles VII would undertake nothing without his advice. His most important role was as a negotiator between the French Crown and the papacy, in particular with Pope Alexander VI. He also encouraged Charles to invade Italy, and later, entered into a great dispute with Pope Julius II, who excommunicated Briconnet after he called a council at Pisa in opposition to that pope's practices and policies. Briconnet was later restored to his position as cardinal by Pope Leo x, and, as archbishop of Reims crowned louis xii in 1498. He then retired to Narbonne.