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Trial of Jacques Cœur
From 1451 to 1453, King Charles VII of France ordered the arrest and trial of royal treasurer Jacques Cœur on charges of embezzlement, counterfeiting…
Timeline
- 1451Bourges · Centre-Val de LoireJacques Cœur had been Charles VII's most trusted financier and treasurer, controlling war financing and Mediterranean trade. In July 1451, the king ordered his arrest at Bourges, charging him with embezzling royal funds, counterfeiting currency, and attempting to poison the dauphin Louis.
- 1451–1453Parlement of Paris · ParisThe case was transferred to the Parlement of Paris, where Cœur was sentenced to a massive fine and all his property was confiscated, including his palace in Bourges and his Mediterranean merchant fleet. The crown thereby recovered wealth accumulated during the war while demonstrating to nobles and the courts the king's absolute power over his favorites.
- 1454–1456Poitiers · FranceIn November 1454, Cœur escaped from prison in Poitiers, fled through Provence to the Papal States, and later went into exile on the Aegean island of Chios, where he died in 1456. Charles VII restored his reputation in 1455, but his property could not be recovered.
Sources
- Jacques Coeur: Argent et pouvoir à la fin du Moyen Âge — Gilles Coupé (2005)
- The Hundred Years War — Desmond Seward (2003)