13 décembre 1559
22 décembre 1641
Béthune, Maximilien de (1559-1641)
Sully (1559-1641)
Sully, Maximilien de Béthune (1559-1641 ; duc de)
Maximilien de Béthune (1559-1641) nait le 13 décembre 1559 au château de Rosny-sur-Seine (Yvelines). Sa famille est une branche cadette et désargentée des Béthune, apparentés aux comtes de Flandre. Second fils de François de Béthune, baron de Rosny et de Charlotte Dauvet, il hérite en partie de la baronnie de Rosny à la mort de son frère aîné, Louis de Béthune, en 1578 et se fait dès lors appeler baron de Rosny. Il se fera appeler en 1606 duc de Sully, après avoir été élevé par Henri IV au rang de duc et pair de France.
Élève en 1572 au collège de Bourgogne, à Paris, il échappe de peu au massacre de la Saint-Barthélemy, et devient le compagnon d'armes du roi Henri III de Navarre, futur roi de France (Henri IV), qu'il suit dans toutes ses guerres, sauf entre 1581 et 1583 où il se met au service du duc d’Anjou aux Pays-Bas. Il combat notamment aux côtés d'Henri de Navarre en 1587 à Coutras, puis devant Paris, ensuite à Arques en 1589, puis à Ivry en 1590 où il est blessé. Il est de nouveau blessé à Chartres en 1591 et s'illustre encore en 1597 au siège d'Amiens.
En 1593 Sully conseille à Henri IV d'abjurer le catholicisme pour asseoir sa légitimité de roi de France, mais lui-même restera toute sa vie calviniste.
Il épouse en 1583 au château de Bontin (Yonne) Anne de Courtenay, qui lui donne un fils, Maximilien (qui sera connu ultérieurement sous le nom de marquis de Rosny). Veuf dès 1589, Sully se remarie en 1592 avec Rachel de Cochefilet, qui lui donnera plusieurs enfants, dont : François de Béthune, comte d'Orval qui épousera Jacqueline de Caumont, fille du marquis de la Force ; Marguerite qui épousera Henri II de Rohan ; Louise qui épousera Alexandre de Lévis Mirepoix.
Ses talents dans l’art de l’artillerie de siège et son esprit pratique pour trouver des expédients et des subsides pour financer les campagnes, le font remarquer du roi de Navarre. De compagnon d'armes, il devient peu à peu le plus proche conseiller d'Henri IV, qui fait confiance à son intégrité et à sa grande capacité de travail : il le nomme en 1580, chambellan ordinaire, puis membre du Conseil de Navarre ; en 1596 membre du Conseil des Finances ; en 1598, surintendant des finances. Durant le règne de Henri IV, Sully cumule les charges correspondant à plusieurs portefeuilles ministériels actuels : il est nommé en 1597 gouverneur de Mantes, en 1599 grand-maître de l'artillerie, surintendant des fortifications, grand voyer de France ; en 1600 capitaine d'une compagnie de cent hommes d'armes ; en 1602 surintendant des Bâtiments de France, gouverneur de la Bastille ; en 1603 voyer particulier de Paris, gouverneur de Poitou ; en 1604 gouverneur de Jargeau ; en 1606 capitaine de deux cent hommes d'armes.
Dans l’exercice des finances, Sully pratique une stricte économie et une gestion rigoureuse, qui permettent de réaliser, à partir de 1600, des excédents budgétaires. Il crée en 1601, une Chambre de justice destinée à lutter contre les malversations financières, institue en 1604 un droit d'hérédité des offices (appelé paulette), rembourse les dettes du roi, diminue et améliore la rentrée de l’impôt direct (taille), augmente les impôts indirects (gabelles). Partisan de la liberté du commerce des grains, il abolit un grand nombre de péages qui sont autant de barrières entre les provinces, il ouvre de grandes voies de communication, et fait creuser plusieurs canaux, notamment le canal de Briare qui relie la Seine à la Loire, commencé en 1604 et terminé en 1642. A la mort d'Henri IV (mai 1610), le Trésor de la Bastille contient 12 millions de livres.
Grâce aux libéralités royales, revenus de charges, dons extraordinaires, revenus d’abbayes, Sully se constitue une importante fortune qui lui permet d’acheter plusieurs beaux domaines titrés : la baronnie de Sully-sur-Loire en 1602 (érigée au rang de duché-pairie en 1606), la seigneurie de La Chapelle d’Angillon, la principauté de Boisbelle-Henrichemont et les seigneuries de Saint-Amand-Montrond et Orval en Berry en 1605, le domaine de Villebon en pays chartrain en 1607. Dans ses Mémoires intitulés les Œconomies royales, publiés en 1640, Sully justifiera de l’emploi de toutes les sommes reçues du roi.
Après l'assassinat d'Henri IV (14 mai 1610), Sully reste quelques mois au pouvoir et prépare le budget de 1611 mais il doit démissionner de ses charges de surintendant des finances et de gouverneur de la Bastille en 1611. Il conserve cependant le gouvernement du Poitou. A partir de 1616, il abandonne la majeure partie de ses fonctions et vit désormais loin de la Cour, se consacrant à la rédaction de ses Mémoires et à la gestion de ses terres. Il achète en 1616 les domaines de Montricoux et de Caussade, dans une région majoritairement protestante, proche de Figeac dont son fils François est gouverneur, et de Montauban, où il a des intérêts financiers ; mais il est contraint de céder en 1621 au prince de Condé ses terres berrichonnes d’Orval, La Chapelle d’Angillon et Montrond. En 1634 il achète à Paris un hôtel, appelé aujourd’hui hôtel de Sully, rue Saint-Antoine.
Figure éminente du parti protestant, qu’il soutient financièrement, il refuse cependant de prendre les armes contre le roi de France et joue un rôle de conciliateur parfois mal compris dans les luttes entre les protestants français et la royauté. Il est nommé maréchal de France en 1634 et meurt le 22 décembre 1641, à l’âge de 92 ans, au château de Villebon (Eure-et-Loir).
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