Pierre Coton
Encyclopedia
Pierre Coton was a French Jesuit and royal confessor
.
, entered the Society of Jesus at the age of twenty-five, and was sent to Milan
to study philosophy. Here he became acquainted with Charles Borromeo
. On his return to his native country he preached with success at Roanne
, Avignon
, Nîmes
, Grenoble
, and Marseilles; An acquaintance with Henry IV of France soon ripened into friendship. The Archbishopric of Arles
being vacant, the king offered it to Coton, who refused it.
The king having recalled the exiled Jesuits to France, their enemies could not pardon the influence Father Coton had in bringing this about, and an attempt was made to assassinate him. Some writers have pretended that Coton was not above suspicion on the doctrine of regicide, and when Henry IV was assassinated, they accused Coton of defending Ravaillac, the king's murderer. But if his enemies at court had any knowledge that he held such views they failed to make it public.
Father Coton had for two years previous to the death of Henry been confessor to his son, the young Dauphin. In 1608, Father Coton called Father Pierre Biard
away from his professorship at Lyon
ordering him to take charge of the mission at in the new French colony
at Acadia
. In 1610 the biting satire Anti-Coton, où est prouvé que les Jésuites sont coupables du parricide d'Henri IV was followed by many pamphlets for and against the Society. The author was said to be Pierre Dumoulin, a Protestant minister of Charenton. Coton continued in his capacity as confessor to the new king, Louis XIII, until 1617, when he left the court at the age of fifty-four and withdrew to the novitiate at Lyon.
He then traversed the provinces of the South as a missionary, and went to Milan, Loreto
, and Rome to fulfil the vows the reigning king had made to the Blessed Virgin, St. Charles, and St. Peter. He returned to France as provincial of the Society and preached at Paris in the church of S. Gervaise; the king and the whole court flocked to hear him.
At this period a book published by Santarelli, an Italian Jesuit, who attributed to the pope the power of deposing kings who were guilty of certain crimes, and under such circumstances of absolving their subjects from their allegiance, was the object of severe attacks from the many enemies of the Society of Jesus in France. The doctrines which Santarelli expounded had been accepted in the Middle Ages, and were still professed by the Ultramontane theologians, although they had become impossible in practice. This book was in Paris, under the rule of Richelieu, construed into a provocation to regicide and rebellion. These views were attributed to every Jesuit. The Parliament demanded that all Jesuits residing in France should be called upon to sign a protestation disavowing all the doctrines contained in Santarelli's treatise. Coton was ill at the time. On his death-bed he was visited by an envoy of Parliament, who informed him of the condemnation pronounced against Santarelli and the severe measures that threatened his brethren. The dying Jesuit murmured: "Is it possible that I who have served so faithfully the Kings of France should be looked upon at last as guilty of treason and a disturber of the peace?"
Confessor
-Confessor of the Faith:Its oldest use is to indicate a saint who has suffered persecution and torture for the faith, but not to the point of death. The term is still used in this way in the East. In Latin Christianity it has come to signify any saint, as well as those who have been declared...
.
Life
Coton studied law at Paris and BourgesBourges
Bourges is a city in central France on the Yèvre river. It is the capital of the department of Cher and also was the capital of the former province of Berry.-History:...
, entered the Society of Jesus at the age of twenty-five, and was sent to Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
to study philosophy. Here he became acquainted with Charles Borromeo
Charles Borromeo
Charles Borromeo was the cardinal archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Milan from 1564 to 1584. He was a leading figure during the Counter-Reformation and was responsible for significant reforms in the Catholic Church, including the founding of seminaries for the education of priests...
. On his return to his native country he preached with success at Roanne
Roanne
Roanne is a commune in the Loire department in central France.It is located northwest of Lyon on the Loire River.-Economy:...
, Avignon
Avignon
Avignon is a French commune in southeastern France in the départment of the Vaucluse bordered by the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 94,787 inhabitants of the city on 1 January 2010, 12 000 live in the ancient town centre surrounded by its medieval ramparts.Often referred to as the...
, Nîmes
Nîmes
Nîmes is the capital of the Gard department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. Nîmes has a rich history, dating back to the Roman Empire, and is a popular tourist destination.-History:...
, Grenoble
Grenoble
Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...
, and Marseilles; An acquaintance with Henry IV of France soon ripened into friendship. The Archbishopric of Arles
Archbishopric of Arles
The former French Catholic Archbishopric of Arles had its episcopal see in the city of Arles, in southern France.The Archbishopric of Arles was suppressed, and incorporated into the Archdiocese of Aix in 1822...
being vacant, the king offered it to Coton, who refused it.
The king having recalled the exiled Jesuits to France, their enemies could not pardon the influence Father Coton had in bringing this about, and an attempt was made to assassinate him. Some writers have pretended that Coton was not above suspicion on the doctrine of regicide, and when Henry IV was assassinated, they accused Coton of defending Ravaillac, the king's murderer. But if his enemies at court had any knowledge that he held such views they failed to make it public.
Father Coton had for two years previous to the death of Henry been confessor to his son, the young Dauphin. In 1608, Father Coton called Father Pierre Biard
Pierre Biard
Pierre Biard was a Jesuit missionary who was given orders by Father Pierre Coton, confessor and preacher to King Louis XIII, to take charge of the Jesuit mission, located in Acadia. The colonial territory in northeastern North America rejected Father Biard's authority, resulting in a hostile...
away from his professorship at Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
ordering him to take charge of the mission at in the new French colony
French colonial empires
The French colonial empire was the set of territories outside Europe that were under French rule primarily from the 17th century to the late 1960s. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the colonial empire of France was the second-largest in the world behind the British Empire. The French colonial empire...
at Acadia
Acadia
Acadia was the name given to lands in a portion of the French colonial empire of New France, in northeastern North America that included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritime provinces, and modern-day Maine. At the end of the 16th century, France claimed territory stretching as far south as...
. In 1610 the biting satire Anti-Coton, où est prouvé que les Jésuites sont coupables du parricide d'Henri IV was followed by many pamphlets for and against the Society. The author was said to be Pierre Dumoulin, a Protestant minister of Charenton. Coton continued in his capacity as confessor to the new king, Louis XIII, until 1617, when he left the court at the age of fifty-four and withdrew to the novitiate at Lyon.
He then traversed the provinces of the South as a missionary, and went to Milan, Loreto
Loreto (AN)
Loreto is a hilltown and comune of the Italian province of Ancona, in the Marche. It is mostly famous as the seat of the Basilica della Santa Casa, a popular Catholic pilgrimage site.-Location:...
, and Rome to fulfil the vows the reigning king had made to the Blessed Virgin, St. Charles, and St. Peter. He returned to France as provincial of the Society and preached at Paris in the church of S. Gervaise; the king and the whole court flocked to hear him.
At this period a book published by Santarelli, an Italian Jesuit, who attributed to the pope the power of deposing kings who were guilty of certain crimes, and under such circumstances of absolving their subjects from their allegiance, was the object of severe attacks from the many enemies of the Society of Jesus in France. The doctrines which Santarelli expounded had been accepted in the Middle Ages, and were still professed by the Ultramontane theologians, although they had become impossible in practice. This book was in Paris, under the rule of Richelieu, construed into a provocation to regicide and rebellion. These views were attributed to every Jesuit. The Parliament demanded that all Jesuits residing in France should be called upon to sign a protestation disavowing all the doctrines contained in Santarelli's treatise. Coton was ill at the time. On his death-bed he was visited by an envoy of Parliament, who informed him of the condemnation pronounced against Santarelli and the severe measures that threatened his brethren. The dying Jesuit murmured: "Is it possible that I who have served so faithfully the Kings of France should be looked upon at last as guilty of treason and a disturber of the peace?"