Power and Piety: The Religiosity of Michel de Marillac

A major text of the life of Michel de Marillac, Lezeau’s Histoire de la vie de messier Michel de Marillac has a hagiographic perspective. However, it is more informative about Marillac’s religiosity than one might think. It details his spiritual experiences and religious practices and how they impacted all aspects of his life. Marillac scrupulously applied religious principles to his duties overseeing finance and justice. He believed that civil order should be enforced by divine and royal authority. Lezeau’s assertions are placed within the context of the conventions of Marillac’s time (by which he was considered a model Christian statesman) and are balanced against other sources

Saint Louise de Marillac\u27s Uncle: Louis XIII\u27s Garde des Sceaux, Michel de Marillac (1560–1632)

The life and career of Michel de Marillac is described, including his vast experience in government, his intellectual contributions, his spiritual life and practice, and his activities on behalf of Catholicism in France. He was particularly instrumental in establishing the Teresian Carmelites in his country, along with the Ursulines and the Oratorians. His political and religious service was the continuation of a long family tradition. Although we cannot know much about the specifics of his relationship with his ward, Louise de Marillac, this article gives greater understanding about their family