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Jacques Cœur
1400-1456
Historical FigureOwner
A merchant who became the richest man in the kingdom, Jacques Cœur was named grand argentier (chief treasurer) to Charles VII in 1439. His fleet of more than twelve ships sailed the Mediterranean, weaving together a trading empire that stretched from East to West.
In Bourges, a city in central France, he had a palace built between 1443 and 1453 that remains a masterpiece of late Gothic architecture. He acquired numerous estates, including the château d'Ainay-le-Vieil.
His fortune made him enemies. Arrested in 1451 on charges of lèse-majesté, he was sentenced to have his property seized, but escaped and died in 1456 in the Greek islands while in the service of the pope.
