Pierre Guerin de Tencin

Pierre Guérin de Tencin was a French ecclesiastic and politician who rose to prominence under the reign of Louis XV. He was the son of a noble family from Dauphiné and the brother of Claudine-Alexandrine Guérin de Tencin, a famous salonnière and literary patron. He entered the church at an early age and became the abbé of Vezelay in 1702 and the vicar general of Sens in 1703. He was appointed as the ambassador to the Holy See in 1721, where he defended the interests of France and the Gallican Church against the papal claims. He also played a role in the suppression of Jansenism, a movement that challenged the authority and doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church. He was made the archbishop of Embrun in 1724 and the cardinal in 1739. He returned to Rome as an ambassador in 1739, where he negotiated the Concordat of 1741, which settled the disputes between France and the papacy over the appointment of bishops and the administration of church property. He became the archbishop of Lyon in 1740 and a minister of state for Louis XV in 1742. He was involved in various diplomatic affairs, such as the War of the Austrian Succession, the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, and the alliance with Prussia. He was also a patron of arts and sciences and supported many writers and scholars, such as Voltaire, Montesquieu, Fontenelle, and d'Alembert. He retired from politics in 1750 and died in Lyon in 1758. He was buried in the cathedral of Saint-Jean. He was known for his ambition, cunning, and influence, but also for his generosity, piety, and compassion. He was one of the most prominent figures of the French Enlightenment and a representative of the moderate faction of the Catholic Church.