Editing Jean du Bellay (section)

===Eclipse under Henry II===
[[File:Henri II of France - Limoges.jpg|thumb|190px|left|Henry II of France]]
King Francis I died on 31 March 1547.  His funeral ceremonies were conducted at S. Denis on 23 May, and were presided over by Cardinal du Bellay.<ref>Fisquet, p. 360.</ref> With the death of King Francis, however, the Cardinal's influence in the council was overshadowed by that of [[François de Tournon]]. His niece and patroness, the [[duchesse d'Étampes]] was replaced by King Henri's mistress, [[Diane de Poitiers]]. The old court favourites had to give way to new favourites. When [[Henry II of France|Henry II]] announced his new Royal Council (Conseil Privé), du Bellay's name was not among the thirteen councillors admitted to the morning meeting, but only (along with other cardinals, Bourbon, Ferrara and Châtillon) to the meetings which took place after dinner. The only cardinals in the first rank were Tournon and [[Charles, Duke of Guise]] Duke of Lorraine, the Archbishop of Rheims.<ref>Ribier, II, p. 1.</ref> Du Bellay, along with most of councillors of Francis I, found themselves excluded from major decisions. Du Bellay was sent away to Rome (1547), to oversee French affairs before the Holy See. He was not the French Ambassador; that role belonged to [[Claude d'Urfé]] (1501–1558). In a letter of 29 April 1549 Secretary of State,[[Jean du Thiers]] complained to the King that du Bellay's letters from Rome were voluminous, but contained not one word of substance.<ref>Ribier, II, p. 162: "[Le cardinal]... nous a écrit des volumes si grands, qu'ils serioent suffisans pour contenir toute la [[:fr:Chronique de l'Empereur]], et toutesfois il n'y a en substance qu'un mot..."</ref> His position as a French representative was cancelled when the Cardinal of Ferrara, [[Ippolito II d'Este|Ippolito d'Este]] arrived in Rome. Du Bellay complained bitterly to the King in a letter of 23 August 1549.<ref>Ribier, II, p. 243.</ref> He returned to France.

Following the death of [[Pope Paul III]] in November 1549, Cardinal du Bellay left for Rome once again. He and the other French cardinals were sent by Henry II, who also sent letters to Rome, threatening trouble if the cardinals in Rome did not wait for the French cardinals before they began the Conclave.<ref>Ribier, II, p. 256.</ref> Du Bellay obtained eight votes<ref>Voting was by preference ballot. A cardinal could place as many names as he wished on his ballot. Hence, the number of votes was sometimes several times the number of votes. But the canonical rule was that a candidate must receive the votes of two-thirds of the votes to be elected.</ref> as the new pope.{{sfn|Isaac|1911}} This is remarkable, since there were more than twenty Cardinals in the French faction. Evidently he did not have the favour of the French King. The leading candidates were Reginald Pole, Giovanni Morone, and Gian Pietro Carafa; Cardinal du Bellay was not ''papabile''.  On 25 February 1550 he was promoted suburbicarian [[Roman Catholic Suburbicarian Diocese of Albano|Bishop of Albano]] by the new pope, [[Julius III]], replacing Cardinal [[Ennio Filonardi]], who died during the Conclave.<ref>Gulik and Eubel, p. 56.</ref>
[[File:Catherine de Medicis.jpg|thumb|right|190px|[[Catherine de' Medici]]]]
When Cardinal du Bellay returned to France after the Conclave, he took up residence in his Italian-style villa at [[Saint-Maur-des-Fossés|Saint-Maur]], some seven miles southeast of Paris, where he enjoyed the company of Rabelais, Macrin, Michel l'Hôpital, and his young cousin [[Joachim du Bellay]].<ref>Dickinson, p. 2.</ref> King Henry II struck again in 1551, dismissing him from the See of Paris.<ref>Fisquet, pp. 360, 364.</ref> [[Catherine de' Medici]] was a frequent visitor, and in 1563 she purchased the {{Interlanguage link|Château du Bellay|fr}} from his heirs.<ref>{{cite book |author=Henri Clouzot |title=Philibert de l'Orme |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XIWSlwr59eMC&pg=PA163 |year=1910 |publisher=Plon et Nourrit |location=Paris |language=fr |page=74}}</ref>

After three quiet years passed in retirement in France (1550–1553), the Cardinal was charged with a new mission to [[Pope Julius III]]. In Rome he discovered that the Imperialists were in control everywhere, and he was shocked when, on 11 December 1553, Cardinal Carafa was given the See of Ostia and the office of Dean of the College of Cardinals, which Du Bellay believed ought to have been his. He complained in a letter of 22 December 1553 to the Constable de Montmorency.<ref>Ribier, II, pp. 481–482.</ref>

The Cardinal du Bellay continued to live in Rome thenceforth in great state. In 1555 he was appointed [[bishop of Ostia]] and [[Dean of the College of Cardinals]], to fill the position left vacant by the election of Cardinal Giovanni Pietro Carafa to the Papacy as [[Pope Paul IV]].<ref>Gulik and Eubel, p. 56.  J. P. Adams, [http://www.csun.edu/~hcfll004/SV1555.html ''Sede Vacante 1555''.]. Retrieved 17 May 2016.</ref> The appointment was disapproved of by Henry II and brought du Bellay into fresh disgrace.{{sfn|Isaac|1911}}

Paul IV died on 18 August 1559 after a contentious reign of four years, two months and twenty-seven days.<ref>{{cite book |author=Alberto Aubert |title=Paolo IV: politica, inquisizione e storiografia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NxvZAAAAMAAJ |edition=second |year=1999 |publisher=Le lettere |location=Firenze |language=it |isbn=978-88-7166-437-8}}{{cite book |author=Philippe Levillain |title=The Papacy: Gaius-Proxies |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7VDcmDeLuV4C&pg=PA1128 |year=2002 |publisher=Psychology Press (Taylor and Francis) |isbn=978-0-415-92230-2 |pages=1127–1129}}</ref> The Conclave to elect his successor held its opening ceremonies on 5 September 1559 with forty-four cardinals in attendance. On 6 September, Cardinal du Bellay, who was Dean of the College of Cardinals, celebrated the Mass of the Holy Spirit, and then the Conclave settled down to a leisurely conduct of business.  They finished the Electoral Capitulations on 8 September, and the bulls referring to conclave rules were read on 9 September. Du Bellay, however, was ill, and did not attend the reading. In the First Scrutiny, held later that day, he had to cast his vote from his sickbed.  Beginning on 26 September various ambassadors, led by the Spanish Ambassador, appeared at the entrance to the Conclave area and harangued the cardinals inside about the necessity of getting a pope elected.  Security was so bad that on 2 October, the cardinals appointed a reform committee, with Du Bellay its leader, to restore order.  It was ineffective.  On 9 October the known agents of the Powers and a considerable number of Conclavists were expelled.  On 1 November there were forty-seven cardinals at the Conclave, five confined to bed.  On the afternoon of Christmas Day, after a good deal of politicking, the cardinals finally settled on Cardinal Giovanni Angelo de' Medici, who was elected by acclamation. He was asked if he would consent to a Scrutiny the next morning, and he agreed, providing that it was recognised that he had been validly and canonically elected on the 25th.  He chose the throne name [[Pope Pius IV|Pius IV]]. Cardinal du Bellay was absent.<ref>J. P. Adams, [http://www.csun.edu/~hcfll004/SV1559.html ''Sede Vacante 1559''.]. Retrieved 17 May 2016.</ref>