LE TELLIER, CHARLES MAURICE

Archbishop of Reims; b. Turin, 1643; d. Reims, February 22, 1710. His father was the chancellor Michel, and his brother François, the Marquis of Louvois. From his childhood an ecclesiastical career was planned for him. From the time of his ordination, he expressed strong Gallican views. At the age of 25 he was named coadjutor of François Barberini, Archbishop of Reims, and at 28 he became Barberini's successor. Further honors included his being named a councilor of state in 1679 and a commander of the Order of the Holy Spirit in 1688. As a very active Gallican, he opposed the Jesuits. His library of more than 50,000 volumes was renowned; this he bequeathed to the abbey of Sainte-Genéviève. He presided over the general assembly of the French clergy in 1700. Most of his writings deal with diocesan administration, but he wrote also against the Molinists and Jansenists. He administered his diocese excellently. Contemporaries describe him as haughty. His manuscripts are collected in the Bibliothèque Nationale, having been given in 1718 by his nephew to the King's library.

Bibliography: j. gillet, Charles-Maurice Le Tellier, archevêque-duc de Reims (Paris 1881). h. j. p. fisquet, La France pontificale, 21 v. (Paris 1864–73) 14:190–193. l. de r. saintsimon, The Memoirs of the Duke of Saint-Simon, tr. b. st. john, 4v. in 2 (New York 1936). Biographie universelle, ed. l. g. michaud, 45 v. (Paris 1843–65) 24:358–359. j. carreyre, Dictionnaire de théologie catholique, ed. a. vacant, 15 v. (Paris 1903–50; Tables générales 1951–) 9.1:454–456.

[d. r. campbell]