Nicolas Perrenot de Granvelle (1486–1550) was a Burgundian politician who served as a close trusted adviser toEmperor Charles V. He was made suzerain of theimperial city of Besançon and held an influential position in the Netherlands. From 1530 until his death he was one of the emperor's most trusted advisers in Germany. He was the father of the cardinal and politicianAntoine Perrenot de Granvelle, also a leading Habsburg minister, and built the Palace Granvelle in Besançon.
He was born inOrnans and died inAugsburg.
In 1518 he became a lawyer and was called at the age of 34 years to the Parliament of theFree County of Burgundy.
In 1519 Charles V was elected emperor at the age of 19 years. Nicolas Perrenot de Granvelle quickly became a closely trusted advisor and was appointed chancellor of the empire. His sons and sons-in-law (Granvelle family) went on to occupy prominent positions at the imperial court.
In 1527 he bought the seigniory of Grandvelle, located in theBailiwick of Amont (Bailliage d'Amont), administrative territory located in present-dayHaute-Saône department, which later became better known under the name of Granvelle. In 1530, after the death ofMercurino Gattinara, he became one of the emperor's most trusted advisers in theHoly Roman Empire, and played that role until his death.
He died on August 27, 1550, at the age of 64 years, while attending theImperial Diet inAugsburg. He owned a significant art collection and library, the later now in theBibliothèque municipale de Besançon.[1]
In 1513, he married Nicole de Bonvalot daughter of Jacques de Bonvalot, lord of Champagney. The couple had 15 children, three of whom went on to play prominent political roles. The eldest surviving son,Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle, become Archbishop ofMechelen and a cardinal as well as serving as a diplomat and adviser to Charles V. Another son, Jérôme de Perrenot, became a diplomat in the service ofFerdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor and guardian of the youngWilliam the Silent. The youngest son,Frédéric Perrenot de Champagney, served the Habsburgs as a soldier and diplomat.
From modest beginnings in theFranche-Comté, the Perrenot family in two generations became the most powerful and the richest in the region. The Granvelle Palace in Besançon is the symbol of their rapid success and social ascent.
