ESPENCE, CLAUDE-TOGNIEL de. - French theologian, b. at Châions-sur-Marne in 1511, d. at Paris on 5 Oct. 1571. Even before taking his degree, in 1540,
he was rector of the University of Paris. In 1544 he took part in the meeting at Melun, at which the programme of questions to be submitted to the Council of Trent was drawn up; he was later sent there by Henry II as his theologian. In 1560 he participated in the Estates of Orléans, where the reform of the Church was discussed, and in the following year he was present at the famous colloquy of Poissy.
His moderate attitude brought him violent attacks from various quarters, also because his doctrine was not always free from inaccuracies. Ill health prevented him from returning to Trent when the Council resumed; nevertheless, he maintained frequent correspondence with the theologians who took part in II. His most important work is the De Eucharistia civique adoratione libri quique, published posthumously at Paris (1573); also deserving special mention are: Institutum du prince christian (Lyons 1548), Traicté contre l'erreur vieil et renouvelé des prédestins (ibid. 1548), De clandestinis matrimonis (Paris 1561), De continentia (ibid. 1565), and other works of religious controversy.