OSSAT, ARNAUD d'. - French cardinal and diplomat, b. at Larrogue-en-Magnoac on 20 Aug. 1537, d. at Rome on 13 March 1604. In 1574 he accompanied Cardinal Paolo de Foix to Rome as his secretary, and after the latter's death (1584) he was secretary to the cardinals protectors of France, Ippolito d'Este and Francesco Joyeuse, and also charged with the affairs of France, and he dealt with Clement VIII regarding the matter of the absolution and recognition, as king, of Henry IV of Bourbon.

Acting with extreme prudence, he was able to thwart the intrigues of the Spanish court, overcome the reluctance of many cardinals who adhered to it, and convince the Pontiff of the sincerity of the Bourbon's conversion. Officially accredited along with J. Daty Du Perron for the final negotiations (July 1595), and once the clauses and the formula of absolution had been agreed upon, he obtained the recognition of Henry IV's legitimacy to the throne (30 Aug.), and in the name of the King made a public abjuration, receiving the absolution of the Pontiff (17 Sept.). In reward for his services, he was appointed bishop of Rennes (1596), then transferred to the see of Bayeux (1600) and created cardinal (3 March 1599), while always remaining in Rome as representative of his sovereign. His copious correspondence reveals him as a great diplomat, for his acuteness and psychological insight, combined with great disinterestedness and zeal for the Church and his homeland.

Bibliography6 works

BIBL.: Amelot de la Houssaye, Lettres du card. d'O., 5 vols., Amsterdam 1708; F. Tamizey de Larroque, Lettres inédites du card. d'O., Paris 1873; A. Degert, Le card. d'O., ibid. 1873; P. Larcade, Le card. d'O., Tarbes 1937; P. M. Alicot, Le card. d'O., in Revue des Hautes-Pyrénées, 32 (1937), pp. 152-58; Pastor, XI. v. indexes.

Piero Sannazzaro

@incollection{ec9_ossat_arnaud_d, author = {Sannazzaro, Piero}, title = {Ossat, arnaud d'}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {IX}, pages = {421--422}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1952}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/ossat-arnaud-d} }

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Ossat, Arnaud d'

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