Georges d'Amboise was born at the family castle in Chaumont-sur-Loire. He was only fourteen when his father procured for him the bishopric of Montauban, and Louis XI appointed him one of his almoners. On arriving at manhood d'Amboise attached himself to the party of Louis, duc d'Orléans, in whose cause he suffered imprisonment at Corbeil, and on whose return to the royal favor he was elevated to the archbishopric of Narbonne, in which the pope refused to confirm him; after some time he changed his see for that of Rouen. On the appointment of Orléans as governor of Normandy, d'Amboise became his lieutenant-general. In 1498 the duc d'Orléans mounted the throne as Louis XII, and d'Amboise was suddenly raised to the high position of cardinal and prime minister. In December 1498, he obtained, for reasons of state, the annulment of the marriage of the king to Jeanne de Valois; the king married Anne de Bretagne, widow of the king, in January 1499.
Italian Wars
His foreign policy was animated by the aim of increasing French power in Italy by the conquest of the Milanese territories, in which he can be seen as the continuator of the policies of Étienne de Vesc. On 9 February 1499, he signed a treaty with Venice to which Pope Alexander VI adhered. He accompanied Louis and entered with him into Milan 6 October 1499; he was charged with organizing that province under French control, then returned to France in November. After the revolt of March 1500 in favor of Ludovico Sforza, the cardinal was appointed lieutenant general; he retook the duchy of Milan and sent Sforza to France as a prisoner. He made a triumphal entrance into Lyon on 23 June and received from Louis XII the countship of Lomello. The Cardinal returned to Italy at the beginning of 1501 for the attempted conquest of Naples; he went to Trent as ambassador in October 1501. His administration in France was, in many respects, well-intentioned and useful. Having the good fortune to serve a king who was both economical and just, he was able to diminish the imposts, to introduce order among the soldiery, and above all, by the ordinances of 1499, to improve the organization of justice. He was also zealous for the reform of the church, and particularly for the reform of the monasteries; and it is greatly to his credit that he did not avail himself of the extremely favorable opportunities he possessed of becoming a pluralist. He regularly spent a large income in charity, and he labored strenuously to stay the progress of the plague and famine which broke out in 1504.
Construction of the Butter Tower
The Butter Tower of Rouen Cathedral was erected in the early 16th century. d'Amboise had authorised the burning of butter instead of oil, which was scarce, in lamps during Lent, collecting monies of six deniers Tournois from each diocesan for this permission.
Aspirations for the Papacy
On the death of Pope Alexander VI he aspired to the papacy during the papal conclave, September 1503. He had French troopsat the gates of Rome, by means of which he could easily have frightened the conclave and induced them to elect him; but he was persuaded to trust to his influence; the troops were dismissed, and an Italian was appointed as Pius III ; and again, on the death of Pius within the month, another Italian, Julius II, was chosen. Cardinal d'Amboise received as compensation the title of papal legate for life in France and in the Comtat Venaissin.
He was one of the negotiators of the disastrous Treaty of Blois, and in 1508 of the League of Cambrai against Venice. In 1509 he again accompanied Louis XII into Italy, but on his return he was seized at the city of Lyon with a fatal attack of gout in the stomach. He died there on the 25th of May 1510. His body was removed to Rouen; and a magnificent tomb, on which he is represented kneeling in the attitude of prayer, was erected to his memory in the cathedral of that town. Throughout his life he was an enlightened patron of letters and art, and it was at his orders that the Château de Gaillon near Rouen was built. The town of Amboise owes much of its importance to the renown of Georges d'Amboise, whose forebears, however, forfeited the château whence they derived their name. His nephews Louis d'Amboise, Georges II d'Amboise and François Guillaume de Castelanu de Clermont-Ludéve were also made cardinals.
Popular culture
His capacity as an administrator was such that he is believed to be the original "Georges" of the now-obsolete catchphrase "Laissez faire à Georges" The idiom apparently first appears in French in the mid-17th century, but its relationship to the 20th century American saying "Let George do it" is most likely coincidental.
