Louis de Beauvau
Louis I de Beauvau (1416 1472), lord of Beauvau and Sermaise in Anjou. He was ambassador to Henry VI of England, retainer of the House of Anjou, and close friend of René of Anjou, he was made a knight of the Ordre du Croissant in 1448. On his final diplomatic mission in 1472 to Rome for René, he died. Biography. Born in 1416, Louis was the son of Pierre, Baron of Beauvau, and Jeanne de Craon, daughter of Pierre de Craon. Following the service to the House of Anjou by his father, Louis entered the employ of  Duke René of Anjou. In 1431, Louis was appointed governor of Lorraine, by Duke René. Tasked with the mission of eradicating écorcheurs, he mastered the situation in a year and a half and brought peace to the duchy. Following this success, he was appointed Seneschal of Anjou, Grand Seneschal of Provence, and Rene's Premier Chamberlain. Louis's duties in Anjou included being curator of the University of Anjou. In June 1447, Louis was part of a prestigious embassy sent to Henry VI of England from Charles VII of France, asking for the return of the county of Maine in  return for an extension of the truce. Henry VI agreed and the county of Maine was returned to France by 15 March 1448. After such success, Rene honoured Louis by making him the first of his knights of the Ordre du Croissant in 1448. In 1459, as an envoy of Duke Rene and the Angevins, Louis traveled from the French court to Florence, negotiating with Piero de Pazzi. The bulk of Rene's money and contacts existed in this city. He was sent to Rome in 1472, to negotiate with Pope Sixtus IV, concerning Rene's rightful entitlement to the  Kingdom of Naples. Louis died later that year in Rome. Family. Louis married twice. First wife: Second wife: Literature. Louis de Beauvau authored the poem: