Chrétienne d’Aguerre Comtesse de Sault financial records

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An accounting book of significant historical importance

Chrétienne d’Aguerre (1553-1611), comtesse de Sault, fut une figure influente durant les guerres de Religion en France. Originaire de Lorraine, elle épousa en premières noces Antoine de Blanchefort, avec qui elle eut un fils, Charles. Veuve, elle se remaria en 1578 avec François-Louis de Montauban d’Agoult, comte de Sault, et s’installa en Provence. Après la mort de son second époux en 1586, elle devint tutrice de ses enfants et s’engagea activement dans la Ligue catholique, dirigeant la Ligue aixoise et s’alliant avec le duc de Savoie pour contrer les protestants. Son influence politique et ses actions militaires marquèrent l’histoire provençale de cette époque. ​

The first entry is for the Comte de Sault, dated May first 1584, mentioning a sum of 5400 florins to be arranged over a period of four years.

On page 105, is an entry for Madame la Comtesse de Sault, dated April 25, 1588, allocating the sum of 6060 florins to be arranged also within a four years period.

There are 127 leaves in the manuscript, written on both sides

Chrétienne d’Aguerre, comtesse de Sault (1553–1611), played a pivotal role in the French Wars of Religion, particularly in Provence between 1584 and 1590. Born to Claude d’Aguerre and Jeanne de Hangest-Moyencourt, Chrétienne was deeply embedded in the Catholic nobility. Her first marriage to Antoine de Blanchefort produced a son, Charles de Blanchefort-Créquy. Following Antoine’s death, she married François-Louis de Montauban d’Agoult, comte de Sault, in 1578, with whom she had several children, including Jeanne and Louis.  

After François-Louis’s death in 1586, Chrétienne assumed control of the family’s estates and became a staunch leader of the Catholic League in Provence. Residing in Aix-en-Provence, she orchestrated military and political strategies against Protestant forces. Her influence was so profound that she convinced local leaders to appoint Charles-Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy, as governor of Provence. However, disagreements led to her imprisonment by the Duke; she later escaped, reportedly disguised as a gardener.  

Chrétienne’s leadership during this tumultuous period underscores the significant roles women could play in early modern European politics, especially within the context of religious conflicts.