Hôtel de Sully

Among the Paris Marais’ Hôtels Particuliers (private mansions that belonged to noble families), one of my favorite is the magnificent Hôtel de Sully! Wonder who was the owner?

Behind most great Kings of France, there was often a great man. Maximilien de Béthune was only twelve years old when he started serving future King Henry IV as a soldier! Later, he was entrusted with diplomatic missions.

Henry IV also recognized M. de Béthune’s ability to manage his own wealth and made him the “superintendant of finances”. In that role, he reinvigorated the state’s finances which had greatly suffered from the wars of religion and turned a budget deficit into a surplus.

The King made him the Duke of Sully and a peer of France. Sully served with flawless loyalty for many years until the King’s assassination. He can be considered one of the Architects of France.