Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet was a major cleric (ultimately Bishop of Meaux, earning the honorific “the Eagle of Meaux”), author, orator, and courtier of seventeenth-century France. Born in Dijon on 27 September 1627, and passing in Paris on 12 April 1704, Bossuet’s life coincided closely with the reign of Louis XIV (1643-1715). His career, thought, and renown not only reflected, but also influenced, major features of French faith, culture, and politics from the Sun King’s early reign through the end of the ancien régime. Bossuet devoted the whole of his life to the Church and the monarchy (in his mind, and in that order, the two fundamental pillars of an orderly society); consciously in service …
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Citation: Coons, James. "Jaques Benigne Bossuet". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 August 2017 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=493, accessed 21 November 2024.]