Leave it to George
Château de Chaumont
‘Leave it to George’ , a polite way of saying ‘pass the buck’, was once a popular saying in the UK and in America.
It was said as a joke among Tommies (English soldiers) during the second world war.
Although it sounds like the title of an Agatha Christie novel it didn’t originate in the UK, in America or in the War. It was first said in France by Louis XII (laissez faire à Georges) referring to his right hand man, George, who did everything and anything Louis didn’t want to do.
George, in effect, ran France. He was the king’s filter. Everything went through him.
George of Amboise was born in Château Chaumont sur Loire near Amboise in 1460.
Just two years older than Louis, he had known him for most of his life.
1498. 7 April. Louis succeeds Charles VIII as Louis XII. Unhappily married, wanting a divorce, he elevated George to the position of Cardinal of Rouen to argue his case with the pope.
1498. 28 May. Cardinal George was at Louis’ coronation in Reims.
1498. December. George obtained the annulment of Louis’ marriage.
1499. George was with Louis when he took Milan. While there he met Leonardo da Vinci and other leading Renaissance artists.
Louis left George to organise Milan along French lines.
When George left Italy he persuaded the gifted painter Andrea Solari to move to France to work on Château Gaillon, the Cardinal’s summer palace in Normandy. This was the first truly Renaissance château in France, a magnificent, palatial building of unparalleled luxury, the most ambitious and significant French building of its time.
Francis I has the accolade of being the first French collector of Italian art. Not so. It was George, a cultured man of great taste, who collected the first Renaissance works of art in France. He commissioned an altarpiece painting from Mantegna and a painting by Perugino.
1502. George re-organised the French justice system by shortening the length of trials and putting an end to the corruption of judges. He then organised the church, the monasteries and the tax system. He scrapped the tax traditionally levied on the accession of the king and never increased taxes to bankroll the king’s wars in Italy.
George worked hard to stop the spread of the plague and the resulting famines.
Despite his privileged position, he did not abuse his power. He spent a large portion of his income on charity.
1504. Cardinal George crowned Anne of Brittany, queen of France, in the Basilica of Saint-Denis, Paris. Anne was the second wife of Louis XII. He was her second husband.
George bought the lordship of Vigny near Paris and rebuilt the crumbling old fortress.
1506. George presided over the Estates General at Court in Tours.
1508 Château Gaillon is finished. Fit for a king and queen George invited Louis and Anne to stay.
1509. George was with Louis XII again in Italy.
1510 Returning home he became ill and died. He was fifty.
George has a magnificent tomb in Rouen Cathedral.
No wonder Louis said laissez faire à Georges (leave it to George), there wasn’t much George couldn’t do. He crowned kings and queens. He was a great administrator, a mover and shaker, an architect, a soldier and diplomat. He was a man of many skills, a man of integrity. He was an astute art collector, a man of letters and bibliophile who built up an impressive library. He was a can-do man.
We could all do with a George in our lives.
Post by Pamela (BA History of Art), Photography by Mark.
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