FESCH, feSh, JOSEPII ( 1763-1839). Cardinal Archbishop of Lyons and maternal uncle of Na poleon 1., born at Ajaccio, Corsica. lie was destined from the first for the Church, and re ceived a careful education in the seminary at Aix, becoming a priest shortly before 1789. During the Revolution, however, Fesch served as com missary of war under his illustrious nephew, in Italy, up to 1799. On the inauguration of-the Consulate Fesch resumed his clerical habit, and was instrumental in bringing about the concordat of 1801 with Pius VII. As a result of his ac tivity he was made Archbishop of Lyons the year following, and in 1803 received the cardi nal's hat. In 1804 he successfully negotiated the matter of the consecration of the Emperor by the Pope at Paris and assisted at the coronation in Notre Dame. He was next made Grand Al moner of France, Grand Cordon of the Legion of Honor, and member of the Senate. In 1806 Fesch was appointed, by Dalberg, Prince Primate of the Confederation of the Rhine, as his coad jutor and successor. In 1809 he declined the
Archbishopric of Paris, and soon showed himself an opponent of Napoleon's policy with regard to the Papacy. Finally, in 1810, at the French eccle siastical council at Paris he stood out in open opposition to the Emperor. Sent in disfavor to his diocese, Fesch attempted to communicate with Pius VII., but his letter was discovered and he fell into open disgrace. In 1814 Fesch retired to Lyons, but reappeared during the Hundred Days, returned to his diocese, and was made a member of the House of Peers by Napoleon. Ban ished by the Bourbons, he retired to Home in 1815, and passed the rest of his life in luxurious retire ment, leaving his diocese to he administered by a vicar. He died in Rome, lay 13, 1839. Consult his "Correspondance," in Du Casse, Histoirc des m'goeiations diplomatiques (Paris, 1855) ; Lyon net, Le cardinal Pesch (Lyons, 1841).