of King Henri IV. In a letter of 17 June 1604, King Henry IV was able to inform the Bishop that the Pope had indeed named him a cardinal. His red hat was bestowed personally by the King in a public assembly at Fontainebleau. His speech of thanks to the King on that occasion survives. He then set out for Rome to partake in the ceremonies of his elevation; he was sent to Rome, departing Fontainebleau on 29 October 1604 as chargé d'affaires de France. His instructions from Henri IV required him to hold conversations with the Duke of Savoy and the Duke of Tuscany along the way. He and the Grand Duke discussed, among other things, possible candidates for the Papacy in the next Conclave, most especially the Great-grand nephew of Leo X, Cardinal Alessandro de' Medici, Archbishop of Florence and Bishop of Palestrina. Cardinal de'Medici was well known in the French Court, since he had been Legatus a latere in France (1596-1598). Henry also sent along general instructions for the French Cardinals in Rome, anticipating a vacancy in the Papal throne. Cardinal du Perron made his solemn entry into Rome on 18 December. In the Consistory of 7 January 1605 he was named Cardinal Priest of S. Agnese in Agone, in Piazza Navona (where the current baroque church was not begun until 1652). Immediately upon his appointment, Clement VIII found important work for du Perron in Rome. The Pope had formed a special commission, the Congregation de auxiliis, the chairmanship of which he retained for himself. But he appointed Cardinal du Perron to the Congregation. The purpose of this commission was to investigate and decide upon the work of the Jesuit theologian Luis de Molina, which had raised the acute question of God's Providence and human free will. Du Perron attended his first session on 21 January. When Clement VIII died on Thursday 3 March 1605, the Congregation was suspended, and du Perron found himself involved in his first Conclave. Although he was not the leader of the French faction, he contributed loyally, after the failure of the candidacies of Cardinals Baronius and Seraphin, to the election of the French King's candidate, Cardinal de' Medici, Leo XI, to the papal throne. Du Perron sent off a long letter to Henry IV, reporting the day-to-day movements inside the Conclave in great detail. On the death of Leo XI only