Jacques Cœur, French merchant and banker (b. 1395)
Jacques Cœur (, French: [kœʁ]; c. 1395 in Bourges – 25 November 1456 in Chios) was a French government official and state-sponsored merchant whose personal fortune became legendary and led to his eventual disgrace. He initiated regular trade routes between France and the Levant. His memory retains iconic status in Bourges, where he built a palatial house that is preserved to this day.