Nicolas de Harlay, seigneur de Sancy Maximilien de Béthune, duc de Sully. Meanwhile he had been a second time converted to Catholicism, but his influence at court waned, and he retired from public life in 1605. He survived until 13 October 1629, leaving a "Discours sur l'occurrence des affaires". His son, Achille Harlay de Sancy (1581–1646), was bishop of Saint-Malo. The Sancy diamond's known history began circa 1570 in Constantinople when purchased by de Sancy. Something of a gem connoisseur, de Sancy used his knowledge to prosperous advantage. Henry III of France suffered from premature baldness and tried to conceal this fact by wearing a cap.
Achille Harlay de Sancy Achille Harlay de Sancy Achille de Harlay de Sancy, Cong. Orat. (1581, Paris26 November 1646), the son of Nicolas de Harlay, seigneur de Sancy, was a French diplomat and intellectual who was noted as a linguist and orientalist. He entered Church service, becoming the Bishop of Saint-Malo. Harlay was educated for a career in the Roman Catholic Church, but, though he remained a friend to his fellow pupil Armand-Jean du Plessis, who became Cardinal Richelieu, he resigned his vocation to become a soldier after the death of his elder brother in 1601. For several years, from 1610 to 1619, he