Born to the merchant class, Jacques Coeur, after a brilliant career as a trader, was summoned to the court of Charles VII and appointed Master of the Mint in 1436. From this position he rose to become the King of France's visionary First Banker who contributed to bringing France out of darkness toward the Renaissance and modernity. Coeur was the wealthiest man in France, but at the height of his success, was threatened with disgrace and imprisonment. His ill-considered infatuation with Agnes Sorel, King Charles VII's favorite mistress, precipitated Coeur's fall from grace.