Auguste Petit de Grave

Auguste Petit de Grave (1731-1807) was the first archbishop of Grijzestad. Petit was one of the wealthiest Brunanters in his lifetime and an important political figures.

Biography
Petit de Grave was born in Grijzestad on 21 May 1731. He was the youngest of three sons; his father Philippe was the son of a French immigrant and his mother was the daughter of a Grijzestad merchant.

Bishop
Petit's parents left him their farm, which he bequeathed to the church in 1755 and secured him a new position as bishop.

Rise in influence
Petit first came to the attention of the King, Pieter I, when in 1757 he raised a company of men to fight the French, and gave much-needed funds to the government.

Petit was named to the government council on the war and soon became one of the king's closest advisers. In 1762, he was elevated to Archbishop, and received a formal government pension.

Carrington years
In 1784, James Carrington's invasion of Brunant saw the king deposed in favor of his nephew, Adrian II. Petit was a staunch opponent of Carrington's reforms, as revealed in private correspondence with the Baron Elteman.

Despite that, he was able to gain enough trust from Carrington to be involved in some government affairs and retain his post as archbishop. He led efforts for increased taxation and gained more funds for the government, and was reputed to have made money off of that.

He began work in 1794 of a personal residence in Koningstad, which he filled with priceless artwork.

Later years
After Carrington was assassinated in 1802 and Ambroos I was fully in control of government, Petit again returned to his government council. By then, that was essentially an honorific position, as he was old and sick. He died in 1807.