Born in Brittany, he was the son of Richard, lord of Espinay and la Rivière, chamberlain to Francis II of Brittany, and his wife Béatrix of Montauban. He had two sisters and seven brothers, three of whom were also bishops - Robert, Jean le jeune and Guillaume, bishops of Nantes, Mirepoix (and later Nantes) and Léon respectively. Another brother, André, was a cardinal, whilst their sister François d'Espinay became abbess of Saint-Georges de Rennes in 1485.
