See also: Tellier, Louvois

François Michel Tellier, marquis de Louvois (January 18th 1641 with Paris - July 16th 1691 with Versailles) was a French statesman.

Wire of Michel Tellier, marquis de Barbezieux and of Elisabeth Turpin, it marries Anne de Souvré, marchioness of Courtenvaux, of which it a:

• Michel-François, marquis de Courtenvaux;
• Madeleine Charlotte (1665-1735), which marries François VIII of Rochefoucauld, duke of the Rock-Guyon (1663-1728);
• Louis-Nicolas, marquis de Souvré;
• '' Louis '' François Marie, marquis of Barbezieux;
• Camille ;
• Marguerite († 1711), which marries Louis Nicolas de Neufville de Villeroy, marquis d' Alincourt.

His/her father obtains Louis XIV to him the transmission of sound secretariat of State to the War, whereas it is only fifteen years old. He occupies the station later only six years in 1666.

In 1672, he becomes minister of state and enters to the council. It intrigues against Jean-Baptiste Colbert (see the Affaire of the poisons) and, with died from this last, obtains its place of superintendent of the Building industries, Arts and Manufactures (1683), which enables him to take in hand the construction of the Château of Versailles.

February 14th, 1688, it buys with downward of the family of Orange-Nassau the castle of Montfort in Burgundy for 62.000 books.

Voltaire thus describes it in " the century of Louis XIV " : " It was considered than liked more of the king, the court and the public; it had happiness, like Colbert, to have descendants which made honor at its house, and even of the Marshals of France; it is not true that it died suddenly in leaving the council, as one said in so many books and dictionaries. It took the Eaux of Balarue, and wanted to work by taking them: this indiscreet heat of work caused its death, in 1691. "

Reorganization of the army

It allows valorous soldiers but without birth to go up in the hierarchy in spite of the opposition of the aristocracy. It modernizes the army: it unifies and improves the armament, prepares the creation of barracks and deposits which will appear in 1692 and takes care of the regular payment of the balances. It also tries to found the national Conscription, but it is a half-failure.

Hierarchy and discipline were constant worries of Louvois. It cannot abolish the venality of the ranks of colonel and captain: also the regiments of their officers remained properties. But Louvois repressed the abuses, prevailing against the absenteeism of the officers (in 1674 in full shift, one still saw regiments almost without officers present!). It represses also the plundering which was generally excused by the arrear of balance and the delay of the supply. (Hubert Méthivier, the old mode in France , PUF Paris, 1994.)

Dragonnades

To obtain forced conversions, it organizes Dragonnade S where the army rabble with the mission of acting to impose especially the terror among Protestants. The brutal method obtains results but it attracts itself in particular the hatred of Madam de Maintenon. He dies in load in 1691, the day before a possible disgrace because of his opposition to an official announcement of the secret marriage of the Sun king with Madam de Maintenon (whose Louvois had been present according to many sources) which would have made of Louis XIV rized of all Europe.

See too

Related articles

• Castle of Meudon

Bond external

• Bibliography on the marquis de Louvois and his action

• Louis Andre, Michel Tellier and the organization of the monarchical army , Paris, 1906
• Louis Andre, Michel Tellier and Louvois , Paris, 1943
• Andre Corvisier, Louvois , Paris 1983
• an special issue of History, economy and company to him is devoted (January-March 1996)

Notes and references of the article