Jean-Baptiste Colbert - SpeedyLook encyclopedia

Biography

Its beginnings

Oldest son of Nicolas Colbert and Mariane Pussort, Jean-Baptiste Colbert belongs to a family of merchants and banking Champagne saying descendant of noble Scot (but there is of it no proof and it was of current practice at the time at the Roturier S to put forward itself by inventing a noble ascent). Its youth is badly known. It made its studies in a college Jésuite. In 1634, it worked in a banker of Saint Etienne, Mascranny, then in a Parisian notary, father of Jean Chapelain. It is then with the service of his cousin Jean-Baptiste Colbert de Saint-Pouange, first clerk of the department of the war under Louis XIII.

In 1640, at the 21 years age, his/her father uses his relations and its fortune to buy to him the ordinary load of police chief of the wars , made of the Secretary of State to the war, François Sublet de Noyers. This function obliged it to inspect the troops, which gave him a certain notoriety.

In 1645, Saint-Pouange recommends it to Michel Tellier, his brother-in-law, then Secretary of State to the War, which engages it as private secretary then the fact of naming to advise of the king in 1649.

In 1651, Tellier presents it in its turn with the Cardinal Mazarin which entrusts the management of its fortune to him, one of most important of the kingdom.

Then charged with taking care of the management of the Public purses, it writes dice October 1659 a report on the embezzlements of Nicolas Fouquet, the Surintendant of finances. It indicates to it that less than 50% of the collected taxes arrive to the king.

Breaking and not very eloquent, vêtu of black, with the service of the State as of 5 hours of the morning, it was hardly liked Court which reproached him its commoner's condition, its vulgarity like its cold and distant character. Mrs. of Sévigné called it “North”.

The Mazarin cardinal a little before his death the March 9th 1661, suggests with the king taking Colbert with his service. In September 1661, This one finally manages to obtain the disgrace of Fouquet, which is stopped with Nantes the September 5th 1661 by D' Artagnan. Colbert succeeds to him the head of the administration of finances, initially like intendant then, as a general inspector, in 1665.

In addition to this load which remains its essential function, it is also Secretary of State at the House of the King. Convinced of the essential importance of the trade in the economy, it obtains the creation of a secretariat of State to the navy in 1669 of which he is the first holder. Like superintendent of the buildings, arts and manufactures, it also directs the artistic production intended for the installation of the royal palaces, of which Versailles. He is elected in 1667 with the French Academy.

The Colbert clan

The December 13rd 1648, Colbert marries Marie Charron, girl of a member of the royal council, cousin by alliance with Alexandre Bontemps. Its dowry was of: 100000 pounds. Together, they had four children:

Jeanne Marie Colbert
Jean-Baptiste Colbert, marquis de Seignelay
Jules Armand Colbert, marquis de Blainville
Marie Anne Colbert married to Louis de Rochechouart, duke of Mortemart

After having begun within the clan Tellier, Colbert becomes him also follower of the Népotisme and decides to create its own clan while placing all his close relations at stations - keys such his/her brother Charles Colbert de Croissy or its first cousin, Colbert de Terron. In fact, he becomes a rival of the clan Tellier and particularly of the Secretary of State to the war, François Michel Tellier de Louvois.

In 1657, it buys the baronnie Seignelay in the Yonne, then in 1670, the baronnie of Sceaux in the south of Paris. It makes field of Seals one of most beautiful of France gràce in André Ours which draws the gardens and in Charles Brown the which is in charge of all decoration as well buildings as park.

Policy of Colbert

See also: Colbertisme

Its policy is to give its economic and financial independence to the France, to equip this one with an active trade balance and to increase the tax proceeds. It puts a term at the depredations, and liquid the national debts.

In 1663, it founds the Académie of the inscriptions and the humanities. In 1664, it is named superintendent of the Building industries and Manufacture S. It decides to copy the productions of the Neighboring states to make itself independent of their supplies. He does not hesitate to discharge foreign workmen to initiate these manufactures. He frequently used the granting of monopolies. He restores old manufactures, introduced news of them, supporting for example the production of ices and carpet.

In March 1667, Gabriel Nicolas of Reynie is named by Colbert at the post of lieutenant of police force. It becomes thus the police first “ ” of France, imposing its authority on the constabulary and to the men of the guet. The same year, Colbert is elected with the French Academy.

He encouraged the trade, protected sciences, the letters and arts, and also supported research by creating the Academy of Science (1666), the Observatoire of Paris (1667) where Huygens and Cassini was called, the Académie of architecture (1671).

In 1668, it is named Secretary of State at the House of the king and in 1669, he becomes Secretary of State to the Trade and the Navy. It builds a fleet of war of 276 buildings. In 1681 France, victorious on sea as on ground, counted 176 war buildings, while, a few years before, it had of it hardly around fifty.

It developed the infrastructures supporting the commercial exchanges: channels, royal roads. It made plant the Forêt of Tronçais for naval construction. It made repair the main roads, opened some several, and united the two seas by the Canal of Languedoc.

It made pave and light Paris, embellishes this town of quays, public places, triumphal doors (Doors St-Denis and St-Martin); one owes him also the Colonnade of Louvre and the Jardin of Tileries.

With his son, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Marquis de Seignelay, it makes come from the cities Hanséatique S of the craftsmen, manufacturers, rope-makers, to install building sites or arsenals of naval construction in the principal ports of the kingdom. If he wants to ensure the recruitment of the crews, he does not have recourse, as the England adopted it, with the press, or enrôlement forced sailors of the merchant navy, but with a new process called the maritime Inscription. On the other hand for the galères he asks the judges to condemn as much as possible including when the offense is to be marginal (offense of " vagrancy ").

He instituted commercial companies: Company of the Eastern Indies (Indian Ocean), Company of the Western Indies (Americas), Company of Raising (the Mediterranean and Ottoman Empire) and Company of Senegal (Africa) and is the instigator triangular commercial of the slaves and the author of the black Code. It is also at the origin of the creation of counters: Pondichéry (1670) and of what was the beginning of the settlement in News-France (Quebec).

He is opposed to the secretary to the War, Louvois, considered to be too extravagant of the public funds. This one intrigues against him at Louis XIV so much so that Colbert was about to be disgraced when he dies the September 6th 1683, street of the Small Fields, letting to Claude the Furrier succeed to him the post of general inspector of finances.

While making in a so brilliant way the deals of the State, Colbert had piled up a considerable fortune, which rose to approximately ten million; also with his death, the people, believer to see in this fortune a sign of depredation, insulted his coffin; buried with Saint-Eustace, there would remain its legs there; the remainder was transferred in the Catacombe S in 1787.

Its currency: “ Pro rege, saepe, pro patria semper ” (“For the king often, the fatherland always”).

It leaves an image of excellent manager, even if the economic results can appear rather weak, because of the strong punctures generated by the warlike expenditure of Louis XIV.

Its name gave the term of Colbertisme which underlines the more significant part of intervention of the State in the economy in comparison with the other Western countries.

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