Jean Frederic Phélypeaux de Maurepas

Jean Frederic Phélypeaux , count of Maurepas is a French politician born with Versailles the July 9th 1701 and died in Versailles the November 21st 1781.

Biography

Maurepas was endowed with a sharp intelligence and a large smoothness, but it was frivolous and egoistic, as notes it for example Mrs. de Tencin. Ironic, corrosive, sarcastic, even facetious, “it was not what one calls malicious”, writes the baron de Besenval, but it never resisted the pleasure of a good mot. Of banal figure and of small size, it tried to compensate for the mediocrity of his physique by the care of his setting and an assignment of stiffness and gravity. If it were not very cultivated, it was endowed with an extraordinary memory and a true talent for the conversation. Intuitive, it had on the men a sure judgment, but it often missed to him being held itself to with it.

Secretary of State of Louis XV (1718-1749)

Wire of Jerome Phélypeaux, count de Pontchartrain, Secretary of State to the navy and the House of the King, Maurepas, old of only fourteen years and half succeeded, in the second of these loads to his/her father, whom one had made resign in his favor to get rid some. The marquis of Vrillière was given the responsability to manage the department while making the education of the young man, who became moreover his son-in-law by marrying the March 19th 1718 his daughter Marie-Jeanne Phélypeaux of Vrillière (1704 - 1793).

Maurepas ultimately took its functions at the House of the King, with supervision of the businesses of the Clergy and of Paris in 1718, at the seventeen years age. It became also Secretary of State to the Navy the August 16th 1723, in the place of Fleuriau de Morville, named with the Foreign affairs to replace the cardinal Dubois which had just died. It remained it until the April 23rd 1749.

With its spirit, it could go pleasant to Louis XV, that ministerial work annoyed. Authentically interested by the scientific questions, it made work the best spirits to improve the techniques of Navigation and Naval construction. For the remainder, he was a minister rather erased, beating records of longevity, whose career was especially marked by its contentions with the mistresses of the King, placed by Mrs. de Tencin which, for political reasons, also hated it.

It was first of all M {{me}} of Chateauroux, which hated it and called it the “count de Faquinet”. Falls ill with Metz, Louis XV had returned it in an access of devotion, but it joined again with it once restored and it was Maurepas which was charged to bring the letter of the King to him who announced it to him. The duchess proposed to make it return without delaying, but it did not have the leisure of it because it died shortly after the December 8th 1744, coincidence which led some to speak - though it was quite incredible - about poison.

With M {{me}} of Pompadour, the difficulties came from the facetious temperament of Maurepas, which pushed it to repeat make out them widespread against the favorite one. Charged continuing the authors with it, one showed it to seek them only with little zeal, to even be the author of certain songs.

Disgrace (1749-1774)

One of these charges appeared more serious than the others: Maurepas was disgraced in 1749 and was exiled with forty miles of Paris.

It chooses initially Bourges, of which the cardinal archbishop, M {{gr.}} of Rochefoucauld, was his/her cousin, placing in a small house depend on the palate archiépiscopal. It is there that it bound with the abbot of Véri, then vicar-general. Then, in 1752, it settled in its Château of Pontchartrain. Lastly, the exile having been commuted, in 1756, a simple prohibition to appear at the Court, it was divided between this countryside and Paris.

“The exiled post of minister, writes Edgar Faure pleasantly, was that where Maurepas could best deploy its chatoyantes qualities. It made there long and brilliant career. ” ( the disgrace of Turgot , 1973, pp. 21-22) Equipped with a vast fortune, knowing to receive agreeably, the count and the countess of Maurepas received, in their exile, of many visits. Maurepas maintained an abundant correspondence with the political personnel, the scientists and the men of letters, which consulted it on all the important businesses of time.

Minister of state of Louis XVI (1774-1781)

Twenty-five years later, with the accession of Louis XVI, Maurepas became Minister of state in May 1774. It was not named principal minister in title, but it had precedence in the Council. Itself was presented in the form of a Mentor of the young king. “The count de Maurepas, notes the prince de Montbarrey, as of the first fifteen minutes of his installation, seemed to occupy a place which it had never left. ” It made name Turgot General inspector of finances, Lamoignon-Malesherbes with the Maison of the King and Vergennes Foreign Minister.

At the beginning of its nomination, it made the error to point out the Parliaments, which had been suspended by Maupeou, giving in saddle the worst enemy of the royal capacity. Jealous of its ascending on Louis XVI, it intrigued against Turgot whose disgrace in 1776 was followed after six months of disorders by the nomination of Necker. In 1781 Maurepas was diverted of Necker as it had been diverted of Turgot. He died in Versailles the November 21st 1781.

Works

Maurepas contributed to the collection of jokes known under the title of Étrennes of the Saint Jean (1742).
Some of its letters were published in 1896 by the Company of the history of Paris.
4 volumes of the Memories of Maurepas , allegedly gathered by its secretary and published by J.L.G. Soulavie in 1792, are apocryphal books.

See too

List of the Secretaries of State to the Navy (France)

Random links: