Michel Bégon

Michel Bégon , known as Large Bégon, (Blois on December 25th 1638, Rochefort, on March 14th 1710) was intendant of the marine to the port of Rochefort and intendant of the general information of the La Rochelle.

Biography

He is the son of Michel IV (1604 - Blois, August 17th, 1683) and of Claude Viart. This is why it is sometimes called Michel V Bégon.

The family of Michel Bégon belongs to the world of the dress, as well of justice as of finance (two great-uncles are lawyer and adviser with the Présidial of Blois, the father and the grandfather is receivers of the sizes). Michel becomes as for him Minister of Justice of the présidial of Blois (1662) then president of the court (1667). He enters the navy tardily (towards the 40 years age) when Colbert appoints it treasurer of the navy of Raising, with Toulon (1677): it is the beginning of a happy career.

Bégon then leaves the shores of the Mediterranean for the North-West of the kingdom: it becomes general Commissaire of the navy to Brest (November 24th, 1680) then in Le Havre (1681). It crosses the Atlantic to be an intendant of Windward Islands (May 1st, 1682 - November 24th, 1684). On its return of the Antilles, it gains again Raising it where it is awaited since November 4th, 1684, date of its nomination at the post of intendant of the galères with Marseilles. Side of fortune, Michel V is lord of Picardière and Mirbelin (or Murbelaix). It also has a ground with Saint-Pierre (Martinique), whom it sold in 1684 (moment when it leaves the Antilles). In 1686, he becomes honorary adviser of the Parliament of Aix (he is then intendant of the galères in Marseilles, function which he occupies of May 1st, 1685 at 1688). September 1st, Michel V Bégon becomes intendant of Rochefort (1688 - March 13rd, 1710). In 1694, it also obtains the intendance of the general information of the La Rochelle (1694-1710). Its passage to Rochefort transforms the port considerably. It was, with Colbert of Terron (1669-1674), the main actor of the development of Rochefort (city and arsenal). Its epitaph in the Saint-Louis church of Rochefort carries: “ Hanc nascentem urbem ligeam invenit / Lapideam reliquit ” which means “ it found the city being born of wood / It has left it out of stone ”. It is thus the image of a builder who passed to the posterity and it is not interdict to say that it was for Rochefort, which Girardin de Vauvré was for Toulon.

Its family

Michel V is the first cousin of Marie Charron, wife of Colbert, girl of Jacques Charron, superintendent of the house of the Marie-Therese queen of Austria, and Marie Bégon. He marries Marie-madeleine Druilhon on February 16th, 1665 in Blois, girl of Pierre, Master in the Chambre of the accounts of Blois. Madeleine was born in Blois, baptized in the Holy-Solenne parish, on March 29th, 1645 and died downtown same, on December 25th, 1697. Matrimonial alliances their children are happy for the posterity of the family. His/her Michel son marries Elisabeth of Beauharnais (family protected by the Phélypeaux which takes the direction of the marine in 1690). His/her Catherine daughter marries in 1691 Jacques Barin, Marquis of Galissonnière (Nantes, 1646 - Poitiers, 1737). Scipion-Jerome is named bishop of Toul (January 11th, 1721), is crowned in the church of Tiny in Paris (April 25th, 1723) and is received in Toul the next on August 31st. The last wire will not have same success: Claude-Michel Bégon of the Court (March 15th, 1683 - April 3rd, 1748), known as the Bégon knight, which dares to marry (November 16th, 1718), against the opinion of its family, with the girl of the guard store of Montreal, Marie-Elisabeth Rocbert (27 juil.1696 - 1st nov.1755), ironically called Iroquoise by its in-laws. The Bégon knight becomes major de Québec (1726), lieutenant of the king near the governor of Montreal (1733) then governor of Three-Rivers (1743). To died of her husband, Marie-Elisabeth Rocbert goes back to Montreal for finally being established in Rochefort (1749). She will then rent her house of Montreal to the intendant François Bigot who will make the seat then of it montréalais of his administration.

Others

It is in its honor that the naturalist Marseilles Charles Plumier baptized a flower, the Bégonia because the intendant was an impassioned collector of botany. The two men had known each other in the Antilles.

References

Public records, Navy, $C^7$ 23, file Bégon father (Michel)
Public records, Navy, $C^7$ 23, file Bégon wire (Michel)
National library, Cabinet of the titles, Files blue, n°79
Rod-Franceschi (Michel), maritime Dictionary of history , Paris, 2 vol., Robert Laffont, coll Books, volume I, p.193 and volume II, p.825
Theodore of Blois (father), Histoire of Rochefort , 1733
Y Gaubert, the happy nepotism of Colbert , file except series of the essence of the La Rochelle , 2005

Bibilography

on the Bégon family:

Bézard (Yvonne), maritime and colonial Civils servant under Louis XIV, Bégon , Paris, Albin Michel, 1932 (essential work)
Rod-Franceschi (Michel), general officers of the royal navy: 1715-1774. Origins, conditions, services , Paris, 7 vol., Bookstore of India, 1990

for the development of Rochefort:

Acerra (Martine), Rochefort, French naval construction (1661-1815) , Paris, 4 vol., Bookstore of India, 1993.

External bonds

biographical Dictionary of Canada in line

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