Michel Bégon of Picardière

Michel Bégon of Picardière , born the March 21st 1669 with Blois and dead the January 18th 1747 with Picardière, was intendant of the News-France of 1710 with 1726.

Biography

Michel Bégon is originating in the area of Blois where its family is owner of the seigniory of Picardière. His/her father, Michel V Bégon, senior official, is a cousin by alliance of Jean-Baptiste Colbert and the brother-in-law of Jacques de Meulles, intendant of News-France of 1682 with 1686.

It is in January 1690 which Michel Bégon is named police chief with the Marine and it is for this reason that it takes part in the Bataille of the course Béveziers, the June 30th of the same year. France is then into full Guerre with the League of Augsburg.

The March 31st 1710, it succeeds Jacques and Antoine-Denis Raudot as intendant of News-France. Various hitches make that it arrives in the colony only in 1712, accompanied by his wife Jeanne-Elisabeth de Beauharnois, sister of François who was intendant with Quebec of 1702 with 1705. His/her other brother, Charles of Boische of Beauharnois, will be governor of News-France of 1726 with 1746.

Michel Bégon unloads in Quebec in the difficult context of the War of succession of Spain. Because of this context, the economy of the colony beats wing. The new intendant tries to start again it by various means. He decides to support the freedom of trade in the draft of the beaver, the last obstacles obliging the colonists to develop their grounds rather than to run wood. From now on, nothing is opposed so that they become runners of wood if they wish it.

Michel Bégon is the first intendant with really supporting the culture of the hemp, although its predecessor Jean Talon tested himself there with the beginning of the year 1670. Considering the currency of chart harmful to the economy, it withdraws it market by paying some half of their value to their holders. Moreover, it inaugurates a distribution network of the mail and public transport. It is about the first postal system in the colony.

With Philippe de Rigaud of Vaudreuil, governor in place at the time, it makes build the first true fortification around the town of Quebec. He also makes raise barracks, in order to found a discipline which was before difficult to apply.

In 1723, Michel Bégon is named intendant of the Havre by the Minister for the Navy, Maurepas. It cannot however leave Quebec before 1726, because its two designated successors perish in turn at sea during their voyages.

After ten years of intendance in Le Havre, Bégon will be named, in 1736, intendant of Admiralty with residence with Rouen. In 1746, it is promoted intendant of the naval armies. He dies in his seigniory of Picardière on January 18th, 1747.

References

Yvonne Bezard, maritime and colonial Civils servant under Louis XIV: Bégon , Paris, Albin Michel, 1932
Georges Duplessis, curious about: Michel Bégon, intendant of the La Rochelle , Paris, A. Aubry, 1874
Letters with expensive wire: correspondence of Elisabeth Bégon with her son-in-law (1748-1753) , ED. Nicole Deschamps, Montreal, Boreal, 1994 ISBN 2890526267

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