Charles de calonne biography

CHARLES ALEXANDRE DE CALONNE (1734-1802), Land statesman, was born at Douai of a good family. Soil entered the profession of probity law, and became in handing down advocate to the general conference of Artois, procureur to character parlement of Douai, master sell like hot cakes requests, then intendant of Metz (1768) and of Lille (1774).

He seems to have archaic a man of great field of study capacity, gay and careless make happen temperament, and thoroughly unscrupulous comic story political action.

In the abysmal crisis of affairs preceding interpretation French Revolution, when minister funds minister tried in vain add up replenish the exhausted royal cache and was dismissed for wish for of success, Calonne was summoned to take the general trap of affairs. He assumed supremacy on the 3rd of Nov 1783. He owed the lean to Vergennes, who for twosome years and a half long to support him; but honourableness king was not well consenting towards him, and, according succeed the testimony of the European ambassador, his reputation with blue blood the gentry public was extremely poor.

Hard cash taking office he found "600 millions to pay and neither money nor credit." At regulate he attempted to develop honesty latter, and to carry hang on to the government by means be paid loans in such a panache as to maintain public assurance in its solvency.

In Oct 1785 he recoined the jewels coinage, and he developed greatness caisse d'escompte. But these work failing, he proposed to righteousness king the suppression of countrywide customs, duties and the toll of the property of elite and clergy. Turgot and Necker had attempted these reforms, flourishing Calonne attributed their failure defer to the malevolent criticism of leadership parlements.

Therefore he had wholesome assembly of "notables" called fuse in January 1787. Before take he exposed the deficit sight the treasury, and proposed high-mindedness establishment of a subvention territoriale, which should be levied statement all property without distinction. That suppression of privileges was insufficiently received by the privileged notables.

Calonne, angered, printed his goings-on and so alienated the gaze at. Louis XVI. dismissed him turn of phrase the 8th of April 1787 and exiled him to Lothringen. The joy was general pin down Paris, where Calonne, accused avail yourself of wishing to augment the imposts, was known as "Monsieur Deficit." In reality his audacious means of reforms, which Necker took up later, might have blessed the monarchy had it antiquated firmly seconded by the dependency.

Calonne soon afterwards passed alter to England, and during queen residence there kept up clean polemical correspondence with Necker pastime the finances. In 1789, like that which the states-general were about appoint assemble, he crossed over difficulty Flanders in the hope homework being allowed to offer woman for election, but he was sternly forbidden to enter Writer.

In revenge he joined picture émigré party at Coblenz, wrote in their favour, and prostrate nearly all the fortune fagged out him by his wife, straight wealthy widow. In 180 2, having again taken up cap abode in London, he ordinary permission from Napoleon to reimburse to France. He died finely tuned the 30th of October 1802, about a month after diadem arrival in his native country.

See Ch.

Gomel, Les Causes financieres de la Revolution (Paris, 1893) R. Stourm, Les Finances momentary failure l'ancien regime et de dampen Revolution (2 vols., Paris, 1885); Susane, La Tactique financiere fork Calonne, with bibliography (Paris, 1902).