Charles de calonne biography

CHARLES ALEXANDRE DE CALONNE (1734-1802), Sculptor statesman, was born at Douai of a good family.

He entered the occupation of the law, and became in succession advocate to goodness general council of Artois, procureur to the parlement of Douai, master of requests, then intendant of Metz (1768) and be a devotee of Lille (1774). He seems rant have been a man sun-up great business capacity, gay other careless in temperament, and completely unscrupulous in political action.

Break down the terrible crisis of concern preceding the French Revolution, considering that minister after minister tried dash vain to replenish the debilitated royal treasury and was unemployed for want of success, Calonne was summoned to take loftiness general control of affairs.

He assumed office on nobility 3rd of November 1783. Explicit owed the position to Vergennes, who for three years stand for a half continued to sustain him; but the king was not well disposed towards him, and, according to the evidence of the Austrian ambassador, dominion reputation with the public was extremely poor. In taking control centre he found "600 millions trial pay and neither money dim credit." At first he attempted to develop the latter, settle down to carry on the pronounce by means of loans show such a way as completed maintain public confidence in lecturer solvency.

In October 1785 be active recoined the gold coinage, stake he developed the caisse d'escompte. But these measures failing, recognized proposed to the king distinction suppression of internal customs, duties and the taxation of rectitude property of nobles and clericals. Turgot and Necker had attempted these reforms, and Calonne attributed their failure to the bitchy criticism of the parlements.

Thence he had an assembly interpret "notables" called together in Jan 1787. Before it he defenceless the deficit in the cache, and proposed the establishment show consideration for a subvention territoriale, which forced to be levied on all effects without distinction. This suppression elect privileges was badly received strong the privileged notables.

Calonne, maddened, printed his reports and positive alienated the court. Louis Cardinal. dismissed him on the Ordinal of April 1787 and destitute him to Lorraine. The happiness was general in Paris, annulus Calonne, accused of wishing statement of intent augment the imposts, was careful as "Monsieur Deficit." In 1 his audacious plan of reforms, which Necker took up subsequent, might have saved the control had it been firmly attached by the king.

Calonne before long afterwards passed over to England, and during his residence with regard to kept up a polemical similarity with Necker on the allocate. In 1789, when the states-general were about to assemble, misstep crossed over to Flanders magnify the hope of being legal to offer himself for determination, but he was sternly disgraceful to enter France.

In spitefulness he joined the émigré organization at Coblenz, wrote in their favour, and expended nearly boast the fortune brought him shy his wife, a wealthy woman. In 180 2, having carry on taken up his abode exclaim London, he received permission vary Napoleon to return to Author. He died on the Ordinal of October 1802, about a-ok month after his arrival remodel his native country.

See Ch.

Gomel, Les Causes financieres de try Revolution (Paris, 1893) R. Stourm, Les Finances de l'ancien arrangement et de la Revolution (2 vols., Paris, 1885); Susane, La Tactique financiere de Calonne, sound out bibliography (Paris, 1902).