Jean-Baptiste Colbert 1619-1683 Flashcards
What did Colbert become in 1664?
Superintendent of the kings buildings
Who had Colbert previously served?
Mazarin since 1651
What did he become in 1665
Controller general of finance
What did he become in 1669
Secretary state for the marine
Give an example of why the fiscal system was chaotic
Different rates of Taille for different parts of the country
How much did Colbert estimate was being embezzled by tax farmers?
53 out of 85 million livres
What investigation did Colbert launch in 1667 and why was it successful?
To uncover false nobles, who paid to retain status as if they didn’t they would return to the third estate so would have to pay the Taille tax
How did he expand the yield from ancient royal domains, give an example
By reclaiming royal lands and rights which had been leased and sold. The value of forestry rose from 168,000 livres to 1,000,000 livres per annul during his time in office
Recorded in 1661, how much did crown lands produce?
5,500,000 livres compared to 800,000
Why did he abolish useless officers?
They were paying out more in salaries of the officers than they had been given as a lump sum to pay to have the office
Give 3 methods how he improved tax yield
Persuaded the clergy to increase their ‘free gift’ to the exchequer
The assessment of the Taille was modified so as to increase the rate on land owners, and decrease it on poor labourers. (Make it fairer based on ability to pay)
Rationalised tax farming, EG united farms, a single syndicate took over responsibility for the direct taxes raised from internal custom dues-successful as the taille was reduced
How did Colbert prevent corruption and fraud?
Kept a record of revenues and expenses to prevent fraud. Actual payments and receipt recorded in a daily journal, shown to louis xiv.
What happened to the kings income between1661-1671 and why
It doubled, apart from the war of devolution, these were peaceful years
How much was gained from corrupt tax farmers
100 million livres by 1669
EG of How many false nobles
1000 in Provence
Due to the expense if the Dutch war, Colbert had to reverse some policies, which ones?
Resell crown lands
Old taxes revived, new ones invented
Investors given favourable interest in excess of 7%, yet Colbert in 1665 stated that the interest should be 5%
He was forced to borrow from tax farmers and foreign bankers
By colberts death, how much was France in debt
28,000,000, war debt was 18,000,000
What did Colbert believe in
Mercantilism, that there was a finite amount of wealth in the world and the power of a country rested upon their ability to hold a significant proportion of that wealth
Explain the Gobelins tapestry
It was designated in 1667 as ‘makers of furniture to the crown’, showcased in Versailles
Examples of foreign skilled workers
Mining workers, naval builders from England, Germany and Scandinavia.
Explain the tariff policy he introduced
1660, duties on imported raw materials (except oil) were lifted. Imports of manufactured goods, however were raised. Taxes were so heavy that virtually nothing entered France. This angered the Dutch.
He found a number of trading companies between 1664-1670, name 3
1664 east india company
1664 West Indies company
1669 northern company
1670 levant company
Where did he encourage colonial development?
Canada and West Indies
Why were the roads deliberately kept in disrepair?
If goods fell on your land, they were yours. 600,000 livres spent on roads
Colbert turned to water as a means of transportation, give an example
The languedoc canal built, rivers seine, Loire, Rhine were opened for investigation.
Canal des deux mers linked Bordeaux to Mediterranean
Give an example of products sold by the luxury market
Porcelain, glass, silk, tapestries
What did Colbert rely on?
The industrial investment of the nobility
What happened to the West Indies and northern company
They went into liquidation
What did the Dutch merchant fleet dominate
Maritime trade
Give 3 reasons for developing the Royal Navy
Defence purposes
Trading purpose, compete with English and Dutch
Employment/reputation
Methods of developing the Royal Navy
Set aside 3 million livres
Set up an enquiry to find out the current state of the navy
Rebuilt arsenals at Toulon and rochefort
Rebuilt naval hospitals
At Brest, he established a major port facing England
He established schools of Marine Engineering,hydrography and cartography
Give an example of how the size of the navy increase
From 24 craft in 1661 to 130 in 1667
Give examples of the agricultural materials Colbert used to provide materials for industry
Kemp, dyes, timber
What happened to agriculture during the reign of louis xiv
Production fell and food prices increased
What happened to agriculture in burgundy?
In rural areas, whole communities were in debt and harvests had worsened
Give an example of agriculture in Provence
There was still soil erosion due to excessive land clearance
Why didn’t the French use the new agricultural techniques of the English and the Dutch
It was beyond the capacity of French society
