Joseph Marie Terray facts for kids

Joseph Marie Terray, painted by Alexander Roslin in 1774. The red book behind him shows his important job.

Abbot Joseph Marie Terray (born 1715, died 1778) was a very important financial leader in France. He served as the Controller-General of Finances during the reign of Louis XV of France. His main job was to manage the country's money and try to fix its financial problems.

Joseph Marie Terray's Life and Work

Even though he had taken some religious vows, Joseph Marie Terray was not a full priest. In 1736, he became a legal advisor in the main court of Paris, called the Parlement of Paris. Here, he became an expert in money matters. Later, in 1764, he was given control of a wealthy abbey.

Terray's family connections helped him become very rich. This allowed him to live a more open lifestyle. His skills caught the eye of King Louis XV's chancellor, René Nicolas de Maupeou. In December 1769, Maupeou appointed Terray as the Controller-General of Finances.

One of his first big tasks was to help remove the foreign affairs minister, Étienne François, duc de Choiseul. Terray showed that France could not afford to go to war with Great Britain. He was known for being "intelligent, plain-speaking, hard-working, and rich."

Over the next few years, Terray worked hard to make France's finances stable again. He did this by:

• Canceling part of the national debt.
• Stopping payments on interest for government bonds.
• Making people give forced loans to the government.

These changes caused a lot of anger among both nobles and common people. Because of this, Maupeou had to take away some political power from the Parlements (the high courts) in 1771. This allowed Terray to continue his important reforms.

Terray kept working to improve the financial system. He changed how two main taxes were collected:

• The vingtième (a five percent tax on income).
• The capitation (a head tax) in Paris.

He also made better deals with the "farmers general." These were people who paid the government for the right to collect indirect taxes. These changes greatly increased the money the government collected.

However, Terray still faced opposition. Many people were upset about his rules that limited the free trade of grain. His opponents claimed this was part of a "Pact of Famine" with King Louis XV. They said the king was trying to profit from high grain prices.

When King Louis XV died in May 1774, his successor, Louis XVI, faced pressure from the public. He decided to dismiss both Terray and Maupeou from their positions.

Terray's Support for the Arts

Because of his important job and wealth, Terray became a generous supporter of the arts. He rebuilt his large private house, called an Hôtel particulier, in Paris between 1769 and 1774. This was the last project for the architect Antoine-Mathieu Le Carpentier. The Hôtel Terray was known for its good design. It was later torn down in 1849.

Terray also ordered paintings from famous artists. For example, he commissioned two paintings from Nicolas Bernard Lépicié in 1775. These showed an Interior of a Customs-house and an Interior of a Market. He also commissioned a painting from Claude-Joseph Vernet in 1779. These artworks showed Terray's interest in trade and economics.

From the history painter Nicolas-Guy Brenet, he ordered two paintings that related to his official role. One, Cincinnatus Made Dictator, showed a leader taking control for the good of the country. The other, The Roman Farmer, showed a farmer who was wrongly accused of magic because his crops grew so well. This painting was shown at the Salon of 1775.

Terray didn't just commission serious art. He also ordered two bronze statues from Jean-Jacques Caffiéri in 1777. These statues had playful, romantic themes: Cupid Vanquishing Pan (now in the Wallace Collection in London) and Friendship Surprised by Love (now in the Toledo Museum of Art). He also bought a small marble statue called Bartholomew by Pierre Le Gros the Younger. His funeral monument was created by the sculptor Clodion.

After Terray's death, his nephew sold his art collection at an auction in 1779.

See also

In Spanish: Joseph Marie Terray para niños