Joseph de Villèle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Count of Villèle
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Portrait by Jean-Sébastien Rouillard
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| Prime Minister of France | |
| In office 14 December 1821 – 4 January 1828 |
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| Monarch | Louis XVIII Charles X |
| Preceded by | Armand-Emmanuel du Plessis de Richelieu |
| Succeeded by | Jean Baptiste de Martignac |
| Member of the Chamber of Deputies for Haute-Garonne |
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| In office 5 October 1816 – 5 July 1830 |
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| Preceded by | Louis Emmanuel Dupuy |
| Succeeded by | Blaise Vezian de Saint-André |
| Constituency | Toulouse |
| Mayor of Toulouse | |
| In office 1815–1818 |
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| Preceded by | Raymond Lanneluc |
| Succeeded by | Guillaume de Bellegarde |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 14 April 1773 Toulouse, Languedoc, France |
| Died | 13 March 1854 (aged 80) Toulouse, Haute-Garonne, French Empire |
| Political party | Ultra-royalist |
| Spouse |
Mélanie Panon Desbassayns
(m. 1799; died 1854) |
| Children | 5 |
| Profession | Land owner |
Joseph de Villèle (born April 14, 1773, died March 13, 1854) was an important French politician. He was known as the 1st Count of Villèle. He served as the Prime Minister of France several times. He was a main leader of the Ultra-royalist group during a time in France called the Bourbon Restoration. This was when kings ruled France again after the French Revolution and Napoleon's time.
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Early Life and Career
Joseph de Villèle was born in Toulouse, France. He was trained to join the navy. In 1788, he joined a ship called the "Bayonnaise." He traveled and served in the West and East Indies. During a difficult time in France called the Reign of Terror, he was arrested. But he was freed in 1794.
He bought land on an island then called Isle of Bourbon (now Réunion). In 1799, he married Mélanie Panon Desbassayns. He had managed her family's large estates. Villèle gained political experience in the Colonial Assembly of Bourbon. He worked to protect the colony from too much control from Paris. He also stopped local people from asking the English for help.
In 1802, General Decaen arrived, sent by Napoleon Bonaparte. This made the island safer. Five years later, Villèle had become quite wealthy. He returned to France. He became the mayor of his town. He also joined the council of the Haute-Garonne area.
Rise to Power During the Bourbon Restoration
When the Bourbon kings returned to power in 1814, Villèle quickly supported them. He was mayor of Toulouse from 1814 to 1815. He also became a representative for Haute-Garonne. He joined the "ultra-royalist" group in the Chambre introuvable (an elected assembly) in 1815.
Villèle believed in strong royal power. He thought the new constitution was too democratic. He became a key figure among the ultra-royalists. Even when his party was a minority, his influence grew. Other politicians saw him as a reasonable leader. His own party trusted him deeply.
A political event in 1817 helped his party. A politician named Abbé Grégoire was allowed into the Chamber of Deputies. Many believed he had voted to execute King Louis XVI of France. This worried many people. Then, the assassination of the duc de Berry caused even more alarm.
These events made the conservative party stronger. The prime minister, duc de Richelieu, had to include two ultra-royalist leaders in his government. These were Villèle and Corbière. Villèle resigned within a year. But when Richelieu's government fell in 1821, Villèle became the main leader of the new government. He also served as the finance minister.
Leading France as Prime Minister
In 1822, King Louis XVIII made Villèle a count. He officially became the prime minister. Villèle quickly tried to control opposition. He passed strict laws about the press. Small liberal plots also gave him reasons for more control.
He was pushed to get involved in Spain by other politicians. Even though he didn't want to, he managed to make the monarchy look good. This was after a successful military campaign in Spain in 1823.
Villèle also made the king's power stronger. He convinced Louis XVIII to add 27 new members to the upper house of parliament. This helped to reduce the power of the liberal group. After the Spanish campaign, the monarchy was popular. Villèle used this chance to call for new elections. The new parliament was very loyal to Villèle. Only 19 liberal members were elected. This new parliament decided to serve for seven years. This was meant to give Villèle time to bring back some old ways of ruling.
Challenges and Changes
Villèle's plans were helped by the death of Louis XVIII. His brother, Charles X, became king. Charles X strongly believed in absolute monarchy. Since 1815, France's finances had been managed well. This allowed the government to change how it paid back its debts.
Villèle proposed using this money to pay back people who had lost their lands during the French Revolution. This was called "Le milliard des émigrés" (the billion francs for the émigrés). He also wanted to bring back special rights for religious groups. Both of these ideas were approved with some changes.
In 1825, a law called the Anti-Sacrilege Act was passed. It made sacrilege (disrespecting holy things) a crime that could be punished by death. Villèle's government also planned to change inheritance laws. They wanted to make it easier to create large family estates again.
These actions caused strong opposition across the country. A new, very strict press law was passed, nicknamed the "law of justice and love." But it failed to stop the protests. The upper house of parliament rejected the inheritance law and the press law. The government also had to disband the National Guard.
In November 1827, 76 new members were added to the upper house. A general election was called. The new parliament was against Villèle. He resigned and was replaced by a more moderate government led by Martignac.
Later Life
When the new government took office, they made sure Villèle moved to the upper house of parliament. He did not take part in public affairs after that. He began writing his memoirs, which are his life story. He had written up to the year 1816 when he died. His family finished his memoirs using his letters. They were published as Mémoires et correspondance du comte de Villèle.
See also
In Spanish: Jean-Baptiste de Villèle para niños
- Franco-Trarzan War of 1825
- 1825 Anti-Sacrilege Act
- Ultra-royalists
