Michel Chamillart facts for kids
Michel Chamillart (born January 2, 1652 – died April 14, 1721) was an important French leader who worked for King Louis XIV of France. He was a key minister, meaning he helped the king run the country.
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Who Was Michel Chamillart?
Michel Chamillart was born in Paris. His family had recently become part of the nobility, which was a special group of high-ranking families. He followed a typical path for someone in government during his time.
Early Life and Career
In 1676, Chamillart became a councillor in the parlement of Paris. This was a high court that also had some political power. Later, in 1686, he became a master of requests. This role involved helping the king with legal and administrative tasks.
By January 1689, he was made an intendant for the region of Rouen. An intendant was like a royal governor, managing taxes, justice, and public works in a specific area.
Taking on Big Jobs
Chamillart was well-liked by important people, including Madame de Maintenon, who was close to the king, and King Louis XIV himself. Because of this trust, he was given more responsibility.
In 1690, he became an intendant of finances. This meant he helped manage the country's money. Then, on September 5, 1699, the king made him the Controller-General of Finances. This was a very powerful job, making him the main person in charge of all of France's money. Just a few months later, on January 7, he also became the Secretary of State for War. This meant he was in charge of the army and military matters.
Facing Tough Challenges
Chamillart's new jobs were very difficult. France was in a lot of debt, more than 53 million livres (the money used back then). The country's ability to borrow money was almost gone.
Chamillart tried his best, but he found it hard to solve these big problems. He couldn't convince the king to spend less on wars. He also struggled to make big changes to the economy. Instead, he had to use common methods of the time, like:
- Selling many government jobs.
- Making the money worth less (this happened five times in six years).
- Lowering the interest paid on government debts.
- Increasing taxes on people.
He even tried to use a type of paper money called billets de monnaie, but it didn't work well because people didn't trust the government's finances. He also looked at ideas from other experts, like a new tax plan from Vauban and a tax reform idea from Boisguillebert, but he didn't put them into action.
By October 1706, Chamillart showed the king that France owed 288 million livres right away. He also warned that the country would be short 160 million livres in the next year. In October 1707, he realized that all the money expected for 1708 was already spent. There was no money or credit left.
Leaving His Roles
Chamillart often complained about how heavy his responsibilities were. He had wanted to retire in 1706. With the financial crisis getting worse, he finally resigned from his role as Controller-General of Finances. Many people blamed him for the country's money problems, even though he had tried to help trade by creating a special council in 1700.
As Secretary of State for War, he had the huge task of building up the army for the War of the Spanish Succession. He had to rebuild the army three times after big defeats in 1704, 1706, and 1708. With no money, he could only do so much. He even told the king that the enemy might soon be able to tell France what to do to make peace.
Some people criticized him for letting his son-in-law, the duc de la Feuillade, lead the army that attacked Turin in 1706, because his son-in-law was not a very good leader. Even Madame de Maintenon, who had supported him, turned against him. Finally, on June 9, 1709, he was removed from his position and went to live on his own land.
Chamillart's Writings
Chamillart's letters and papers were later published by historians. These writings help us understand more about his time in government and the challenges he faced.
