Jean-Baptiste Colbert 1619-1683

Question 0

What did Colbert become in 1664?

Answer 0

Superintendent of the kings buildings

Question 1

Who had Colbert previously served?

Answer 1

Mazarin since 1651

Question 2

What did he become in 1665

Answer 2

Controller general of finance

Question 3

What did he become in 1669

Answer 3

Secretary state for the marine

Question 4

Give an example of why the fiscal system was chaotic

Answer 4

Different rates of Taille for different parts of the country

Question 5

How much did Colbert estimate was being embezzled by tax farmers?

Answer 5

53 out of 85 million livres

Question 6

What investigation did Colbert launch in 1667 and why was it successful?

Answer 6

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

Question 7

How did he expand the yield from ancient royal domains, give an example

Answer 7

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

Question 8

Recorded in 1661, how much did crown lands produce?

Answer 8

5,500,000 livres compared to 800,000

Question 9

Why did he abolish useless officers?

Answer 9

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

Question 10

Give 3 methods how he improved tax yield

Answer 10

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

Question 11

How did Colbert prevent corruption and fraud?

Answer 11

Kept a record of revenues and expenses to prevent fraud. Actual payments and receipt recorded in a daily journal, shown to louis xiv.

Question 12

What happened to the kings income between1661-1671 and why

Answer 12

It doubled, apart from the war of devolution, these were peaceful years

Question 13

How much was gained from corrupt tax farmers

Answer 13

100 million livres by 1669

Question 14

EG of How many false nobles

Answer 14

1000 in Provence

Question 15

Due to the expense if the Dutch war, Colbert had to reverse some policies, which ones?

Answer 15

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

Question 16

By colberts death, how much was France in debt

Answer 16

28,000,000, war debt was 18,000,000

Question 17

What did Colbert believe in

Answer 17

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

Question 18

Explain the Gobelins tapestry

Answer 18

It was designated in 1667 as ‘makers of furniture to the crown’, showcased in Versailles

Question 19

Examples of foreign skilled workers

Answer 19

Mining workers, naval builders from England, Germany and Scandinavia.

Question 20

Explain the tariff policy he introduced

Answer 20

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.

Question 21

He found a number of trading companies between 1664-1670, name 3

Answer 21

1664 east india company
1664 West Indies company
1669 northern company
1670 levant company

Question 22

Where did he encourage colonial development?

Answer 22

Canada and West Indies

Question 23

Why were the roads deliberately kept in disrepair?

Answer 23

If goods fell on your land, they were yours. 600,000 livres spent on roads

Question 24

Colbert turned to water as a means of transportation, give an example

Answer 24

The languedoc canal built, rivers seine, Loire, Rhine were opened for investigation.
Canal des deux mers linked Bordeaux to Mediterranean

Question 25

Give an example of products sold by the luxury market

Answer 25

Porcelain, glass, silk, tapestries

Question 26

What did Colbert rely on?

Answer 26

The industrial investment of the nobility

Question 27

What happened to the West Indies and northern company

Answer 27

They went into liquidation

Question 28

What did the Dutch merchant fleet dominate

Answer 28

Maritime trade

Question 29

Give 3 reasons for developing the Royal Navy

Answer 29

Defence purposes
Trading purpose, compete with English and Dutch
Employment/reputation

Question 30

Methods of developing the Royal Navy

Answer 30

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

Question 31

Give an example of how the size of the navy increase

Answer 31

From 24 craft in 1661 to 130 in 1667

Question 32

Give examples of the agricultural materials Colbert used to provide materials for industry

Answer 32

Kemp, dyes, timber

Question 33

What happened to agriculture during the reign of louis xiv

Answer 33

Production fell and food prices increased

Question 34

What happened to agriculture in burgundy?

Answer 34

In rural areas, whole communities were in debt and harvests had worsened

Question 35

Give an example of agriculture in Provence

Answer 35

There was still soil erosion due to excessive land clearance

Question 36

Why didn’t the French use the new agricultural techniques of the English and the Dutch

Answer 36

It was beyond the capacity of French society