Étienne Charles de Loménie de Brienne
Encyclopedia
Étienne Charles de Loménie de Brienne (9 October 1727 – 16 February 1794) was a French
churchman, politician
and finance minister of Louis XVI
.
, of a Limousin
family traceable back to the 15th century. After a brilliant career as a student, he entered the Church, this being the best way to attain a distinguished position. In 1751 he became a doctor of theology
, though there were doubts as to the orthodoxy of his thesis. In 1752 he was appointed grand vicar to the Archbishop of Rouen
. After visiting Rome
, he was made Bishop of Condom
(1760), and in 1763 was translated to the archbishopric of Toulouse. His many famous friends included A. R. J. Turgot
, André Morellet
and Voltaire
, and in 1770 he was elected to the Académie française
. He was three times head of the bureau de jurisdiction at the general assembly of the clergy. He also took an interest in political and social questions of the day, and addressed to Turgot a number of memoires on these subjects, one of them, treating of pauperism, being especially remarkable.
In 1787 he was nominated as president of the Assembly of Notables, in which capacity he attacked the fiscal policy of Calonne
, whom he succeeded as head of the conseil des finances (finance minister) on 1 May 1787. Once in power, he succeeded in making the parlement
register edicts dealing with internal free trade
, the establishment of provincial assemblies and the redemption of the corvée
. When the parlement refused to register edicts on the stamp duty and the proposed new general land-tax, he persuaded Louis XVI to hold a lit de justice
, to enforce their registration. To crush the opposition to these measures, he persuaded Louis to exile the parlement to Troyes
(18 August 1787). When the parlement agreed to prolong the direct tax on all kinds of income, he recalled the councillors to Paris. A further attempt to force the parlement to register an edict for raising a loan of 120 million livres met with determined opposition. The struggle of the parlement against the incapacity of Brienne ended on 8 May in its consenting to an edict for its own abolition, with the proviso that the Estates-General should be summoned to remedy the disorders of the state. He resigned as finance minister on 25 August 1788.
Brienne, who had in the meantime been made Archbishop of Sens, now faced almost universal opposition. He was forced to suspend the Cour plenière which had been set up to take the place of the parlement, and to promise that the States-General should be summoned. Even these concessions were not enough to keep him in power, and on 29 August he had to retire, leaving the treasury empty. On 15 December following, he was made a cardinal
, and went to Italy
, where he spent two years. After the outbreak of the French Revolution
he returned to France, and took the oath of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy
in 1790. He was repudiated by Pope Pius VI
, and in 1791 had to give up the biretta
. He was also one of the few prelates of the old regime to swear the civic oath required by the revolutionary civil constitution
.
He retired to an abbey confiscated in the Revolution. He repudiated Catholicism in 1793, at the height of the French Revolution.
Both his past and present conduct made him an object of suspicion to the revolutionaries; he was arrested at Sens on 9 November 1793, and died in prison, either of an apoplectic stroke or by poison.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
churchman, politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and finance minister of Louis XVI
Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792, before being executed in 1793....
.
Life
He was born at ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, of a Limousin
Limousin (province)
Limousin is one of the traditional provinces of France around the city of Limoges. Limousin lies in the foothills of the western edge of the Massif Central, with cold weather in the winter...
family traceable back to the 15th century. After a brilliant career as a student, he entered the Church, this being the best way to attain a distinguished position. In 1751 he became a doctor of theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
, though there were doubts as to the orthodoxy of his thesis. In 1752 he was appointed grand vicar to the Archbishop of Rouen
Archbishop of Rouen
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rouen is an Archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. As one of the fifteen Archbishops of France, the ecclesiastical province of the archdiocese comprises the majority of Normandy....
. After visiting Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, he was made Bishop of Condom
Bishop of Condom
The city of Condom, France was a bishopric from 1317 to 1792.-List of bishops of Condom:*1317–1340 : Raymond de Galard*1340–1369 : Pierre de Galard*1369–1401 : Bernard Alaman*1401–1405 : Hugues Raimbaud*1405–1408 : name not known*1408–1418 : Aymeric Noël...
(1760), and in 1763 was translated to the archbishopric of Toulouse. His many famous friends included A. R. J. Turgot
Anne Robert Jacques Turgot, Baron de Laune
Anne-Robert-Jacques Turgot, Baron de Laune , often referred to as Turgot, was a French economist and statesman. Turgot was a student of Francois Quesnay and as such belonged to the Physiocratic school of economic thought...
, André Morellet
André Morellet
André Morellet was a French economist and writer. He was one of the last of the philosophes, and in this character he figures in many memoirs, such as those of Madame de Rémusat....
and Voltaire
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
, and in 1770 he was elected to the Académie française
Académie française
L'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,...
. He was three times head of the bureau de jurisdiction at the general assembly of the clergy. He also took an interest in political and social questions of the day, and addressed to Turgot a number of memoires on these subjects, one of them, treating of pauperism, being especially remarkable.
In 1787 he was nominated as president of the Assembly of Notables, in which capacity he attacked the fiscal policy of Calonne
Charles Alexandre de Calonne
Charles Alexandre, vicomte de Calonne was a French statesman, best known for his involvement in the French Revolution.-Rise to prominence:...
, whom he succeeded as head of the conseil des finances (finance minister) on 1 May 1787. Once in power, he succeeded in making the parlement
Parlement
Parlements were regional legislative bodies in Ancien Régime France.The political institutions of the Parlement in Ancien Régime France developed out of the previous council of the king, the Conseil du roi or curia regis, and consequently had ancient and customary rights of consultation and...
register edicts dealing with internal free trade
Free trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
, the establishment of provincial assemblies and the redemption of the corvée
Corvée
Corvée is unfree labour, often unpaid, that is required of people of lower social standing and imposed on them by the state or a superior . The corvée was the earliest and most widespread form of taxation, which can be traced back to the beginning of civilization...
. When the parlement refused to register edicts on the stamp duty and the proposed new general land-tax, he persuaded Louis XVI to hold a lit de justice
Bed of Justice
In France under the Ancien Régime, the lit de justice was a particular formal session of the Parlement of Paris, under the presidency of the king, for the compulsory registration of the royal edicts. It was named thus because, rather than sit on a throne, the king would sit in an impromptu "bed"...
, to enforce their registration. To crush the opposition to these measures, he persuaded Louis to exile the parlement to Troyes
Troyes
Troyes is a commune and the capital of the Aube department in north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about southeast of Paris. Many half-timbered houses survive in the old town...
(18 August 1787). When the parlement agreed to prolong the direct tax on all kinds of income, he recalled the councillors to Paris. A further attempt to force the parlement to register an edict for raising a loan of 120 million livres met with determined opposition. The struggle of the parlement against the incapacity of Brienne ended on 8 May in its consenting to an edict for its own abolition, with the proviso that the Estates-General should be summoned to remedy the disorders of the state. He resigned as finance minister on 25 August 1788.
Brienne, who had in the meantime been made Archbishop of Sens, now faced almost universal opposition. He was forced to suspend the Cour plenière which had been set up to take the place of the parlement, and to promise that the States-General should be summoned. Even these concessions were not enough to keep him in power, and on 29 August he had to retire, leaving the treasury empty. On 15 December following, he was made a cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
, and went to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, where he spent two years. After the outbreak of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
he returned to France, and took the oath of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy
Civil Constitution of the Clergy
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was a law passed on 12 July 1790 during the French Revolution, that subordinated the Roman Catholic Church in France to the French government....
in 1790. He was repudiated by Pope Pius VI
Pope Pius VI
Pope Pius VI , born Count Giovanni Angelo Braschi, was Pope from 1775 to 1799.-Early years:Braschi was born in Cesena...
, and in 1791 had to give up the biretta
Biretta
The biretta is a square cap with three or four peaks or horns, sometimes surmounted by a tuft. Traditionally the three peaked biretta is worn by Roman Catholic clergy and some Anglican and Lutheran clergy. The four peaked biretta is worn as academic dress by those holding a doctoral degree from a...
. He was also one of the few prelates of the old regime to swear the civic oath required by the revolutionary civil constitution
French Constitution of 1791
The short-lived French Constitution of 1791 was the first written constitution of France. One of the basic precepts of the revolution was adopting constitutionality and establishing popular sovereignty, following the steps of the United States of America...
.
He retired to an abbey confiscated in the Revolution. He repudiated Catholicism in 1793, at the height of the French Revolution.
Both his past and present conduct made him an object of suspicion to the revolutionaries; he was arrested at Sens on 9 November 1793, and died in prison, either of an apoplectic stroke or by poison.
Works
The chief works published by Brienne are:- Oraison funébre du Dauphin (Paris, 1766)
- Compte-rendu au roi (Paris, 1788)
- Le Conciliateur, in collaboration with Turgot (Rome, Paris, 1754)