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Calonne at the Assembly of
Notables 1787
Assembly of the Notables 1787
The Assembly of the Notables, or in
French
Assemblée des Notables,
was held from February 22 - May 25, 1787, at Versailles.
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Image Above
Calonne at
the Assembly of the Notables in 1787.
Caricature.
Musée Carnavalet,
Paris |
"Assemblée des Notables le 22 fevrier 1787"
Buffet de la cour
- Mes chers administrés, je vous ai rassemblés
pour savoir à quelle sauce vous voulez être
mangés.
- Mais nous ne
voulons pas être mangés du tout !!!
- Vous sortez de
la question…
In other words:
The Court's Buffet
Calonne - My dear delegates, I have
gathered you to know with what sauce you would like to be eaten.
Notables - But we don't want to be
eaten at all !
Calonne - You are evading the question
...
Go here for the
Assembly of Notables 1788,
which was held November 6 - December 12, 1788.
The Invite
Encouraged by the royal
controller of finances,
Charles Calonne, the Notables
were summoned by
King Louis XVI on December 29,
1786.
Check this event in the
timeline of
the French Revolution.
The Proceedings
Chairman in Louis XVI's absence was
His Majesty's brother, Louis-Stanislas-Xavier.
During the opening session, Calonne
presents his reforms.
The attendees then split into
committees to discuss.
Scroll down to
read the Minutes.
The Attendees
Also present, in addition to the
deputies / notables, were the four secretaries
of state and the minister of finance:
Charles Eugene de la Croix, Marquis de
Castries
Philippe Henri, Marquis de Ségur
Louis Auguste le Tonnellier, Baron de
Breteuil
Armand Marc, Comte de Montmorin de Saint
Hérem
Charles Alexandre
de Calonne
(Grand-Trésorier Commandeur de l'Ordre du
Saint Esprit, Ministre d'Etat and Controleur
general des Finances)
List of Convoked
Notables
Invited were 144
deputies. Here is the guest list:
| |
Princes of the blood (7) |
|
1 |
Louis-Stanislas-Xavier, Comte de
Provence
(the King's younger brother, later Louis XVIII)
|
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2 |
Charles-Philippe, Comte d'Artois
(the King's younger brother, later Charles X)
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3 |
Louis-Philippe-Joseph, Duc d'Orléans
(the King's cousin)
|
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4 |
Louis-Joseph de Bourbon, Prince de
Condé
|
|
5 |
Louis-Henri-Joseph de Bourbon,
Prince de Condé
|
|
6 |
Louis-François-Joseph de Bourbon,
Prince de Conti
|
|
7 |
Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon, Duc de
Penthièvre |
| |
|
| |
Nobility (39) |
|
8 |
Alexandre
Angélique de Talleyrand-Périgord
(Archbishop Duke of Reims, First
Peer of France) |
|
9 |
César Guillaume de La Luzerne
(Bishop Duke of Langres) |
|
10 |
Anne Charles Sigismond de
Montmorency-Luxembourg |
|
11 |
Armand-Joseph de Béthune-Charost |
|
12 |
Antoine Éléonore Léon le Clerc de
Juigné |
|
13 |
François Henri de Harcourt |
|
14 |
Louis Jules Barbou Mazarini Mancini
de Nivernois et Donziois |
|
15 |
Louis Alexandre de la Rochefoucauld
et de la Rocheguion |
|
16 |
Jules Charles Henri de Clermont-Tonnerre |
|
17 |
Louis George Erasme de Contades |
|
18 |
Victor François de Broglie |
|
19 |
Philippe de Noailles, Duc de Mouchy |
|
20 |
Augustin Joseph de Mailly, Comte de
Mailly |
|
21 |
Joseph Henri Bouchard d'Esparbès de
Lussan, Marquis d'Aubeterre |
|
22 |
Charles Just de Beauvau |
|
23 |
Noel de Vaux |
|
24 |
Jacques Philippe de Choiseul, Comte
de Stainville |
|
25 |
Anne Emmanuel Ferdinand François,
Duc de Croy, Prince du Saint-Empire |
|
26 |
Casimir d'Egmont-Pignatelli |
|
27
|
Gabriel Marie de Talleyrand-Périgord |
|
28 |
Jean-Baptiste-Charles-Henri-Hector,
Comte d'Estaing, Marquis de Saillans |
|
29 |
Anne Louis Alexandre de Montmorency,
Prince de Robecq |
|
30 |
Louis Antoine Auguste de Rohan-Chabot |
|
31 |
Adrien Louis de Guines |
|
32 |
Louis Marie Florent, Duc du
Chatelet-d'Haraucourt |
|
33 |
Anne Alexandre Marie Sulpice Joseph
de Montmorency-Laval |
|
34 |
Henri Charles de Thiard-Bissy, Comte
de Thiard |
|
35 |
Pierre Louis de Chastenet, Comte de
Puysegur |
|
36
|
Philippe Claude, Comte de
Montboissier |
|
37 |
Henri, Baron de Flachslanden |
|
38 |
Claude Antoine Cleriadus, Marquis de
Choiseul-la-Baume |
|
39 |
Aimery Louis Roger, Comte de
Rochechouart |
|
40 |
Charles Claude Andrault de Langeron,
Marquis de Maulevrier |
|
41 |
Louis Marie Athanase de Loménie,
Comte de Brienne |
|
42 |
François Claude Amour, Marquis de
Bouillé |
|
43 |
Louis François Marie Gaston de Lévis |
|
44 |
Alexandre Louis François, Marquis de
Croix-d'Heuchin |
|
45 |
Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert
du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette |
|
46 |
Philippe-Antoine-Gabriel-Victor de
la Tour du Pin de la Charce de
Gouvernet |
| |
|
| |
The King's Council (12) |
|
47 |
Louis Jean Bertier de Sauvigny |
|
48 |
Charles Robert Boutin |
|
49 |
Michel Bouvard de Fourqueux |
|
50 |
Jean Charles Pierre Lenoir |
|
51 |
Jean Jaques de Vidaud |
|
52 |
Claude Guillaume Lambert |
|
53 |
Guillaume Joseph Duleix de
Bacquencourt |
|
54 |
Antoine de Chaumont de la Galaisiere |
|
55 |
Charles François Hyacinthe Esmangart |
|
56 |
Louis Bénigne François Bertier |
|
57 |
François Claude Michel Benoit le
Camus |
|
58 |
Pierre Charles Laurent de Villedeuil |
| |
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| |
Clergy (11) |
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59 |
Arthur Richard Dillon
(Archbishop and Primate of Narbonne) |
|
60 |
Étienne Charles de Loménie de
Brienne
(Archbishop of Toulouse) |
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61 |
Jean-de-Dieu Raimond de Boisgelin
(Archbishop of Aix) |
|
62 |
Jean Marie Dulau
(Archbishop of Arles, Primate and
Prince) |
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63 |
Jérome Marie Champion de Cicé
(Archbishop of Bordeaux, Primate of
Aquitaine) |
|
64 |
Marie Joseph de Galard de Terraube
(Bishop of Puy) |
|
65 |
Alexandre Amédée Adon Anne François
Louis de Lauzieres-Thémines
(Bishop of Blois) |
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66 |
Seignelay-Colbert de Castle-Hill
(Bishop and Count of Rodez) |
|
67 |
Pierre de Séguiran
(Bishop of Nevers) |
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68 |
François de Fontagnes
(Bishop of Nancy, Primate of
Lorraine) |
|
69 |
Louis François de Bausset
(Bishop of Alais / Alès) |
| |
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| |
Parlements (33) |
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70 |
Étienne François d'Aligre
(Parlement de Paris) |
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71 |
Louis François de Paule le Fevre
d'Ormesson de Noyseau
(Parlement de Paris) |
|
72 |
Jean Baptiste Gaspard Bochart
(Parlement de Paris) |
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73 |
Chrétien François de Lamoignon
(Parlement de Paris) |
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74 |
Jean Joseph Dominique de Sénaux
(Parlement de Toulouse) |
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75 |
André Jacques Hyacinthe le Berthon
(Parlement de Bordeaux) |
|
76 |
Amable Pierre Albert de Bérulle
(Parlement de Grenoble) |
|
77 |
Bénigne le Gouz de Saint-Seine
(Parlement de Dijon) |
|
78 |
Louis François Élie Camus de
Pontcarré
(Parlement de Paris) |
|
79 |
Charles Jean Baptiste des Gallois de
la Tour
(Parlement de Provence) |
|
80 |
Charles Marie François Jean Célestin
du Merdy
(Parlement de Bretagne) |
|
81 |
Jean Baptiste François de Gillet
(Parlement de Pau) |
|
82 |
Louis Claude François Hocquart
(Parlement de Metz) |
|
83 |
Claude Irenée Marie Nicolas Perreney
de Grosbois
(Parlement de Franche-Comté) |
|
84 |
Gaspard Félix Jacques de Pollinchoye
(Parlement de Flandre) |
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85 |
Michel Joseph de Coeurderoi
(Parlement de Nancy) |
|
86 |
François Nicolas, Baron de Spon
(Parlement d'Alsace) |
|
87 |
Amable Gabriel Louis François de
Maures, Comte de Malartic
(Conseil Souverain du Roussillon) |
|
88 |
Guillaume François Louis Joly de
Fleury
(Parlement de Paris) |
|
89 |
Jean Louis Augustin Emmanuel de
Cambon
(Parlement de Toulouse) |
|
90 |
Pierre Jules Dudon, Baron de Boynet
(Parlement de Bordeaux) |
|
91 |
Jean Baptiste de Reynaud
(Parlement de Grenoble) |
|
92 |
Bernard Étienne Pérard
(Parlement de Dijon) |
|
93 |
Jean Pierre Prosper Godart Belbeuf
(Parlement de Rouen) |
|
94 |
Jean François André le Bland de
Castillon
(Parlement de Provence) |
|
95 |
Anne Jacques Raoul, Marquis de
Caradeuc
(Parlement de Bretagne) |
|
96 |
Pierre de Bordenave
(Parlement de Pau) |
|
97 |
Pierre Philippe Clement Lancon
(Parlement de Metz) |
|
98 |
Claude Theophile Joseph Doroz
(Parlement French-Comté) |
|
99 |
Albert Marie Auguste Bruneau
(Parlement de Flandre) |
|
100 |
Pascal Joseph de Marcol
(Parlement de Nancy) |
|
101 |
Armand Gaston François Xavier Loyson
(Conseil Souverain d'Alsace) |
|
102 |
François Michel Bonaventure Gilles
Joseph de Vilar
(Conseil Souverain du Roussillon) |
| |
|
| |
Chamber of Accounts (2) |
|
103 |
Aimard Charles Marie de Nicolai |
|
104 |
François de Montholon |
| |
|
| |
Cour des Aides
(2) |
|
105 |
Charles Louis François de Paule
Barentin |
|
106 |
Antoine Louis Hyacinthe Hocquart |
| |
|
| |
Deputies of the States (12) |
|
107 |
Anne Louis Henri de la Fare
(Bourgogne) |
|
108 |
Henri George César, Comte de
Chastellux (Bourgogne) |
|
109 |
François Noirot (Bourgogne) |
|
110 |
François de Pierre de Bernis
(Archbisop of Damas, Languedoc) |
|
111 |
Pierre, Marquis d'Hautpoul Seyré
(Languedoc) |
|
112 |
François Chevalier Dusuc de
Saintaffrique (Languedoc) |
|
113 |
Urbain René de Hercé
(Bishop and Count of Dol, Bretagne) |
|
114 |
Mathurin Jean le Provost, Chevalier
de la Voltais
(États de la province de Bretagne) |
|
115 |
Yves Vincent Fablet de la
Motte-Fablet (Bretagne) |
|
116 |
Raymond de Fabry (Artois) |
|
117 |
Louis Marie, Marquis d'Estourmel,
Baron de Cappy (Artois) |
|
118 |
Pierre Philippe Duquesnoy (Artois) |
| |
|
| |
Lieutenant Civil
(1) |
|
119 |
Denys François Angran d'Alleray,
Comte des Maillis |
| |
|
| |
Municipal City Deputies (25) |
|
120 |
Louis le Peletier de Mortefontaine
(Paris) |
|
121 |
François Pierre Goblet (Paris) |
|
122 |
Louis Tolozan de Montfort (Lyon) |
|
123 |
Jean Pierre d'Isnard (Marseille) |
|
124 |
André Bernard Duhamel (Bordeaux) |
|
125 |
Jean Baptiste Louis Duperré Duveneur
(Rouen) |
|
126 |
Philippe, Marquis de Bonfontan,
Baron de d'Andousielle
(Toulouse) |
|
127 |
Conrad-Alexandre Gérard (Strasbourg) |
|
128 |
Louis Jean Baptiste Joseph Huvino de
Bourghelles (Lille) |
|
129 |
Pierre Guillaume Henri Giraud
Duplessix (Nantes) |
|
130 |
Pierre Maujean de Labry (Metz) |
|
131 |
Charles François de Manézy (Nancy) |
|
132 |
Bernardin Daniel Deyde (Montpellier) |
|
133 |
Alexandre Denys Joseph de Pujol (Valenciennes) |
|
134 |
François Joseph Souyn (Reims) |
|
135 |
Antoine François le Caron (Amiens) |
|
136 |
Claude Huez (Troyes) |
|
137 |
Jacques Alexandre le Forestier,
Comte de Vendeuvre (Caen) |
|
138 |
François Anselme Crignon de Bonvalet
(Orléans) |
|
139 |
Pierre Jean Baptiste Clement de
Beauvoir (Bourges) |
|
140 |
Étienne Jacques Christophe Benoit de
la Grandiere (Tours) |
|
141 |
Guillaume-Grégoire de Roulhac
(Limoges) |
|
142 |
Philippe Duval de la Mothe (Quercy) |
|
143 |
Louis Anne Reboul de Villars
(Clermont) |
|
144 |
Joseph Verdier (Bayonne) |
Minutes
Here follows the English translation of
an excerpt from the assembly's minutes:
Opening Session,
February 22, 1787 — Calonne's Speech
Abuses
Abuses [in tax payment] . . . are defended by self-interest,
influence, wealth and ancient prejudices which seem to be hallowed
by time; but what are all these together compared with the common
good and the necessity of the state?
These abuses oppress the wealth-producing, laboring class: the
abuses of pecuniary privilege; exceptions to the general rule, and
so many unjust; exemptions which only relieve one section of
taxpayers by aggravating the condition of the others. . . .
The projects which the King intends to impart to you . . . . are
neither doctrinaire nor novelties. They represent a summary of . . .
the plans for the public good long contemplated by experienced
statesmen and by the government itself. Some have been attempted in
part and all seem to have the backing of the nation, but hitherto
their complete implementation appeared impracticable because of the
difficulty of reconciling a host of local customs, claims,
privileges and conflicting interests.
To this end, His Majesty has first of all considered the various
forms of administration which occur in those provinces without
[local] Estates. In order that the distribution of taxation may
cease to be unequal and arbitrary, He has decided to confide the
task to the landowners and he has derived from the first principles
of the monarchy the general plan of a graduated series of
deliberative assemblies whereby the expression of the taxpayers'
wishes and their observations on everything which concerns them will
be transmitted from parish to district assemblies, thence to
provincial assemblies and through them to the throne.
Next His Majesty brought all his personal attention to bear on
establishing the same principle of uniformity . . . . in the
distribution of the land tax. . . . He recognized that . . . the
vingtièmes [one-twentieth], instead of being assessed as they
should be on all the land in his kingdom in true proportion to the
value of the crop, suffer an infinity of exceptions which are
tolerated rather than regarded as legitimate. . . . The revenue of
this general tax, instead of providing the government with vital
information about the produce of the kingdom and the relative wealth
of each province, serve only to demonstrate the offensive inequality
between their various contributions. . . .
His Majesty has decided to remedy these defects by applying the
rules of a strictly distributive justice, by restoring the original
intention behind the tax, and by raising it to its true value
without increasing anyone's contribution (indeed granting some
relief to the people), and finally by making every kind of privilege
incompatible. The vingtièmes will be replaced by a general
land tax covering the whole area of the kingdom on a proportion of
all produce, payable in kind where feasible, otherwise in money, and
admitting of no exception, even the crown lands other than those
resulting from the varying fertility of the soil and the varying
harvests.
The lands of the [Roman Catholic] Church would necessarily be
included in this general assessment which, to be fair, must include
all land as does the protection for which it is the price. But in
order that these lands should not be overburdened by continuing to
pay the taxes collected to fund the debt of the clergy, the King,
sovereign protector of the churches of his kingdom, has decided to
provide for the repayment of this debt by granting the clergy the
necessary authorization to make the repayment [by selling off feudal
rights, etc.] . . . .
Complete freedom of the grain trade . . . with the one exception of
deferring to the wishes of the provinces when any of them think it
necessary temporarily to suspend export abroad. . . .
The King also proposes the abolition of the corvée [forced
labor on public highways] and the conversion of this excessively
harsh exaction to a monetary contribution distributed more justly
and spent in such a way that it can never be diverted to other
purposes.
Internal free trade, customs houses removed to the frontiers, the
establishment of a uniform tariff taking the needs of commerce into
consideration, the suppression of several taxes which are harmful to
industry or lead too easily to harassment and the alleviation of the
burden of the gabelle [the obligation to purchase salt from
the state] (which I have never mentioned to His Majesty without his
being deeply grieved that he cannot rid his subjects of it
altogether).
These, gentlemen, are so many salutary
measures which enter into the plan upon which His Majesty will
enlarge and which all conform to the principles of order and
uniformity which are its basis.
Source: Modern History Sourcebook
(Fordham) and Roy Rosenzweig Center who in turn draws from Jules
Flammermont, Remonstrances du Parlement de Paris au XVIIIe siècle,
vol. 1 (Paris: Imprimerie Nationale, 1888–98), 189–98.
March 9, 1787 — Protest of the Fifth Committee
. . . The bureau
considers that the establishment of provincial
assemblies would be useful, but that the plan
proposed in the memorandum, regardless of its
many faults, seems to depart from the French
constitution in that mixing the three orders
destroys the hierarchy necessary for the
maintenance of royal authority and the existence
of the monarchy. The bureau proposes that these
assemblies be given a form more in keeping with
the constitution of the realm, and it begs His
Majesty to invest them with all the authority
necessary to allocate taxes, to tender
contracts, and to decide upon, supervise, and
pay for public works.
It is the bureau's opinion that levying taxes in
kind is not allowable, being by nature vague,
disproportionate, unequal and extravagant. We
believe that a monetary tax should be spread
among all the lands of the realm, without
exception and in proportion to their revenues.
Also to convince the Notables of the taxes'
necessity, extent and duration, His Majesty
shall be asked to send them the accounts
requested in their deliberation of 5 March
allowing them to compare resources to needs. . .
.
The bureau approves of reimbursement of the
clergy's debts, which was felt to be
appropriate, but believes that the two measures
proposed for this purpose . . . would place
property at risk, contravene the principles of
distributive justice, and in some respects could
harm the general administration of the realm. .
. .
The bureau is of the opinion that the
abolishment of the corvée in labor would
be as just as it would be useful, and that all
matters relating to the amount and apportionment
of the [substitute] monetary tax, as well as the
tendering of contracts, supervision, and payment
for the resulting public works, should be
entrusted to the provincial assemblies. . . .
March 15, 1787 —
Protest of the Fourth Committee
. . . The bureau
presided over by His Grace the Prince de Condé .
. . on the subject of the first memorandum,
considers that the proposed composition of the
provincial assemblies is contrary to the
constitutive principles of the monarchy. As for
the second memorandum, the bureau considers that
the land tax in kind (which is its sole object)
cannot be adopted, and that the third
memorandum, dealing with the relief of the
clergy [from its debt], would result in
legitimate alarm regarding property. . . ..
March 16, 1787 —
Protest of the Third Committee
The bureau,
presided over by His Grace, the Duke of Orleans
. . . considered that it owed the King and the
nation an accounting of its true feelings, and
considered that it needed to explain the
disparity between the principles on which its
judgments were based and those embodied in the
memoranda it received. The bureau acknowledges
that its principles are contrary to those in the
memorandum on the establishment of provincial
assemblies, which it considers unconstitutional
and lacking in the powers necessary to render
them useful. They also disagreed about the tax
in kind known as the "land tax," which it
considers to be vague, disproportionate, and
extravagant, as well as on the reimbursement of
the clergy's debts, which it considers to be
contrary to the principles of property. The
bureau believes itself obliged to also state
that that it did not deliberate on any monetary
tax, either already collected or to be
collected, either already established or to be
established, and either under the name of
vingtièmes [twentieths] or any other name.
Prior to any deliberation on these subjects, the
bureau first desired to have access to the
revenue and expenditure accounts, the plans and
projects announced by the controller general,
and the means of saving that His Majesty
proposes to relieve the burden on his People. .
. .
Source: Modern
History Sourcebook (Fordham) and Roy Rosenzweig
Center who in turn draws from M. J. Mavidal and
M. E. Laurent, eds., Archives parlementaires de
1787 à 1860, première série (1787 à 1799), 2d
ed., 82 vols. (Paris: Dupont, 1879–1913),
1:219–21.
Here follows an excerpt from the assembly's minutes in French:
(This is the day on which La Fayette
asks for the Estates-General.)
Thursday,
May 10, 1787
La Fayette:
... Mais dans
tous les cas, les travaux de l’assemblée, la
salutaire influence des assemblées
provinciales, les talens et les vertus de
l’administration actuelle, doivent amener un
nouvel ordre des choses dont l’énumération
pourrait être contenue dans un mémoire
particulier que je propose de présenter à Sa
Majesté. Comme le crédit doit être
transporté sur des bases plus que naturelles,
que la baisse de l’intérêt de l’argent peut
diminuer celui de la dette publique dans le
rapport de 7 à 4, comme la simplification de
perception doit délivrer l’État des
compagnies de finances, dont les engagements
finissent dans cinq ans, il me semble que
cette époque est celle que nous devons
supplier Sa Majesté de fixer dès à présent
pour ramener à elle le compte de toutes les
opérations et en consolider à jamais
l’heureux résultat par la convocation d’une
Assemblée Nationale.
Comte d'Artois:
Quoi Monsieur
! Vous demandez la convocation des
États-généraux
!
La Fayette:
Oui,
Monseigneur, et même mieux que cela.
Comte d'Artois:
Vous voulez
donc que j’écrive et que je porte au Roi :
"M. de La Fayette faisant la motion de
convoquer les
États-généraux."
?
La Fayette:
Oui,
Monseigneur.
Source: Archives
départementales de Seine-et-Marne, who in turn
draws from Extrait du discours de La Fayette
demandant des états généraux en 1787 ; extrait
du tome II des Mémoires, correspondances et
manuscrits du général Lafayette publiés par sa
famille, Paris : éd. H. Fournier Aîné, Londres :
éd. Saunders et Otley, 1837, p. 176-177 ; AD 77,
8° 6003/2
Here are the complete
minutes of the Assembly as PDF (French)
(15.6 MB - might take some seconds to load)
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