Chapter 1.3.II: Controller Calonne
Notes
Foulons, Berthiers Joseph-François Foulon de Doué was at this point a member of the Paris parlement. He will succeed to the office of Controller-General in 1789. Berthier de Sauvigny was his son-in-law, another official of the monarchy. They will be brutally murdered after the storming of the Bastille.
Stinginess has fled from these royal abodes Calonne pursued a policy of “useful splendor” in which money was spent conspicuously in order to increase the faith of France’s creditors in the financial health of the monarchy.
Salpêtrière Originally a gunpowder factory, then a hospice, later a women’s prison was attached. Now a teaching hospital.
Convocation of the Notables Last convened in 1626, the Notables were a group that could generally be relied on to support the monarchy (the group was hand-picked by the King). Calonne advised convening them in order to garner support for his financial plan, which otherwise was liable to be stymied by the political opposition of the Paris parlement.