 | This articlerelies largely or entirely on asingle source. Relevant discussion may be found on thetalk page. Please helpimprove this article byintroducing citations to additional sources. Find sources: "Jean Baptiste Gay, 1st Viscount of Martignac" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(February 2012) |
The Viscount of Martignac | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Prime Minister of France | |
| In office 4 January 1828 – 8 August 1829 | |
| Monarch | Charles X |
| Preceded by | Jean-Baptiste de Villèle |
| Succeeded by | Jules de Polignac |
| Member of the Chamber of Deputies forLot-et-Garonne | |
| In office 5 October 1816 – 3 April 1832 | |
| Preceded by | Pierre Charles Sylvestre |
| Succeeded by | Jean Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent |
| Constituency | Marmande |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1778-06-20)20 June 1778 |
| Died | 3 April 1832(1832-04-03) (aged 53) |
| Resting place | Père Lachaise Cemetery |
| Political party | Ultra-royalist(1815–1828) Doctrinaires(1828–1830) Legitimist(1830–1832) |
| Spouse | |
| Alma mater | University of Bordeaux |
| Profession | Lawyer,poet,vaudevillist |
Jean-Baptiste Sylvère Gay, 1st Viscount of Martignac (20 June 1778 – 3 April 1832) was a moderate royalist French statesman during theBourbon Restoration 1814–30 under KingCharles X.
Martignac was born inBordeaux, France. In 1798 he became secretary toEmmanuel Joseph Sieyès; after serving for a while in the army, he turned to literature, producing several light plays. Under the Empire he practised with success as an advocate at Bordeaux, where in 1818 he became advocate-general of thecour royale. In 1819 he was appointedprocureur-général atLimoges, and in 1821 was returned forMarmande to the Chamber of Deputies, where he supported theultraroyalist policies ofVillèle. In 1822 he was appointed councillor of state, in 1823 he accompanied the duc d'Angouléme to Spain as civil commissary; in 1824 he was created a viscount and appointed director-general of registration.[1]
In contact with practical politics his ultra-royalist views were gradually modified in the direction of theDoctrinaires, and on the fall ofVillèle he was selected by Charles X to carry out the new policy of compromise. On 4 January 1828 he was appointed minister of the interior, and, though not bearing the title of president, became the virtual head of the cabinet. He succeeded in passing the act abolishing the press censorship, and in persuading the king to sign the ordinances of 16 June 1828 on theJesuits and the little seminaries.[1]
He was exposed to attack from both the extremeleft and the extremeright, and when in April 1829 a coalition of these groups defeated him in the chamber, Charles X, who had never believed in the policy he represented, replaced him by theprince de Polignac. In March 1830 Martignac voted with the majority for the address protesting against the famous ordinances; but during the revolution that followed he remained true to his legitimist principles. His last public appearance was in defence of Polignac in the Chamber of Peers in December 1830.[1]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Martignac, Jean Baptiste Sylvere Gay".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 792. This cites E. Daudet,Le Ministère de M. de Martignac (Paris, 1875).| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Prime Minister of France 1828–1829 | Succeeded by |
Ministry of Jean-Baptiste de Martignac (4 January 1828 to 8 August 1829) | ||
|---|---|---|
Head of state: KingCharles X of France | ||
| President of the council | Martignac | |
| Interior | ||
| Foreign Affairs | ||
| Finance | ||
| Justice | ||
| Navy and Colonies | ||
| War | ||
| Public Education | ||
| Religious Affairs | ||
| Commerce and Manufacturing | ||
