The Marquis of Argenson | |
|---|---|
 René-Louis de Voyer de Paulmy, Marquis d' Argenson | |
| Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 19 November 1744 – 10 January 1747 | |
| Preceded by | The Duke of Noailles |
| Succeeded by | The Marquis of Puisieux |
| IntendantFrench Hainaut | |
| In office 1720–1724 | |
| Preceded by | Jean-Charles Doujat |
| Succeeded by | Félix Aubery de Vastan |
| Governor ofÉpernay | |
| In office 1727–1770 | |
| Preceded by | Carloman Philogène Brulart, Comte de Sillery |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 18 October 1694 (1694-10-18) |
| Died | 26 January 1757(1757-01-26) (aged 62) |
| Nationality | French |
| Other political affiliations | Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres |
| Spouse | Marie Madeleine Méliand |
| Children | Marc Antoine (1722-1787) |
| Alma mater | Lycée Louis-le-Grand |
René-Louis de Voyer de Paulmy, marquis of Argenson (18 October 1694 – 26 January 1757) was a politician who served asMinister for Foreign Affairs from November 1744 to January 1747 and was a friend ofVoltaire. His younger brother,Marc-Pierre, Count of Argenson (1696–1764), wasMinister of War from 1743 to 1757.
René-Louis de Voyer de Paulmy was born 18 October 1694, eldest son ofMarc-René de Voyer de Paulmy d'Argenson (1652–1721) and Marguerite Le Fèvre de Caumartin (1672–1719).[1] He had a younger brother,Marc-Pierre, Comte d'Argenson (1696–1764), who served asMinister of War from 1743 to 1747.
His father wasLieutenant General of Police andController-General of Finances, one of the most important positions in theAncien Régime. He was a member of theNoblesse de robe orNobles of the robe, a class that formed theSecond Estate whose rank derived from holding judicial or administrative posts. They were usually hard-working professionals, unlike the aristocraticNoblesse d'épée orNobles of the Sword.[2] Hisgrandfather andgreat-grandfather both served as French ambassador to theRepublic of Venice.
D'Argenson qualified as a lawyer, and held successively the posts of councillor at theParlement (1716),maître des requêtes (1718), councillor of state (1719), andIntendant of justice, police and finance inHainaut. During his five years’ tenure of the last office he was mainly employed in provisioning the troops, who were suffering from the economic confusion resulting fromJohn Law's system and the aftermath of theMississippi Bubble.[3]
D'Argenson returned to court in 1724 to exercise his functions as councillor of state. At that time he had the reputation of being a conscientious man, but ill-adapted to intrigue, and was nicknamed "la bête". He entered into relations with the philosophers, and was won over to the ideas of reform. He was the friend ofVoltaire, who had been a fellow-student of his at the Jesuit collegeLouis-le-Grand, and a leading member of theClub de l'Entresol, an early modernthink tank, the history of which he wrote in his memoirs.[4] It was then that he prepared hisConsidérations sur le gouvernement de la France, which was published posthumously by his son.[3]
D'Argenson was also the friend and counsellor of the ministerGermain Louis Chauvelin. In May 1744 he was appointed member of the council of finance, and in November of the same year KingLouis XV chose him as secretary of state for foreign affairs, his brother,Marc-Pierre, Comte d'Argenson, being at the same time secretary of state for war. France was at that time engaged in theWar of the Austrian Succession, and the government had been placed by Louis XV virtually in the hands of the two brothers. The marquis d’Argenson endeavoured to reform the system of international relations. He dreamed of a "European Republic",[3] and wished to establish arbitration between nations in pursuance of the ideas of his friend theabbé de Saint-Pierre. But he failed to realize any part of his projects. The generals negotiated in opposition to his instructions; his colleagues laid the blame on him; the intrigues of the courtiers passed unnoticed by him; whilst the secret diplomacy of the king neutralized his initiative. He concluded the marriage of theLouis, the Dauphin toMaria, a daughter of KingAugustus III of Poland, but was unable to prevent the election of theFrancis, Grand-Duke of Tuscany asHoly Roman Emperor in 1745.[3]
On 10 January 1747 Louis XV thanked d'Argenson for his services. He then retired into private life, eschewed the court, associated with Voltaire, Condillac and d’Alembert, and spent his declining years in working at theAcadémie des Inscriptions, of which he was appointed president by the king in 1747, and revising hisMémoires. Voltaire, in one of his letters, declared him to be "the best citizen that had ever tasted the ministry".[3] He died on 26 January 1757.[3]
D'Argenson left a large number of manuscript works, of which his son,Marc Antoine René, Marquis de Paulmy, published theConsidérations sur le gouvernement de France (Amsterdam, 1764) andEssais dans le goût de ceux de Montaigne (Amsterdam, 1785). The latter, which contains many useful biographical notes and portraits of his contemporaries, was republished in 1787 asLoisirs d’un ministre d’état. D'Argenson's most important work, however, is hisMémoires, covering in great detail the years 1725 to 1756, with an introductory part giving his recollections since the year 1696. They are, as they were intended to be, valuable "materials for the history of his time". There are two important editions, the first, with some letters, not elsewhere published, by the marquis d’Argenson, his great-grand-nephew (5 vols., Paris, 1857 et seq.); the second, more correct, but less complete, published by J. B. Rathery, for the Société de l’Histoire de France (9 vols., Paris, 1859 et seq.). The other works of the marquis d’Argenson, in MS., were destroyed in the fire at theLouvre library in 1871.[5]
D'Argenson married and had a son:
In 1909, the anarchistPeter Kropotkin credited d'Argenson with making the study of politics, constitutions, and elective representation popular in the 18th century[6] and for being an early advocate of communist or communal possession of the land.[7]
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Argenson s.v. René Louis de Voyer de Paulmy".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 2 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 457–460. Endnotes:| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Foreign Minister of France 19 November 1744 – 10 January 1747 | Succeeded by |
