Jean-Baptiste Colbert

Born in Reims in 1619, Colbert rose to Intendant of Finances in May 1661, then took the new role of Controller-General after Nicolas Fouquet's arrest for embezzlement ended the old office. He set about remaking the domestic economy: founding the Manufacture royale de glaces de miroirs in 1665 to kill Venetian glass imports, which he banned in 1672 once French production could stand alone; pulling Flemish weaving expertise into royal tapestry works at Gobelins and Beauvais; issuing over 150 edicts to control the guilds. He pushed the French East India Company into foreign markets for coffee, sugar, and pepper, chased a favorable balance of trade, and built France's merchant navy, becoming Secretary of State of the Navy in 1669. In 1682 he commissioned what became the Code Noir, codifying slavery in the colonies. He suggested the founding of the Académie des sciences in 1666 and joined the Académie française in 1667. He died in office on 6 September 1683.