2 - The ebb and flow of Le Tellier power, 1661–1701

Summary

The position of Secretary of State for War developed over the course of the seventeenth century in ways which closely related to the rising social stature and expanding connections of the Le Tellier family: indeed, by 1701 the Le Tellier had reached a position where they could be seen as amongst the most powerful of French courtiers. Of course, there was no simple upward and uninterrupted trajectory of advancement. The political position of the three Le Tellier ministers oscillated in the second half of the seventeenth century, and Louvois in particular felt deeply insecure about his situation. A more complete impression about ministerial direction of the army therefore requires an effort to track the variation in fortunes of Michel Le Tellier, Louvois and Barbezieux; the picture which emerges will also provide a general chronological framework for ministerial politics during the ‘personal rule’ of Louis XIV.

This term ‘personal rule’, used to describe the period 1661 to 1715, nevertheless masks the fluctuating degree of involvement of Louis XIV in government business. He was always more assiduous with royal administration than his father or his successor, Louis XIII and Louis XV. He was a diligent attender at his councils – the conseil d'en haut, the conseil des dépêches, the conseil de conscience and the grande direction of the conseil royal des finances – he had daily bilateral meetings with ministers, he gave audiences to foreign envoys or provincial dignitaries on most days, and he watched carefully over the court.