Club de l'Entresol
Encyclopedia
The Club de l'Entresol was a think-tank, club and discussion group founded in 1724 by Pierre-Joseph Alary
and Charles-Irénée Castel de Saint-Pierre
on the English model for free discussion of political and economic questions. It met every Saturday at the home of président Hénault
, in place Vendôme
in Paris
, and was named after the mezzanine there where Alary had an apartment.
It was frequented by 20 of the finest forerunners of the Age of Enlightenment
, with regular attendees including Montesquieu, Helvétius, the marquis d'Argenson, Andrew Michael Ramsay
, Horace Walpole and Viscount Bolingbroke
. It was exclusively male, though other unofficial attendees include Madame du Deffand and the future Madame de Pompadour
.
Having got wind of the club's possibly dangerous doctrines, particularly its opposition to mercantilism
and Physiocracy
, Louis XV shut it down in 1731. Its closure was also due to pressure from Cardinal Fleury, who had considered its conversion into an academy but finally decided on its closure since it was too critical of his administration.
Pierre-Joseph Alary
Pierre-Joseph Alary was a French ecclesiastic and writer.-Life:Prior of Gournay-sur-Marne and sous-précepteur to Louis XV, he attended the salon of Madame de Lambert, was elected to the Académie française in 1723 and the following year was one of the founders of the Club de l'Entresol...
and Charles-Irénée Castel de Saint-Pierre
Charles-Irénée Castel de Saint-Pierre
Charles-Irénée Castel, abbé de Saint-Pierre was an influential French writer and radical. After Georg von Podiebrad in his Tractatus, he was, perhaps, one of the first to propose an international organisation responsible for maintaining peace.-Life:Saint-Pierre was born at the château de...
on the English model for free discussion of political and economic questions. It met every Saturday at the home of président Hénault
Charles-Jean-François Hénault
Charles-Jean-François Hénault was a French historian.-Early years:Hénault was born in Paris. His father, a farmer-general of taxes, was a man of literary tastes, and young Hénault obtained a good education at the Jesuit college...
, in place Vendôme
Place Vendôme
Place Vendôme is a square in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France, located to the north of the Tuileries Gardens and east of the Église de la Madeleine. It is the starting point of the Rue de la Paix. Its regular architecture by Jules Hardouin-Mansart and pedimented screens canted across the...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and was named after the mezzanine there where Alary had an apartment.
It was frequented by 20 of the finest forerunners of the Age of Enlightenment
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
, with regular attendees including Montesquieu, Helvétius, the marquis d'Argenson, Andrew Michael Ramsay
Andrew Michael Ramsay
Andrew Michael Ramsay , commonly called the Chevalier Ramsay, was a Scottish-born writer who lived most of his adult life in France. He was a Baronet in the Jacobite Peerage....
, Horace Walpole and Viscount Bolingbroke
Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke
Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke was an English politician, government official and political philosopher. He was a leader of the Tories, and supported the Church of England politically despite his atheism. In 1715 he supported the Jacobite rebellion of 1715 which sought to overthrow the...
. It was exclusively male, though other unofficial attendees include Madame du Deffand and the future Madame de Pompadour
Madame de Pompadour
Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour, also known as Madame de Pompadour was a member of the French court, and was the official chief mistress of Louis XV from 1745 to her death.-Biography:...
.
Having got wind of the club's possibly dangerous doctrines, particularly its opposition to mercantilism
Mercantilism
Mercantilism is the economic doctrine in which government control of foreign trade is of paramount importance for ensuring the prosperity and security of the state. In particular, it demands a positive balance of trade. Mercantilism dominated Western European economic policy and discourse from...
and Physiocracy
Physiocrats
Physiocracy is an economic theory developed by the Physiocrats, a group of economists who believed that the wealth of nations was derived solely from the value of "land agriculture" or "land development." Their theories originated in France and were most popular during the second half of the 18th...
, Louis XV shut it down in 1731. Its closure was also due to pressure from Cardinal Fleury, who had considered its conversion into an academy but finally decided on its closure since it was too critical of his administration.
Further reading
Nick Childs, A Political Academy in Paris 1724-1731: The Entresol and Its Members. Studies on Voltaire and the Eighteenth Century. Oxford: Voltaire Foundation, 2000. xi + 289 pp.Sources
- http://www.answers.com/topic/club-de-l-entresol
- Harvey Chisick, Historical Dictionary of the Enlightenment, p114