Élie, duc Decazes
Encyclopedia
Élie Decazes, 1st duc Decazes and 1st Duke of Glücksbierg , was a French statesman
, known from 1815 to 1820 as 1st comte Decazes in France, 1st Duke of Glücksbierg in Denmark
in 1818, and 1st duc Decazes in France in 1820 (all titles by primogeniture).
, Gironde, son of Michel Decazes (1747–1832) and wife, married in 1779, Cathérine Trigant de Beaumont. He studied law, became a judge in the tribunal
of the Seine
in 1806, was attached to the cabinet of Louis Bonaparte
in 1807, and was counsel to the court of appeal at Paris in 1811. He had married in Paris on 1 August 1805 Elisabeth Fortunée Muraire, second daughter of Count Muraire, who died in Paris on 24 January 1806 and by whom he had no issue.
His younger brother Joseph Decazes (1783–1868) was created 1st vicomte Decazes and married in 1816 Diane de Bancalis de Maurel d'Aragon, and had issue Sophie de Decazes (1817–1904), married in 1835 to François de Carbonnel de Canisy, and Élie de Decazes (1822–1851), married in 1850 to Elisabeth de Mauvise de Villars, the parents of Raymond Decazes (1851–), married in 1887 to Marie Luise Koechlin (they had seven children).
through the Hundred Days
. He met King Louis XVIII
during that period, through Baron Louis, and the king rewarded his service by appointing him prefect of police at Paris on 9 July 1815. His marked success in that difficult position won for him the ministry of police, in succession to Fouché
, on 24 September.
Meanwhile, he had been elected deputy for the Seine (August 1815), and both as deputy and as minister he led the moderate Royalists. His formula was "to royalize France and to nationalize the monarchy." The Moderates were in a minority in the chamber of 1815, but Decazes persuaded Louis XVIII to dissolve the house, and the elections of October 1816 gave them a majority. During the next four years Decazes was called upon to play the leading role in the government.
s (the White Terror
); after the resignation of the Duc de Richelieu
, he took the actual direction of the ministry, although the nominal president was General Dessolles
. Decazes simultaneously held the portfolio of the interior. The cabinet, in which Baron Louis was minister of finance, and Marshal Gouvion Saint Cyr
remained minister of war, was entirely Liberal; and its first act was to suppress the ministry of police, as Decazes felt it incompatible with the régime of liberty. His reforms met with the strong hostility of the Chamber of Peers, where the ultra-Royalists were in a majority, and to overcome it he got the king to create sixty new Liberal peers.
He then passed the laws on the press, suppressing the censorship. By reorganization of the finances, the protection of industry and the carrying out of great public works, France regained its economic prosperity, and the ministry became popular. But the powers of the Grand Alliance had been watching the growth of Liberalism in France with increasing anxiety. Metternich
especially ascribed this mainly to the "weakness" of the ministry, and when in 1819 the political elections still further illustrated this trend, notably by the election of the famous Abbé Henri Grégoire
, it began to be debated whether the time had not come to put in force the terms of the secret Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle
. It was this threat of foreign intervention, rather than the clamour of the "Ultras
," that forced Louis XVIII to urge a change in the electoral law that should render such a "scandal" as Grégoire's election impossible for the future.
By this time he married secondly on 11 August 1818 Egidia de Beaupoir, Comtesse de St.-Atalaire-Glücksbierg, who died in Versailles
on 8 August 1873. By her he had Louis-Charles-Élie-Amanien
(1819–86), Minister of Foreign Affairs (France)
, Frédéric Xavier Stanislas Decazes de Glücksbierg (1823 – Paris, 26 February 1887), unmarried and without issue, and Henriette Guillermine Eugénie Decazes de Glücksbierg (23 November 1824 – Tournai
, November, 1899), married on 19 April 1845 Léopold Jacques Alphonse, Baron Lefebvre.
embittered the Radicals without reconciling the "Ultras." The news of the revolution in Spain in January 1820 made matters worse; the foolish and criminal policy of the royal favourite
had begun another revolution. Decazes was denounced as the new Sejanus
, the modern Catiline
; and when, on 13 February, the Duke of Berry
was murdered, clamorous tongues loudly accused him of being an accomplice in the crime. Decazes, indeed, foreseeing the storm, at once placed his resignation in the king's hands. Louis at first refused. "They will attack," he exclaimed, "not your system, my dear son, but mine." But in the end he was forced to yield to the importunity of his family (17 February); and Decazes, raised to the rank of duke, passed into honourable exile as ambassador to Britain.
This ended Decazes's career. In December 1821 he returned to sit in the House of Peers
, when he continued to maintain his Liberal opinions. After 1830 he adhered to the July Monarchy
, but after 1848 he remained in retirement. He had organized in 1826 a society to develop the coal and iron of the Aveyron
, and the name of Decazeville
was given in 1829 to the principal centre of the industry.
Statesman
A statesman is usually a politician or other notable public figure who has had a long and respected career in politics or government at the national and international level. As a term of respect, it is usually left to supporters or commentators to use the term...
, known from 1815 to 1820 as 1st comte Decazes in France, 1st Duke of Glücksbierg in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
in 1818, and 1st duc Decazes in France in 1820 (all titles by primogeniture).
Early life
Élie Decazes was born at Saint-Martin-de-LayeSaint-Martin-de-Laye
Saint-Martin-de-Laye is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
, Gironde, son of Michel Decazes (1747–1832) and wife, married in 1779, Cathérine Trigant de Beaumont. He studied law, became a judge in the tribunal
Tribunal
A tribunal in the general sense is any person or institution with the authority to judge, adjudicate on, or determine claims or disputes—whether or not it is called a tribunal in its title....
of the Seine
Seine (département)
Seine was a département of France encompassing Paris and its immediate suburbs. Its préfecture was Paris and its official number was 75. The Seine département was abolished in 1968 and its territory divided among four new départements....
in 1806, was attached to the cabinet of Louis Bonaparte
Louis Bonaparte
Louis Napoléon Bonaparte, Prince Français, Comte de Saint-Leu , King of Holland , was the fifth surviving child and the fourth surviving son of Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Ramolino...
in 1807, and was counsel to the court of appeal at Paris in 1811. He had married in Paris on 1 August 1805 Elisabeth Fortunée Muraire, second daughter of Count Muraire, who died in Paris on 24 January 1806 and by whom he had no issue.
His younger brother Joseph Decazes (1783–1868) was created 1st vicomte Decazes and married in 1816 Diane de Bancalis de Maurel d'Aragon, and had issue Sophie de Decazes (1817–1904), married in 1835 to François de Carbonnel de Canisy, and Élie de Decazes (1822–1851), married in 1850 to Elisabeth de Mauvise de Villars, the parents of Raymond Decazes (1851–), married in 1887 to Marie Luise Koechlin (they had seven children).
Royalist
Immediately on the fall of the empire he declared himself a Royalist, and remained faithful to the BourbonsHouse of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...
through the Hundred Days
Hundred Days
The Hundred Days, sometimes known as the Hundred Days of Napoleon or Napoleon's Hundred Days for specificity, marked the period between Emperor Napoleon I of France's return from exile on Elba to Paris on 20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII on 8 July 1815...
. He met King Louis XVIII
Louis XVIII of France
Louis XVIII , known as "the Unavoidable", was King of France and of Navarre from 1814 to 1824, omitting the Hundred Days in 1815...
during that period, through Baron Louis, and the king rewarded his service by appointing him prefect of police at Paris on 9 July 1815. His marked success in that difficult position won for him the ministry of police, in succession to Fouché
Joseph Fouché
Joseph Fouché, 1st Duc d'Otrante was a French statesman and Minister of Police under Napoleon Bonaparte. In English texts his title is often translated as Duke of Otranto.-Youth:Fouché was born in Le Pellerin, a small village near Nantes...
, on 24 September.
Meanwhile, he had been elected deputy for the Seine (August 1815), and both as deputy and as minister he led the moderate Royalists. His formula was "to royalize France and to nationalize the monarchy." The Moderates were in a minority in the chamber of 1815, but Decazes persuaded Louis XVIII to dissolve the house, and the elections of October 1816 gave them a majority. During the next four years Decazes was called upon to play the leading role in the government.
Minister of Police
As minister of police, he had to suppress the insurrections provoked by the Ultra-royalistUltra-royalist
Ultra-Royalists or simply Ultras were a reactionary faction which sat in the French parliament from 1815 to 1830 under the Bourbon Restoration...
s (the White Terror
White Terror
White Terror is the violence carried out by reactionary groups as part of a counter-revolution. In particular, during the 20th century, in several countries the term White Terror was applied to acts of violence against real or suspected socialists and communists.-Historical origin: the French...
); after the resignation of the Duc de Richelieu
Armand-Emmanuel du Plessis, Duc de Richelieu
Armand Emmanuel Sophie Septimanie de Vignerot du Plessis, 5th Duke of Richelieu was a prominent French statesman during the Bourbon Restoration...
, he took the actual direction of the ministry, although the nominal president was General Dessolles
Jean-Joseph, Marquis Dessolles
Jean Joseph Paul Augustin, Marquis Dessolles was a French statesman. He was the prime minister of France from 29 December 1818 to 18 November 1819....
. Decazes simultaneously held the portfolio of the interior. The cabinet, in which Baron Louis was minister of finance, and Marshal Gouvion Saint Cyr
Laurent, marquis de Gouvion Saint-Cyr
Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr, 1st Marquis of Gouvion-Saint-Cyr was a French commander in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars who rose to Marshal of France and Marquis...
remained minister of war, was entirely Liberal; and its first act was to suppress the ministry of police, as Decazes felt it incompatible with the régime of liberty. His reforms met with the strong hostility of the Chamber of Peers, where the ultra-Royalists were in a majority, and to overcome it he got the king to create sixty new Liberal peers.
He then passed the laws on the press, suppressing the censorship. By reorganization of the finances, the protection of industry and the carrying out of great public works, France regained its economic prosperity, and the ministry became popular. But the powers of the Grand Alliance had been watching the growth of Liberalism in France with increasing anxiety. Metternich
Klemens Wenzel von Metternich
Prince Klemens Wenzel von Metternich was a German-born Austrian politician and statesman and was one of the most important diplomats of his era...
especially ascribed this mainly to the "weakness" of the ministry, and when in 1819 the political elections still further illustrated this trend, notably by the election of the famous Abbé Henri Grégoire
Henri Grégoire
Henri Grégoire , often referred to as Abbé Grégoire, was a French Roman Catholic priest, constitutional bishop of Blois and a revolutionary leader...
, it began to be debated whether the time had not come to put in force the terms of the secret Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle
Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle
Three congresses have been held at Aix-la-Chapelle:* Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle * Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle * Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle...
. It was this threat of foreign intervention, rather than the clamour of the "Ultras
Ultra-royalist
Ultra-Royalists or simply Ultras were a reactionary faction which sat in the French parliament from 1815 to 1830 under the Bourbon Restoration...
," that forced Louis XVIII to urge a change in the electoral law that should render such a "scandal" as Grégoire's election impossible for the future.
By this time he married secondly on 11 August 1818 Egidia de Beaupoir, Comtesse de St.-Atalaire-Glücksbierg, who died in Versailles
Versailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
on 8 August 1873. By her he had Louis-Charles-Élie-Amanien
Louis, duc Decazes
Louis-Charles-Élie-Amanien Decazes de Glücksbierg, 2nd Duc de Decazes and 2nd Hertig af Glücksbierg, was a French statesman.-Biography:...
(1819–86), Minister of Foreign Affairs (France)
Minister of Foreign Affairs (France)
Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs ), is France's foreign affairs ministry, with the headquarters located on the Quai d'Orsay in Paris close to the National Assembly of France. The Minister of Foreign and European Affairs in the government of France is the cabinet minister responsible for...
, Frédéric Xavier Stanislas Decazes de Glücksbierg (1823 – Paris, 26 February 1887), unmarried and without issue, and Henriette Guillermine Eugénie Decazes de Glücksbierg (23 November 1824 – Tournai
Tournai
Tournai is a Walloon city and municipality of Belgium located 85 kilometres southwest of Brussels, on the river Scheldt, in the province of Hainaut....
, November, 1899), married on 19 April 1845 Léopold Jacques Alphonse, Baron Lefebvre.
Prime minister
Dessolles and Baron Louis, refusing to embark on this policy, now resigned; and Decazes became head of the new ministry, as president of the council (November 1819). The exclusion of Grégoire from the chamber and the changes in the franchiseSuffrage
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply the franchise, distinct from mere voting rights, is the civil right to vote gained through the democratic process...
embittered the Radicals without reconciling the "Ultras." The news of the revolution in Spain in January 1820 made matters worse; the foolish and criminal policy of the royal favourite
Favourite
A favourite , or favorite , was the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person. In medieval and Early Modern Europe, among other times and places, the term is used of individuals delegated significant political power by a ruler...
had begun another revolution. Decazes was denounced as the new Sejanus
Sejanus
Lucius Aelius Seianus , commonly known as Sejanus, was an ambitious soldier, friend and confidant of the Roman Emperor Tiberius...
, the modern Catiline
Catiline
Lucius Sergius Catilina , known in English as Catiline, was a Roman politician of the 1st century BC who is best known for the Catiline conspiracy, an attempt to overthrow the Roman Republic, and in particular the power of the aristocratic Senate.-Family background:Catiline was born in 108 BC to...
; and when, on 13 February, the Duke of Berry
Charles Ferdinand, duc de Berry
Charles Ferdinand d'Artois, Duke of Berry was the younger son of the future king, Charles X of France, and his wife, Princess Maria Theresa of Savoy....
was murdered, clamorous tongues loudly accused him of being an accomplice in the crime. Decazes, indeed, foreseeing the storm, at once placed his resignation in the king's hands. Louis at first refused. "They will attack," he exclaimed, "not your system, my dear son, but mine." But in the end he was forced to yield to the importunity of his family (17 February); and Decazes, raised to the rank of duke, passed into honourable exile as ambassador to Britain.
This ended Decazes's career. In December 1821 he returned to sit in the House of Peers
Peerage of France
The Peerage of France was a distinction within the French nobility which appeared in the Middle Ages. It was abolished in 1789 during the French Revolution, but it reappeared in 1814 at the time of the Bourbon Restoration which followed the fall of the First French Empire...
, when he continued to maintain his Liberal opinions. After 1830 he adhered to the July Monarchy
July Monarchy
The July Monarchy , officially the Kingdom of France , was a period of liberal constitutional monarchy in France under King Louis-Philippe starting with the July Revolution of 1830 and ending with the Revolution of 1848...
, but after 1848 he remained in retirement. He had organized in 1826 a society to develop the coal and iron of the Aveyron
Aveyron
Aveyron is a département in southern France named after the Aveyron River.- History :Aveyron is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790....
, and the name of Decazeville
Decazeville
Decazeville is a commune in the Aveyron department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in southern France.The commune was created in the 19th century because of the Industrial Revolution and was named after the Duke of Decazes , the founder of the factory that created the town.-History:The town is built...
was given in 1829 to the principal centre of the industry.