
A judge’s son from northern France, Calonne entered the public service as an indentant and displayed a capacity for managing difficult financial matters.
Calonne recommended increasing the government’s revenue base by introducing a tax on all land, with no exemptions for the First or Second Estates.
Aware that this proposal would be rejected by the parlements, Calonne instead submitted it to a specially-convened Assembly of Notables. The Notables, however, also rejected it, believing that Calonne was either exaggerating the debt or was himself personally responsible for it.
His plans thwarted, Calonne resigned and went into self-imposed exile in England, which allowed him to survive the revolution. Calonne returned to his native France a month before his death in October 1802.
Citation information
Title: “Charles de Calonne”
Authors: John Rae, Steve Thompson
Publisher: Alpha History
URL: https://alphahistory.com/frenchrevolution/etienne-brienne/
Date published: May 13, 2017
Date accessed: September 10, 2023
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