François Michel Le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois (; 18 January 1641 – 16 July 1691) was the French

Secretary of State for War The secretary of state for war, commonly called the war secretary, was a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, which existed from 1794 to 1801 and from 1854 to 1964. The secretary of state for war headed the War Offic ...

during a significant part of the reign of

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

. He is commonly referred to as "Louvois". Together with his father, Michel le Tellier, he oversaw an increase in the numbers of the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

, eventually reaching 340,000 soldiersLynn, J. (1994). Recalculating French Army Growth during the Grand Siecle, 1610-1715. ''French Historical Studies,'' ''18''(4), 881-906. doi:10.2307/286722 – an army that would fight four wars between 1667 and 1713. Louvois was a key military and strategic advisor to Louis XIV, who transformed the French Army into an instrument of royal authority and foreign policy. According to Cathal Nolan, he created the Régiment du Roi in 1663 and founded the Royal-Artillerie regiment in 1673. These innovations influenced military planners beyond France. Louvois sought out new wars as a means of concentrating more power and wealth in his own hands. He reorganized the French Army and exercised strict control over officers, but that resulted in slower tactical and operational response times. He had more success upgrading logistics for armies on the move and also improved the magazine system left by his father and introduced portable ovens to bake bread during halt days. He accumulated enough grain and wagons to provide his armies with 200,000 rations per day for up to six months during the Dutch War (1672-1678). This helped ensure the French king's early victories. Despite his flaws, Louvois is appreciated by historians for creating the role of civilian "minister of war".

Early life

Louvois was born in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

on 18 January 1641, to Michel Le Tellier and Élisabeth Turpin. He received instructions from his father in the management of state affairs. The young man won the king's confidence, and in 1666 he succeeded his father as war minister. His talents were noticed by Turenne in the

War of Devolution The War of Devolution took place from May 1667 to May 1668. In the course of the war, Kingdom of France, France occupied large parts of the Spanish Netherlands and County of Burgundy, Franche-Comté, both then provinces of the Holy Roman Empire ...

(1667–1668), who gave him instruction in the art of supplying armies. After the peace of

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, Louvois devoted himself to organising the French army. The years between 1668 and 1672, says Camille Rousset, "were years of preparation, when Lionne was labouring with all his might to find allies, Colbert to find money, and Louvois soldiers for Louis". The

Man in the Iron Mask The Man in the Iron Mask (; died 19 November 1703) was an unidentified prisoner of state during the reign of Louis XIV of France (1643–1715). The strict measures taken to keep his imprisonment secret resulted in a long-lasting legend about ...

, whose name was given as Eustache Dauger, was first mentioned in a letter written by Louvois, dated 19 July 1669.

Work

The work of Louvois in these years is bound up with the historical development of the French army and of armies in general. Here need only be mentioned Louvois's reorganization of the military orders of merit, his foundation of the ''Hôtel des Invalides'', and the almost forcible enrollment of the nobility and gentry of France, in which Louvois carried out part of Louis's measures for curbing the spirit of independence by service in the army or at court. The success of his measures is to be seen in the victories of the

Franco-Dutch War The Franco-Dutch War, 1672 to 1678, was primarily fought by Kingdom of France, France and the Dutch Republic, with both sides backed at different times by a variety of allies. Related conflicts include the 1672 to 1674 Third Anglo-Dutch War and ...

of 1672–1678. After the

Peace of Nijmegen The Treaties or Peace of Nijmegen (; ; ) were a series of treaty, treaties signed in the Dutch Republic, Dutch city of Nijmegen between August 1678 and October 1679. The treaties ended various interconnected wars among France, the Dutch Republic, ...

Louvois was high in favour, his father had been made chancellor, and the influence of Colbert was waning. The ten years of peace between 1678 and 1688 were distinguished in French history by the rise of Madame de Maintenon, the capture of

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

and the revocation of the

Edict of Nantes The Edict of Nantes () was an edict signed in April 1598 by Henry IV of France, King Henry IV and granted the minority Calvinism, Calvinist Protestants of France, also known as Huguenots, substantial rights in the nation, which was predominantl ...

, in all of which Louvois bore a prominent part. The surprise of Strasbourg in 1681 in time of peace was not only planned but executed by Louvois and Monclar. A saving clause in the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, which provided for some liberty of conscience, if not of worship, Louvois sharply annulled with the phrase "''Sa majesté veut qu'on fasse sentir les dernières rigueurs a ceux qui ne voudront pas se faire de sa religion''" ("His Majesty wishes the worst harshness on those who do not partake of his religion"). He claimed also the credit of inventing the '' dragonnades'', and mitigated the depredations of the soldiery only insofar as the licence accorded was prejudicial to discipline. Discipline, indeed, and complete subjection to the royal authority was the political faith of Louvois.

Later life

Colbert died in 1683 and had been replaced by Le Pelletier, an adherent of Louvois, in the controller-generalship of finances, and by Louvois himself in his ministry for public buildings, which he took that he might be the minister able to gratify the king's two favourite pastimes, war and building. Louvois was able to superintend the successes of the first years of the war of the League of Augsburg and in 1688 initiated the collection of Plans-Reliefs of French strongholds that is now the Musée des Plans-Reliefs. However, he died suddenly of

apoplexy Apoplexy () refers to the rupture of an internal organ and the associated symptoms. Informally or metaphorically, the term ''apoplexy'' is associated with being furious, especially as "apoplectic". Historically, it described what is now known as a ...

after leaving the king's cabinet on 16 July 1691, but

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778), known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' Voltaire (, ; ), was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, philosopher (''philosophe''), satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit ...

claims in "Le Siecle de Louis XIV" that Louvois died while he was taking waters in Balaruc. His sudden death caused suspicion of

poison A poison is any chemical substance that is harmful or lethal to living organisms. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figurati ...

Legacy

As the

under

, Louvois strengthened the

French military The French Armed Forces (, ) are the military forces of France. They consist of four military branches – the Army, the Navy, the Air and Space Force, and the National Gendarmerie. The National Guard serves as the French Armed Forces' military ...

: he expanded the French Army to 340,000

soldiers A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word ...

, created influential regiments, and enhanced

military logistics Military logistics is the discipline of planning and carrying out the movement, supply, and maintenance of military forces. In its most comprehensive sense, it is those aspects or military operations that deal with: * Design, development, Milita ...

, such as introducing portable ovens and improving the magazine system. Louvois also founded the

Hôtel des Invalides The Hôtel des Invalides (; ), commonly called (; ), is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and an old soldi ...

and reorganized military orders of merit.

French history The first written records for the history of France appeared in the Iron Age. What is now France made up the bulk of the region known to the Romans as Gaul. Greek writers noted the presence of three main ethno-linguistic groups in the area: t ...

often compares him to Carnot, as both had to reorganize armies using existing resources and new systems, and both were committed to the well-being of soldiers. Despite his unscrupulous methods in his own private life and his work, including harsh measures against

Huguenots The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

, Louvois is credited with establishing the role of the civilian "minister of war," leaving a lasting impact on military administration in France.

Family

Louvois, through a marriage arranged by his father, wed an heiress, Anne de Souvré, Marquise de Courtenvaux. He had six children with Anne: * Michael François, Marquis de Courtanvaux, who married the daughter of

Jean II d'Estrées Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * J ...

* Madeleine Charlotte (1665–1735), who married François de La Rochefoucauld VIII, Duc de La Roche-Guyon (1663–1728) * Louis-Nicolas, Marquis de Souvré * Louis François Marie, Marquis Barbezieux * Camille de Louvois * Margaret (died 1711), married Louis Nicolas de Neufville de Villeroy, Marquis de Alincourt

Notes

References

* Attribution * Endnotes: ** The principal authority for Louvois's life and times is Camille Rousset's ''Histoire de Louvois'' (Paris, 1872), a great work founded on the 900 volumes of his despatches at the ''Depôt de la Guerre''. Saint Simon from his class prejudices is hardly to be trusted, but Madame de Sevigne throws many side-lights on his times. ''Testament politique de Louvois'' (1695) is spurious. {{DEFAULTSORT:Louvois, Francois-Michel le Tellier, Marquis de Francois-Michel Secretaries of State for War (France) 17th-century French politicians Politicians from Paris Marquesses of Louvois 1641 births 1691 deaths Heads of the Bâtiments du Roi Recipients of the Order of Saint Lazarus People associated with the Affair of the Poisons People of the War of Devolution