by Jean-Jacques COURTEY, Doctor in Economic Geography, Ph. D
translated and adapted from French by himself
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Here is the translation and adaptation in English of our article untitled "Histoire Uchronique n°XXV : un étrange gardien du Trésor Royal : Charles-Pierre-Paul de Savalette de Langes (1746 - 1797) !", published on Global Politics and economics on October 20th, 2024 !
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This new article of uchronic history will take the form of the philosophical tale, borrowed from historical elements dear to the XVIII th century, to speak precisely of the XVIII th century and of France of then...or of present time on the contrary !
The historical figure we have chosen to illustrate our point is totally unknown of the general public : it is Charles-Pierre-Paul de Savalette de Langes (1746 - 1797) !
He had the honour of being the Keeper of the Royal Treasury under the reign of Louis XV (1715 - 1774), and especially the one of Louis XVI (1774 - 1792), and his curious history is really worth the detour as it has marked France since the Revolution of 1789. It deserves, obviously, a few historical reminders !
Of course, our story may surprise you with the little-known historical details it gives on this highly troubled period. Sit back in your armchair and take a break after each part if you need to catch your breath. Enjoy your reading !
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Under the King Louis X the Quarrelsome (1289 - 1316), Enguerrand de Marigny (c. 1260 - 1315), his great Superintendent of the Royal Household was condemned for his alleged malversations and his dealings with the Evil - also supposed - to be hanged at the gallows of Montfaucon (which became the location of a market in the XIX th district of Paris currently). And his body remained exposed for two years, until his rehabilitation by a second trial in 1317 under the King Philip V the Tall (1293 - 1322). Enguerrand was the half-brother of Philippe de Marigny (1250 - 1315), the bishop of Cambrai who had instructed the trial of the unfortunate Templars from 1307...then his own in 1314-1315 as archibishop of Sens ! In fact, the death of Philip IV the Fair (1268 - 1314), his protector, whose right arm he had been was quickly fatal. The intervention of Charles de Valois (1270 - 1325), brother of Philip the Fair and uncle of the new King was decisive. He also gave his name to the Valois dynasty, through his son Philip VI of Valois (1293 - 1350), at the rapid extinction of the direct Capetians !
Under Louis XIV (1638 - 1715), it was the turn of Nicolas Fouquet (1615 - 1680), who had been wrong to want to dazzle the King with his magnificent castle of Vaux-Le-Vicomte. He aroused too sharply his suspicion about his honesty in his role as Superintendent of Finances. The intrigues of the minister Colbert (1619 - 1683) had prepared his downfall. Historians often forget he was also accused of high treason, for having set up a private fleet in the harbour of La Rochelle (without knowing the ultimate purpose). But Fouquet was sentenced to life in prison and died in the fortress of Pignerol (in the Italian Piedmont today). Some wanted to see in him the Man with the "Iron Mask", who died nevertheless on November 19th, 1703 in Paris (at the prison of La Bastille) - which doesn't make much sense since everyone knew that Fouquet had been condemned !
Charles-Pierre-Paul de Savalette de Langes, Keeper thief of the Royal Treasury of Louis XVI, has never been condemn to anything as for him : neither hanging nor prison then. He is one of the rare men who has been able to carry out the perfect financial crime, and to laugh to the point of blowing his spleen, even he had cold sweats in 1788. He lived in luxury and led a great life. But in a century of appearing, the splendor of his life didn't un-match. Elegant and libertine, he really appreciated the life of Ancien Régime that he led, even though he secretly intended with many others to put an end to this world considered as old and outdated. And until today everyone or almost still ignores his existence and his important function. And most importantly, no one is aware of what he did. Yet, he remains an essential but nevertheless ignored cog of the French Revolution of 1789, his great treasurer !
Charles-Pierre-Paul de Savalette de Langes was born in Tours on September 21st, 1746, and he died on December 11th, 1797. Eldest son of the Marquis Charles-Pierre de Savalette de Magnanville (1713 - 1790), he received the hereditary post of Royal Treasurer in 1756, thus under Louis XV (1710 - 1774). He fully exercised this role only at the end of the latter's reign, and under King Louis XVI (1754 - 1793 ?). Certainly the reorganization of the finances of the Royal Treasury in 1788 changed his habits a little. He even thought for a moment that the King doubted his honesty (with reason, it seems), and that he would lose his office and perhaps end up in prison. However, if from 1788 the Royal Treasury was effectively subdivided between four administrators with an auxiliary fund, he could finally be reassured : he remained one of the four administrators, with a pension of 20,000 pounds per year on the King's income !
On August 8th, 1788, when the King convened the General Estates for the beginning of May 1789 at Versailles, France's budget deficit was alarming. Nowadays we would talk of a huge hole in the Royal coffers. This persistent deficit will be estimated at 80 million pounds in 1790, one year after the start of the Revolution. Through his "philanthropic club" at 3 rue de la Sourdière in Paris, Charles-Pierre-Paul de Savalette de Langes managed an impressive secret treasury, of a total of 20 million pounds : it was therefore a huge fortune representing 25% of the amount of the budget deficit of the Kingdom of France. In 1791, this war chest even rose to 10 million pounds more, or 30 million pounds. Even with the above-mentioned annual amount of 20,000 pounds, it would have taken a magician to succeed in making them grow at such a stratospheric level !
The main "philanthropic" activity of Charles-Pierre-Paul de Savalette de Langes, was to finance the expenses generated by the Revolution of 1789, and to pay not only his greedy henchmen, but also his women accomplices (like the money grabber Madame Beauprez for the events of October 5th and 6th, 1789), or its great characters interested - such as the Marquis de la la Fayette, Camille Desmoulins, and many others. His secret aim, as well as that of his cronies, who had nevertheless renounced the Templar reference in the Convent of Wilhelmsbad in 1782, was apparently to avenge the Templars from the Capetian dynasty, while making themselves rich in this process. Let us recall that if Philippe d'Orléans, also a member of the Club, chose to rename himself "Philippe Egalité" in 1792, it is precisely because he thought - wrongly - thus avoid suffering this supposed Templar revenge !
The most paradoxical thing is that those who had kept the Templar reference, after the aforesaid Convent of Wilhelmsbad, apparently didn't want to associate themselves with such a misleading staging. There were indeed some problems with the accuracy of the curse of the last Grand Master of Templars, Jacques de Molay (between 1244 and 1246 - 1314) which would have been as follows : "Pope Clement, Knight Guillaume, King Philip, before a year I summon you to appear before the court of God to receive your just punishment ! Cursed, cursed, be cursed all until the thirteenth generation of your races !" Now, as for the Knight Guillaume (Guillaume de Nogaret, "Guilhem" of his Occitan and Cathare name), he had already died a year earlier, in 1313 ! And after a count complicated by the number of indirect Capetian branches, they were considering that the thirteenth generation of Kings of France from Philip the Fair, was that of Henri IV (1553 - 1610) and not at all that of Louis XVI. But it is true that this first Bourbon King was murdered in Paris on May 14th, 1610, by François Ravaillac (1577 - 1610), who came from Angoulême, without knowing if he had been manipulated !
But let's return to our character of the day, Savalette de Langes ! What seemed the most comical to him, was that it was King Louis XVI who financed in the end...his bloody overthrow ! It would not be an exaggeration to say that our character was cynical. But what about those who benefited from his liberalities ? Few writings mention our character. Yet, there is one which is particularly striking, but which almost no one has read, because the book dates back more than a century (1911) : "The Revolution prepared by Free-Masonry" from Jean de Lannoy. It gives details from some secret meetings at 3 rue de la Sourdière in Paris (his headquarters), and the concrete preparation of revolutionary troubles with known actors of the Revolution. Officially, he was the treasurer of a club driven by the love of Philosophy and the only "Philanthropy" !
The end of Charles-Pierre-Paul de Savalette de Langes' life was sad and gloomy, however. He had been disappointed by those he had helped financially to make the old Order disappear. They alone drew from it titles of glory, even if many of them ended up on the scaffold set up by their former cronies. La Fayette (1757 - 1834) was the most shrewd of all, since he left Sedan and emigrated just in time on the night of 19 to 20 August 1792, with an escort of fifteen of his men, to avoid being snubbed : he had been declared "Traitor to the Nation". Even if the Monarchy of Louis XVI had been abolished on the very day of his birthday, on September 21th, 1792, no one ever recognized the role of Savalette de Langes in the concrete implementation of the French Revolution. It is this cruel lack of recognition that has undermined the end of his life. He had already been burnt by the failure of the Philalèthes Convent in 1787, with the non-support of the pro-Austrian Illuminati of Bavaria for his revolutionary projects. After the death of Philippe Egalité (on November 6th, 1793), he abandoned all his "philanthropic" commitments initiated in 1773, but especially from 1780, and died on December 11th, 1797 in the greatest bitterness and ignored by all. This former Aide-de-Camp of La Fayette remained the greatest Anonymous of the dream - quickly transformed into a nightmare for most people - which he had largely helped to realize !
In conclusion, we will say that Charles-Pierre-Paul de Savalette de Langes had a unique destiny in the XVIII th century. He was in the world, but the world has largely ignored him and still ignores him. Yet the legacy he left is still there !
Today, one could easily think that the King didn't supervise his Treasury enough, nor one of his administrators who was in charge. Many would laugh even, so much the thing seems aberrant at first sight !
Philanthropy is basically a good thing. It refers to the feeling that drives men to help others or disinterestedness, according to the Larousse dictionary. But the word can be diverted from its meaning and emptied from its content, to cover a completely different reality in fact. Moreover, with the "Nova Lingua" still in force, we do not know anymore how to interpret the words !
But it remains that since then, cynicism is reigning supreme. One can make people believing anything shamelessly, to better channel and manage them. As long as they are presented with the right "portmanteau words", they are ready to believe anything by abandoning their critical mind or common sense, and to follow without hesitation. The truth seems to come from the repetition of these trigger words that stimulate the reptilian brain, rather than their actual content !
With the benefit of hindsight, we can more easily appreciate all what was accomplished in more than two centuries, compared to a France often considered as archaic, while our epoch embodies modernity. And what a modernity, with a "neo-feudalism" in full expansion !
Currently, the yoyo game that is played with the budget deficit is curious, the economic indicators of France being rather good in reality - when considering the magic Square of Khaldor - compared to our European neighbors. We as citizens do not understand well what part of the current phraseology is political exaggeration, nor the intended purpose of this rather artificial "drama". It may be to avoid some reforms that are considered too costly !
The "portmanteau words" repeated endlessly by those who "want" the good of the People, dominate our daily lives. Them, they are not affected by the effective participation in national solidarity apparently : they always fall into the right category. As a "silent oligarchy" benefiting from the Revolutionary self-glorification, they are miraculously spared. But it's probably a stroke of luck !
In reality, in our opinion, the human being changes rather little in his deep interior, once freed from the artificial enveloppe of time that passes and illusions maintained on the appearance of things. What is ephemeral is the fleeting and superficial opinion we have of them, not their stubborn persistence or their timeless aspect !
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