1. Nicolas Fouquet had a glittering career, and acquired enormous wealth.
36 Facts About Nicolas Fouquet
1. 2.
Nicolas Fouquet fell out of favor, accused of peculation and lese-majeste.
3.
Nicolas Fouquet was born in Paris to an influential family of the noblesse de robe.
4.
Nicolas Fouquet was the second child of Francois IV Fouquet and of Marie de Maupeou.
5.
Nicolas Fouquet was noticed by Cardinal Richelieu, who gave him important positions in government.
6.
In 1634, Nicolas Fouquet was appointed councilor of the Parliament of Metz.
7.
Cardinal Richelieu died in 1642, but Nicolas Fouquet was successful in impressing his successor as chief minister, Cardinal Mazarin, who became his protector.
8.
From 1642 to 1650, Nicolas Fouquet held various intendancies, at first in the provinces and then with the army of Mazarin.
9.
In 1648, Nicolas Fouquet was named general intendant of Paris, right as the second Fronde broke out.
10.
Nicolas Fouquet ably came to the aid of Mazarin and the Queen Mother, Anne of Austria in defense of the monarchy.
11.
Nicolas Fouquet was permitted in 1650 to buy, for 450,000 livres, the important position of procureur general to the parlement of Paris, thereby raising him to the most elite ranks of the noblesse de robe.
12.
Nicolas Fouquet belonged to a wealthy, well-connected family of the noblesse de robe.
13.
Nicolas Fouquet became the central actor in a debt situation that was fundamentally untenable.
14.
Nicolas Fouquet had drawn up a plan to bring some order to public finances, but he never made progress in implementing it, though it was taken up later by Colbert.
15.
Colbert, perhaps seeking to succeed Nicolas Fouquet, fed the king's displeasure with adverse reports about the deficit and unflattering reports about Nicolas Fouquet.
16.
Nicolas Fouquet spent enormous sums over a period of 20 years building a chateau on his estate.
17.
At Vaux and other major properties he owned, Nicolas Fouquet gathered rare manuscripts, paintings, jewels and antiques in profusion, and above all surrounded himself with artists and authors.
18.
In 1638, Nicolas Fouquet received as a gift some of his father's shares in the Company of the American Islands.
19.
Over a period of many years, Nicolas Fouquet undertook to develop these existing strengths.
20.
Specifically, Nicolas Fouquet was active in attempting to forward the French colonial effort and in developing the coast of Brittany as a major location for hosting maritime trade.
21.
Nicolas Fouquet bought numerous armed ships and proceeded with a quasi-military development, apparently without informing the king.
22.
Nicolas Fouquet strengthened the island's existing fortifications and built a port and warehouses.
23.
Nicolas Fouquet planned to use Belle-Ile as a refuge in case of disgrace.
24.
Heightening the concerns of the king, Nicolas Fouquet was found to have ordered several warships in the Netherlands, which could have served both his colonial ambitions and as an implicit threat to the king.
25.
The king was concerned about Nicolas Fouquet's carefully cultivated network of friends and clients, which made him one of the most influential individuals in the realm.
26.
Nicolas Fouquet required his ministers, including Fouquet, to go with him.
27.
Nevertheless, some of the charges against Nicolas Fouquet were supported by evidence that Nicolas Fouquet found difficult to refute, notably the 'cassette of Saint Mande'.
28.
The cassette contained a plan of defence written in 1657 at a time when Nicolas Fouquet was on bad terms with Mazarin, that was modified in 1659.
29.
Nicolas Fouquet launched a vendetta against Fouquet's friends, supporters and family.
30.
Nicolas Fouquet remained there, incarcerated in harsh conditions, until his death in 1680.
31.
Nicolas Fouquet's wife was not allowed to write to him until 1672 and she was allowed to visit him only once, in 1679.
32.
Nicolas Fouquet was initially buried in the local church, Saint Claire de Pignerol.
33.
Nicolas Fouquet's story is often entwined with that of the Man in the Iron Mask, who is often identified as the true king or even as an identical twin brother of Louis XIV.
34.
Aramis, an ally of Nicolas Fouquet, tries to seize power by replacing Louis XIV with his identical twin brother.
35.
Nicolas Fouquet was portrayed by Robert Lindsay in Nick Dear's play Power.
36.
Nicolas Fouquet is described but not mentioned by name in an episode of HBO's The Sopranos.