Why was jean baptiste colbert important

As a reformer, he helped change the fiscal and judicial systems of France. He encouraged trade and industry and the arts and science by founding the Observatory and the Academies of Science, Architecture and Music. He created the merchant marine and navy, a task that involved shipbuilding, improvements in ports, development of nautical science and the establishment of the principle that appointments be based on merit.

Colbert saw the need for study, with a view to reform as needed. Jean-Baptiste Colbert worked hard all his life to improve the state of France, he used to rise early and work till very late in the night. Towards the end of his life he suffered from stomach aches, which caused him much distress. By the age of 64 he was bedridden and died shortly after his birthday. The surgeons who examined him found that he had been suffering from kidney stones.

Colbert has left a great legacy and worked tirelessly to improve France. After some reverses to his father's business, the family moved to Paris in , in the hopes of starting a new career in finance, leaving young Colbert behind in a Jesuit boarding school in Reims. In , at the age of fifteen, Colbert was sent to Lyons to apprentice in a commercial banking house. He eventually returned to Paris to rejoin his family, and was placed by his father as an intern in various offices around Paris notary, procurator to complete his training.

In , reaching the age of twenty one, his father with the help of his influential cousin, Colbert de Saint-Pouange managed to purchase a State office for young Colbert in the administration of Cardinal Richelieu. Colbert thus moved from the private sector to the public sector. His position, as commissaire ordinaire des guerres , had Colbert traveling around France, visiting garrisons to inspect their supplies and equipment.

He acquired a reputation as a diligent, meticulous and exacting bureaucrat. Colbert had a knack for the public service, and hero-worshipped Richelieu. Mazarin promptly appointed Michel Le Tellier as the secretary of state for war in Le Tellier was the brother-in-law of the aforementioned Colbert de Saint Pouange, and the family connection improved young Colbert's prospects, and he soon became Le Tellier's personal commissioner.

Political fortune was soon joined by material fortune: in , one of Colbert's uncles was charged with treason, and Le Tellier arranged for the confiscation and transfer of his property to the young Colbert.

In , Colbert married Marie Charron, a rich heiress. As a wedding gift, La Tellier secured him the honorific title of "Councillor of State", enshrining Colbert's position as a high official. Between and , France was convulsed in "La Fronde", a complicated, multi-stage civil war. Colbert remained loyally by Le Tellier's side. He soon found himself shuttling with frequency as a messenger between the frontline, where Le Tellier was organizing the royal troops, and the fugitive royal court, moving around in the provinces.

As a result, Colbert soon became a familiar face to the young king, his mother and the cardinal. There, he introduced Jean-Baptiste to his influential Parisian network. In , Jean-Baptiste Colbert started working for the State and rapidly rose through the ranks. He held several positions and quickly proved his administrative talents. History took the most favourable turn for Colbert in , when France faced the turmoil caused by the Fronde, a series of civil wars.

The violence forced Cardinal Mazarin out of the capital; he took refuge in the countryside and appointed Jean-Baptiste Colbert as his personal agent and liaison in Paris. Colbert was so adaptable that he soon became indispensable. By the age of 30, Jean-Baptiste Colbert had acquired significant fortune and prestige. During his entire life, the king was very close to Jean-Baptiste Colbert; the latter became his personal adviser and most powerful minister.