Colbert, Jean Baptiste°
COLBERT, JEAN BAPTISTE°
COLBERT, JEAN BAPTISTE ° (1619–1683), comptroller-general of finances under Louis xiv of France. Contrary to the prevailing attitude of his day, Colbert was in favor of the presence of the Jews. He believed them advantageous to the economy because of their trade, their manufactured products, and their capital investments. Therefore, he protected the *New Christians of *Bordeaux and Marseilles in the face of pressure from Catholic circles. He was also anxious that the Jews should remain in the French colonies – though at the same time restricting the public manifestations of their religious life – for the sake of their investments and the impetus they gave to agriculture.
bibliography:
J.B. Colbert, Lettres…, 6 (1869), 159, 188, 193, etc.; C.W. Cole, Colbert…, 1 (Eng., 1939), 351, 362; 2 (1939), 42.
[Bernhard Blumenkranz]