Barthélemy Hervart
Barthélemy Hervart | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1607-08-16 Lyon |
| Died | 1676-10-22 Paris, France |
| Occupation(s) | Financier, Banker, Statesman |
| Years active | 1630s–1665 |
| Known for | Financial support during the Fronde; Controller-General of Finances (1657–1665) |
Barthélemy Hervart or Herwart (16 August 1607 – 22 October 1676) was a prominent Huguenot financier who significantly contributed to stabilizing the French crown during the Fronde civil conflicts by providing extensive loans. He also held considerable influence amid the collapse of Louis XIV's Finance Superintendent, Nicolas Fouquet.
In partnership with his brother and associates, Hervart funded major undertakings such as the reclamation of salt marshes in Arles and Les Baux.
Early life and family
Daniel Herwart, Barthélemy’s father, was a Protestant banker originally from Augsburg who later settled in Lyon.
Barthélemy married Esther Vimar in 1697, and they had three children: Jean-Antoine Hervart; Anne Hervart, who converted to Catholicism; and Esther d'Hervart. Esther married , with whom she had six children, four of whom survived into adulthood. One of their descendants wed an English nobleman, resulting in the family establishing themselves in England and effectively acquiring English citizenship.
Among Barthélemy's notable ancestors was Georg Herwart, who served as mayor of Augsburg between 1539 and 1548. Georg’s son Ulrich relocated to Lyon, and Ulrich’s son Daniel married Anne Erlin in 1599, fathering four children including Barthélemy.
Arms and military
Beginning his career as an arms merchant, Herwart acted as paymaster for the army under Bernard de Saxe-Weimar, a commander during the Thirty Years War. After Bernard's death in 1639, Hervart engaged in negotiations with Cardinal Richelieu to reintegrate Bernard’s forces into French service. This resulted in the Treaty of Breisach on 9 October 1639 and enabled Barthélemy and his brother Jean Henry to obtain French citizenship along with estates in Alsace at Huningue and Landser.
Banking
The Hervart brothers eventually shifted their focus to banking in Paris. In 1649, Barthélemy was appointed as a Councillor of State. His financial support was instrumental in helping Cardinal Mazarin strengthen his authority. Hervart was designated as Intendant des finances in 1650 and, notwithstanding his Protestant faith, assumed the position of Controller-General of Finances in 1657, a post he held until 12 December 1665.
Following the detention of Nicolas Fouquet, financial control was centralized under Jean-Baptiste Colbert, who succeeded as Controller-General of Finances. Prior to this consolidation, the role had been shared between Louis Nicolas le Tonnelier de Breteuil and Barthélemy Hervart; both received compensation upon their replacement.
After Fouquet’s downfall, Hervart faced legal proceedings but incurred only a minor fine. He invested in salt marsh reclamation projects, including a company dedicated to draining the marshes of Arles and Les Baux-de-Provence, as well as participating in the French East India Company.
Marsh project funding
Situated near the Mediterranean coast in southwestern Provence, Arles and Les Baux-de-Provence lie adjacent to the marshy Camargue area. On 16 August 1642, an agreement was formalized to drain two marshlands—the Arles marsh located between Arles and Tarascon, and the Les Baux marsh—under the direction of Dutch engineer .
To finance labor costs, the "Company for the Drainage of the Marshes of Arles and Baux" (Société de dessèchement des marais d'Arles et des Baux) was created with investment from financiers allied with Richelieu and Mazarin. Key backers included Barthélemy and Jean Henry Hervart alongside Jean Hoeufft. Other shareholders comprised Madame Van Ens (heiress to her late husband), Octavio de Strada, Michel Lucas, and Jean François Genoyer.
Jean Henry Hervart managed operations at Arles. On 31 October 1653, official regulations were established delineating governance structures and responsibilities. These included annual meetings held on 16 August for company administration and appointment of a Director.
Over time, membership diminished: Van Ens passed away in 1652; Lucas transferred his shares to Hoeufft's heirs and the Hervarts by 1659; Strada died in 1655. By that year, only the Hervarts and Hoeufft heirs remained shareholders. Following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1598, assets owned by Hervart—classified as religionnaires (Huguenots)—were confiscated but restored only in 1692 to Catholic heirs residing within France. Initially unaffected due to Dutch nationality, Hoeufft’s heirs’ holdings were later seized during hostilities with Holland but returned in 1713. Consequently, descendants of both Hervart and Hoeufft retained ownership well into the eighteenth century.
Death
Hervart passed away in Paris in 1676, having amassed considerable wealth, with his Protestant beliefs exerting little influence on his life’s outcome.