- First name
- Jean Baptiste
- Last name
- Colbert
- Date of Birth
- 1619
- Date of Death
- 1683
- Born in
- Reims
- Died in
- Paris
Jean Baptiste Colbert was Marquess de Seignelay. He was Contrôleur général des finances (1665–83) under Louis XIV of France. He built up the French economy by levying taxes, reclaimed lands and rights, and improved roads and canals. He was the founder of the ‘Manufacture royale de glaces de miroirs’ (the corporation Saint-Gobain S.A.) where the Huygens brothers purchased their glass. Colbert was a fervent supporter of the arts and sciences and acquired valuable manuscripts for France. He also granted pensions to scientists (Christiaan Huygens) and founded the Paris observatory and the Académie Royale des Sciences. See: Soll, 2009.