Françis de Monscieurs, 8th Baron de l'Nôtre
Françis de Monscieurs | |
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| Chancellor of the Ambrosian Empire | |
| In office 16 December 1781 – 9 July 1792 | |
| Monarch | |
| Second Chancellor | |
| Preceded by | Alexandré Noel |
| Succeeded by | Position dissolved |
| Second Chancellor of the Ambrosian Empire | |
| In office 8 November 1773 – 26 August 1779 | |
| Chancellor | |
| Preceded by | Jean Durant |
| Succeeded by | Louis Jorden |
| Lord Keeper of the Royal Treasury | |
| In office 2 October 1778 – 30 January 1780 | |
| Chancellor | |
| Preceded by | Edward John Beuxclairé |
| Succeeded by | Louis Jorden |
| In office 17 October 1780 – 18 February 1784 | |
| Chancellor | Alexandré Noel |
| Preceded by | Louis Jorden |
| Succeeded by | Charles Henry Wortcostelle |
| 8th Baron de l'Nôtre | |
| In office 7 November 1769 – 9 July 1792 | |
| Preceded by | Rychard de Monscieurs, 7th Baron de l'Nôtre |
| Succeeded by | Position dissolved |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 18 August 1754 Monscieurs Costelle, Nôtre |
| Died | 9 July 1792 (aged 37) Imperial Costelle |
| Political party | Liberty Party |
| Parents |
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Françis de Monscieurs, 8th Baron de l'Nôtre (Françis Charles de Monscieurs; 18 August 1754 – 9 July 1792) was an Ambrosian-Gollic statesman who served as the Chancellor of the Ambrosian Empire from 1781 until his execution in 1792, Lord Keeper of the Royal Treasury from 1778 until 1784, and Second Chancellor of the Ambrosian Empire from 1773 until 1779. During this time, he was known as Sir Françis Nôtre. He also served as the 8th Baron de l'Nôtre.
Françis was a member of the Liberty Party who was first elected to Pourelment in 1768 and held several senior positions. He notably sought lower taxes, greater religious tolerance, and moderation. He primarily avoided controversial disputes, instead delegating them to the Second Chancellor of the Ambrosian Empire, though he faced strong opposition during the Noel-Jorden ministry.
Early life
De Monscieurs was born in Monscieurs Costelle, a Ambreux castle in the Barony of Nôtre. He was the fourth son of Henri III de Monscieurs, the younger brother of Rychard de Monscieurs, a member of Pourelment and a Royalist politician who fought to preserve the monarchy in the Ambrosian Civil War. His wife Agnes vön Wälf was the daughter of Wilhelm II von Wälf. Edward de Monscieurs was his younger brother.
Political career
As a young man, de Monscieurs joined the Liberty Party after a quarrel with his Royalist father. He first stood in Pourelment as a representative of the Barony of Nôtre, which would continuously re-elect him for the remainder of his life.
In 1773, de Monscieurs was appointed by Baptiste Leclérc, Chancellor of the Ambrosian Empire to the position of Second Chancellor of the Ambrosian Empire. De Monscieurs became the favorite of the Chancellor during this time. He emerged as an intermediary for reconciling Royalists and Libertarians in Pourelment. He was recognized by the later Frederick Lieder and subsequently appointed to Lord Keeper of the Royal Treasury in 1778.
Noel–Jorden ministry
Despite his apparent political clout, de Monscieurs was unable to stop Alexandré Noel, the sitting Lord Speaker of Ambreux, from deposing Lieder in 1779. Noel set to work assuming control of Pourelment, enacting Royalist policies, and began the Noel–Jorden ministry. The new ministry removed de Monscieurs from his office of Second Chancellor, reducing Libertarian power in government. Noel first attempted to coerce him into joining the Royalists, before resorting to violence, but de Monscieurs refused to change parties and became a notably outspoken member of Pourelment. He effectively defended the Liberty Party against attacks from Royalists.
In 1780, Louis Jorden, the Second Chancellor, accused de Monscieurs of corruption. Although judges proved his innocence, and was supported by the ailing Emperor Àrmenâris II, he was convicted and sentenced to death. He was removed from Pourelment and imprisoned in the Tower of Ambreux for five months. During his stay in the Tower, he was regarded as a symbol of liberty, and visited by Libertarians. He escaped the Tower and left for Figerbuun, before returning in October and leading the Monscieurs Riots. He was re-elected to the position of Lord Keeper of the Royal Treasury on 17 October, though he declined to resume his former position as Second Chancellor.
Despite de Monscieurs' success, the Royalists dominated Pourelment, ensuring that his influence would be little as the Lord Keeper of the Royal Treasury. Àrmenâris began to grow distrustful of Libertarians, though he never approved of any formal law against them. De Monscieurs repeatedly refused the offer of retiring for large sums, however, and continued to play an important role in Ambrosian politics.
Chancellor of the Ambrosian Empire (1781–1792)
Soon after de Monscieur's return, the Ambrosian Empire collapsed into an economic bubble. Noel had established that the North Castor Company would assume complete monopoly over the slave trade. Many believed that this would lead to enormous profits for the company, as the slave trade was at the time in high demand in foreign countries, facilitated by the collapse of the rival South Castor Company. Several prominent businessmen hurriedly invested in the company, including de Monscieurs. However, the prohibition of importing of foreign slaves by Horteny, followed by genuine disinterest from the Montic Empire, caused the North Castor Company to fall into debt.
Noel immediately left office in 1781. The resignation of Noel left the position of Chancellor in question. Jorden would have assumed the position in question, but de Monscieurs opposed it, blaming him for the economic bubble. The Emperor did not endorse either politician, and a period of riots ensued. De Monscieurs took to garnering support from rural baronies, before turning to larger cities. In On 16 December 1781 he was appointed as Chancellor.
Struggles with Wyllhelm VIII
The first year of his chancellorship was marked with struggles. On 4 September 1782 Àrmenâris died, and his sone Wyllhelm VIII succeeded to the throne. De Monscieurs and Wyllhelm were bitter rivals: de Monscieurs bluntly told the Emperor that "either Your Imperial Majesty abdicate your Power, or I will leave Pourelment", leaving Wyllhelm without a government. Wyllhelm agreed to surrender a majority of his power to de Monscieurs, but upon his coronation, he declared "a native of the Good Ambrosian Empire, I am the One chosen by the Good Mother Above."
Despite his threat, de Monscieurs never resigned. The now Libertarian-Katherinicanist government strongly dissaproved of his acceptance of Wyllhelm's statement, and in 1783 the Pourelment Riots broke out. The crisis gravely damaged the credibility of the Liberty Party, though de Monscieurs managed to defend both himself and the party with numerous bribes.
De Monscieur's ascendancy continued; throughout the 1780s Pourelment continued in active struggle against the Emperor. However, the attempts to curtail Wyllhelm's authority did not shift noticeably in either direction. In 1785, Wyllhelm attempted to oppose taxes on non-Saletrists, though de Monscieurs vehemently opposed said taxes, declaring them invalid. De Monscieurs secretely used his wealth to aid in the controversy against the Emperor. Although the Emperor attempted to recover from the public relations fallout, though Libertarian sentiment prevented it.
In 1786 de Monscieurs' position was briefly threatened, when the Chancellor and the Emperor argued publically. However, after Wyllhelm's attempts to dismiss de Monscieurs, Libertarians and Royalists alike prevented his removal from office. Wyllhelm agreed to keep de Monscieurs in office, though he assumed significantly more power. Gradually, the Emperor became the dominant component in government.
In 1788, Wyllhelm attempted raise ₭6,000,000 (equivalent to ￦28,320,000 today, or $69,950,400), much more than what Pourelment could afford, for the deployment of the Ambrosian Armada. Estrangement between the Katherinicanist-dominated government and most Salist denominations led to Pourelment preferring minor intervention. Pourelment refused, and Wyllhelm raised taxes anyhow without pourelmentel consent. De Monscieurs was imprisoned and tried for high treason. With the imprisonment of the Chancellor, Pourelment raised 8,000 men and attacked the Angechettian Castle. In response, the Angechet Massacre occured, in which 13 members were killed and de Monscieurs was injured.