LOUVET DE COUVRAV LOUVOIS. 



571 



order to discover accomplices. At length Bellart, 

 the attorney-general, declared in the indictment (May 

 12), that none had been discovered. June 5, Louvel, 

 between his two counsel, was placed at the bar of 

 the chamber of peers, sitting as a court of justice. 

 The chancellor D'Ambray, president of the chamber, 

 examined him. Louvel declared that no personal 

 offence had induced him to commit the murder, but 

 only an exasperation, created by the presence of the 

 foreign troops, as early as 1814 ; that, in order to 

 distract his thoughts, he had travelled, and visited 

 the island of Elba, but, in that place had no con- 

 ference with Napoleon or his attendants ; that, after 

 Napoleon's return from Elba, he was taken into ser- 

 vice as saddler in the imperial stables, and, hence, 

 had obtained this station in the royal stables. No 

 political party, no individual, had persuaded him to 

 commit this act. He had read no newspapers nor 

 pamphlets. He admitted that his deed was a hor- 

 rible crime ; but stated that he had determined to 

 sacrifice himself for France. Louvel's defenders 

 alleged a monomania, or an insanity consisting in a 

 fixed idea, and appealed to the dying request of the 

 prince for the pardon of his murderer. Louvel then 

 read his defence. The high court of justice con- 

 demned him to death. After a long delay he admit- 

 ted the visit of a clergyman, but, on the day of his 

 execution (July 7, 1820), paid no attention to his 

 words, directing his eyes over the multitude, which 

 witnessed his execution in silence. See Maurice 

 Mejan's Hist, du Proces de Louvel, assassin, &c. (2 

 vols., Paris, 1820). 



LOUVET DE COUVRAY, JOHN BAPTIST; a 

 French advocate, distinguished as an actor in the 

 revolution. At the commencement of the political 

 commotions, he joined the popular party, and dis- 

 played a decided aversion to royalty and nobility. 

 He published a romance, entitled Emilie de Var- 

 ment, ou le Divorce necessaire (1791), in support of 

 the prevalent opinions relative to marriage, and spoke 

 at the bar of the national assembly in favour of a 

 decree of accusation against the emigrant princes. 

 In 1792, he was chosen a deputy to the convention, 

 when he attached himself to the party of the Giron- 

 dists, and voted for the death of Louis XVI., with a 

 proviso, that execution should be delayed till after 

 the acceptance of the constitution by the people. He 

 was denounced by the terrorists, and included in an 

 order of arrest issued June 2, 1794. Having escaped 

 from the capital, he retired to Caen, with several of his 

 colleagues, and employed himself in writing against 

 the Jacobins. He was declared an outlaw ; on which 

 he fled to Brittany, and thence to the department of 

 the Garonne. At length he separated from his com- 

 panions, anil returned to Paris, where he kept him- 

 self concealed till after the fall of Robespierre. He 

 subsequently published an account of his adventures 

 during the time of his proscription, entitled Notices 

 sur i Histoire et le Recit de mes Perils a work 

 written in a romantic style, which lias been translated 

 into English and other languages. Louvet recovered 

 his seat in the convention in March 1795, and he 

 occupied the presidency in June following. He was 

 afterwards a member of the council of five hundred, 

 which he quitted in May, 1797, and died at Paris, 

 August 25, of that year. He is chiefly known in 

 literature as the author of a licentious novel La Fie 

 du Chevalier Faublus. 



LOUVOIS, FRANQOIS MICHEL LETELLIER, mar- 

 quis of, minister of war to Louis XIV., son of the 

 chancellor Letellier, born at Paris in 1641, was early 

 made a royal counsellor through the influence of his 

 father. He displayed so little inclination for business, 

 and so great a love of pleasure, that his father threat- 

 el in 1 to deprive him of the reversion of the secretari- 



ship in the war department, which had been conferred 

 on him at the early age of thirteen. From this 

 moment young Louvois abandoned his habits of 

 dissipation, and devoted himself to business. After 

 1666, he had the whole management of the ministry 

 of war, and soon exercised a despotic control over 

 his master, and over the army. His extensive know: 

 ledge, his decision, activity, industry and talents, 

 rendered him an able minister ; but he cannot aspire 

 to the praise of a great statesman. He was too 

 regardless of the rights of human nature ; too lavish 

 of the blood and treasure of France ; too much of a 

 despot, to deserve that honourable appellation. His 

 reforms in the organization of the army ; his manner of 

 conducting the wars of his ambitious master, if they 

 were not rather his own ; and, above all, his successes, 

 render his administration brilliant. See Audouin's 

 Histoire de i 'Administration de la Guerre (Paris, 

 181 1.) But, justly appreciated, Louvois must be con- 

 sidered as the evil genius of the showy but disastrous 

 reign of Louis XIV. While the king was flatteredwith 

 the idea of having formed the young minister, and of 

 directing his government in person, every thing was, 

 in fact, done by Louvois, and according to his views. 

 The generals were all required to communicate 

 immediately with him ; and, although Turenne would 

 not submit to this order, yet the king showed all his 

 letters to his minister, and answered them according to 

 his suggestions. Bold and grasping schemes which 

 could be executed only by the unwearied activity and 

 industry of Louvois, were proposed by him for the 

 purpose of rendering himself necessary to Louis, who, 

 he was conscious, disliked him personally. Hence, 

 notwithstanding the solemn renunciations of all claims 

 to Franche-Comte and the Spanish Netherlands (see 

 Louis XI f^., and France), war was undertaken (1607 

 and 1669) to get possession of them. The war of 

 1672, against Holland, was begun at the instigation of 

 Louvois, and would have been finished much sooner, 

 had he not, contrary to the wishes of Conde anil 

 Turenne, insisted upon occupying the fortresses, and 

 thus given the Dutch time to open their sluices. The 

 victories of Turenne (q. v.), in 1674 and 1675, were 

 gained by a disobedience of the orders of the minister 

 of war ; but the desolation of the Palatinate was com- 

 manded by him. The system of reunion, as it is called 

 (see Louis XIF.), was now adopted, and Louvois took 

 possession of Strasburg, in the time of peace (1680). 

 On the death of Colbert (1683), of whom he had been 

 the enemy, his influence became still greater, and one 

 of its most fatal effects was the revocation of the 

 edict of Nantes (1685), the dragonnades, and the con- 

 sequent flight of so many peaceful and industrious 

 Calvinists. Louvois was now superintendent of the 

 royal buildings, and, on occasion of a dispute with 

 the king about the size of a window, in which the 

 latter had spoken severely to him, " The king," said 

 the minister " begins to meddle with every thing ; we 

 must give him something to do ; he shall have a 

 war ;" and a pretext was soon found. The system 

 of reunion had united the European powers in the 

 league of Augsburg ; and it was determined to seize 

 on Philipsburg. one of the bulwarks of Germany. 

 This was done with so much secrecy as to pre- 

 vent the place being relieved. The French arms 

 were successful, but disgraced by the horrid burn- 

 ings and devastations committed by the direction 

 of Louvois. The Palatinate was reduced to a wilder- 

 ness in mid-winter (1689.) The war was conducted 

 with great ability by Louvois ; but his arrogance 

 had long rendered him odious to Louis. The 

 king's dislike had been increased by the cruel 

 devastations of the Palatinate, and when the minister 

 proposed to him to complete the desolation by the 

 burning of Treves, he refused his consent. Louvois 



