Jean-Baptiste Dubos

Its life and its work

Wire of a merchant alderman of Beauvais, Dubos makes its first studies in its birthplace before coming to complete them in Paris where he studies the Théologie, then the public law. After being received graduate of Sorbonne in 1691, it enters the offices of Jean-Baptiste Colbert de Torcy which it operations manager secret near various course of Europe, in Germany, in Italy, in England, in Holland. About it being discharged as a skilful negotiator and having taken a big part with the treaties concluded with Utrecht, Bade and Radstadt, the regent and the cardinal Dubois made the same use, with same success, of its talents. Its services were rewarded by benefit and pensions, and finally by of Notre-Dame de Ressons] close to Beauvais, after which it gave up the policy to be devoted to the history.

In 1720, it is elected member of the French Academy where it replaces, two years later, André Dacier at the post of perpetual secretary.

Responsible for the peace negotiations at the time of the War of Holland which opposes France and his allies with the countries which will form the Quadruple Alliance later, the Dubos abbot publishes in 1703 Interests of England badly heard in the war presents , whose certain chapters contain revelations that the Dutchmen will make profitable, which made say to some that its book should have been named the Interests of England badly heard by the abbot Dubos . It is probably about a work of order made on order of the court of France which had provided him the memories. Dubos made there, on England, of the disastrous predictions which were carried out but it also not predicted there that the British colonies in America would revolt one day against their Masters.

In its History critical of the establishment of French monarchy in Gaules , appeared in 1734 and republished in 1742, the Dubos abbot traverses only the first two centuries of this monarchy of which it shows the beginnings and refutes the ideas of Boulainvilliers. With erudite research, major reflections and judicious reasoning, it highlights the fact at it that, as of the beginning, the kings of France were absolute and that the kingdom was always hereditary. In this work full with principles of public rights and excellent political reasoning with the diffuse style, the Dubos abbot treated as a Master the question of the Salic law from where it would follow that this law was not a written law but a habit as old as the Monarchie. Having also tried to show that the Francs penetrated the Gaulle, not as conquerors, but to invites the Gallic ones, Montesquieu will refute this thesis in its Esprit of the laws (chapter XXX ): “my ideas are perpetually contrary with his; and that, if it found the truth, I did not find it. Mister the Dubos abbot wants to remove any species of idea that the Francs entered Gaules as conquerors: according to him, our kings, called by the people, made only put themselves at the place, and succeed the rights of the Roman Emperors. ”

Appeared for the first time in 1719 and often republished, the critical Reflections on poetry and painting of the Dubos abbot marked a turning in the esthetic thought and will exert a considerable influence on the development of the theatrical art and the music throughout the Age of Enlightenment.

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