Knowra Anne Robert Jacques Turgot Anne Robert Jacques Turgot Anne Robert Jacques Turgot was an eighteenth-century French economist and statesman who served as Louis XVI’s controller-general of finances from 1774 to 1776. His reforms sought to liberalize trade, reduce privilege, and restrain public spending.
Free-market economy : An economic system in which prices and production are shaped largely by voluntary exchange rather than central direction. Turgot applied free-market reasoning to grain trade and other regulated markets.
Enlightenment : An intellectual movement emphasizing reason, inquiry, and reform that flourished in Europe during the eighteenth century. Turgot’s political economy developed amid Enlightenment arguments about commerce, privilege, and government.
Louis XVI : King of France from 1774 until the monarchy’s abolition in 1792. Louis XVI appointed Turgot controller-general and dismissed him less than two years later.
Dismissal of Turgot : Louis XVI’s removal of Turgot from the controller-generalship in May 1776. His dismissal ended the ministry’s coordinated reform effort and restored opponents’ influence.
Grain trade liberalization in France : The removal of restrictions on the internal trade and movement of grain in eighteenth-century France. Turgot’s 1774 edict sought to allow grain to circulate more freely within France.
Sorbonne : A historic university institution in Paris, originally associated with the theological college founded in 1257. Turgot studied theology at the Sorbonne before entering royal administration.
Anne-Robert-Jacques Turgot's circle : The reform-minded administrators and intellectual associates connected with Turgot’s ministry and economic ideas. Turgot relied on allies to advance changes opposed by entrenched institutions.
American Revolutionary War : The conflict from 1775 to 1783 in which the Thirteen Colonies won independence from Great Britain. Turgot warned that French support for the American war would worsen the monarchy’s finances.
Six Edicts of 1776 : A package of reforms issued under Louis XVI that targeted guilds, corvée labor, and other economic restrictions. These edicts embodied Turgot’s attempt to weaken privileges and reduce burdens on production.
Limoges : A city in southwestern France that served as the capital of the Limousin province. As intendant of Limoges, Turgot tested reforms in taxation, roads, and relief.
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