André Hercule de Fleury

André Hercule de Fleury , 1653-1743, French statesman, cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. Tutor of the young Louis XV , he became, at the age of 73, chief adviser to the king and virtual ruler of France (1726-43). Fleury restored order to the national finances, disorganized by the speculative schemes of John Law . The currency was stabilized, roads were built, the merchant marine expanded, and a growth in commerce resulted. By his attempts to suppress the Jansenists (see Jansen, Cornelis ) Fleury provoked opposition, particularly from the parlements [courts]. He strove for peace abroad but became involved in the War of the Polish Succession ; through it, however, he assured the eventual reversion of Lorraine to France and established a Spanish Bourbon on the throne of Naples.

Bibliography: See A. McC. Wilson, French Foreign Policy during the Administration of Cardinal Fleury (1936, repr. 1972).