Étienne Barbette, the kings' treasurer

In the heart of the Marais, one of the most discreet streets in the district bears an illustrious name: rue Barbette.

Born around 1250 and died in 1321, Etienne Barbette came from a bourgeois family that had managed to build up a significant real estate portfolio. Etienne would inherit a house located at 14-16 rue de la Barre du Bec, now rue du Temple.

And become, in a few years, an influential figure who will occupy key positions under the reigns of Philip III (1245-1285). This son of Louis IX, called "Saint Louis" and Marguerite de Provence who reigned from 1270 - 1285 before Philip IV the Fair (1268-1314) took his place on the throne, from 1285 - 1314.

Both monarchs had boundless confidence in him. Philip III, nicknamed the Bold, was a chivalrous, determined but cautious king who sought to assert royal authority while continuing the policies of his father, Louis IX.

While Philip the Fair, his son, was an authoritarian and centralizing monarch, who sought to strengthen the sovereignty of the kingdom, notably through his judicial and financial reforms, which earned him the nickname of "Iron King".

Philip IV, in order to curb his financial and monetary difficulties, did not hesitate to overthrow the Order of the Temple, which had become an international financial power, and to expel the Jews while confiscating their property. He reestablished a gold currency that would remain stable for more than a century. (cf Wikipedia)

Master of the King's Coins from 1296 to 1306, Barbette was pragmatic and skilled in financial management; he supervised the minting and circulation of royal currency, a crucial role for the kingdom's economy.

He also held the position of provost of the merchants of Paris on four occasions between 1298 and 1304, as well as that of alderman of the city.

His connection with the Marais district is marked by the construction of his home, in reality a vast property located in the Marais. Indeed, at the beginning of the 14th century, Étienne Barbette transformed this land into a rest residence outside Paris. Originally a modest country house, it was gradually embellished to become a real pleasure palace.

Known as "Courtille Barbette", it occupied approximately a quadrilateral formed by the current streets Vieille-du-Temple, des Francs-Bourgeois, Payenne and du Parc-Royal, in the current 3rd arrondissement of Paris. This residence, surrounded by gardens and vineyards, would bear witness to its status and wealth.

But his role as master of the mints attracted popular hostility, particularly during the popular uprising against the devaluation of currencies, which led to the pillaging of the house of Étienne Barbette on December 16, 1306.

In response to the riot and the ransacking of the house of his mint master, the implacable Philip the Fair ordered, on December 28, the execution of 26 insurgents, whose bodies were then displayed, as a sign of dissuasion, at each gate of the city.

Barbette's influence on the neighborhood did not stop there. One of the entrances to Philippe Auguste's enclosure, located at the beginning of Rue Vieille-du-Temple, bore his name: the Porte Barbette. The Barbette hotel was later, in 1407, the site of the assassination of Louis d'Orléans.