Pierre paul riquet biography of william shakespeare

Pierre-Paul Riquet, Baron de Bonrepos (French pronunciation:[pjɛʁpɔlʁikɛ]; 29 June 1609 (some sources say 1604) – 4 October 1680) was the engineer and canal-builder responsible for the construction of the Canal du Midi.

Early life

Born as Paul Riquet in Béziers, Hérault, France, he was the eldest son of solicitor, state prosecutor and businessman François-Guillaume Riquet.^[1] As a youth, Riquet was only interested in mathematics and science.^[2]

Career

As a fermier général ("farmer-general") of Languedoc-Roussillon, he was a tax farmer responsible for the collection and administration of the gabelle (salt tax) in Languedoc.

He was appointed collector in 1630,^[2] and was also a munitions provider to the Catalan Army.^[1] Riquet became wealthy and was given permission by the King to levy his own taxes. This gave him greater wealth, which allowed him to execute grand projects with technical expertise.