Jean-Nicolas Bassenge
Encyclopedia
Jean-Nicolas or Nicolas Bassenge (24 November 1758, Liège
- 16 July 1811) was a politician from the Principality of Liège. He was active in the Liège Revolution then the French Revolution
.
, headed by the Oratorians. In 1781 he prepared La Nymphe de Spa for abbé Raynal, a letter in which he made an apologia for Enlightenment philosophy. This brought him much difficulty, despite the protection he enjoyed from the prince-bishop François-Charles de Velbrück
. Exhausted by the minor persecutions his poetry suffered, he left for Paris, where he became friends with the most famous writers of the era. After Velbrück's death, conflict broke out between the new prince-bishop César-Constantin-François de Hoensbroeck
and the people of his principality. Putting his pen at the service of his fellow citizens, Bassenge published pro-liberal pamphlets and at the same time studied the history of Liège, giving extracts of his historical research in his Lettres à l'abbé de P... (1787–1789).
at Wetzlar, then in Berlin and finally at the congress of Frankfurt - he failed in his mission. The Société des amis de la liberté et de l'égalité de Liège then gave him the task of editing a report on the question of a merger with France, in which he supported such action. In December 1790 the Austrians reinstated the prince-bishop in Liège. Bassenge was excluded from the resulting amnesty and had to flee to France again, with many of his fellow liberals. In Paris he was put in charge of drafting the proposal for Liège's merger with France and then presenting it to the National Convention
. At Sedan in 1791 he prepared an address from the inhabitants of Liège to Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor
, in which he protested against his arbitrary reaction to the Liège revolution.
In 1792 Bassenge returned to Liège with Charles François Dumouriez
's French troops, which had captured the principality of Liège and the Austrian Netherlands from the Austrians, but the French defeat at the battle of Neerwinden
forced him back into exile in France until 1795. Whilst in Paris from 1792 to 1795 he allied himself with the Girondins and was imprisoned and threatened with the guillotine during the Reign of Terror
, until the Liége exiles intervened in his favour and won him Robespierre's support. On his release he returned to Liège on France's final annexation of it in 1795, becoming commissioner general to the executive directory within the departmental administration of Ourthe (one of the three departments created from Liège). In 1798 he was elected to represent that department in the Council of the Five Hundred in Paris (on which his younger brother also served - that brother later became sous-préfet for Montmédy and a member of the Corps législatif). Like many moderate republicans, he supported the 18 brumaire
coup which brought Bonaparte
and had no notion that Bonaparte would later make himself emperor. He gained a seat on the Corps législatif and defended his republican ideas in the Décade philosophique, a scientific and literary journal headed by Pierre-Louis Ginguené and Amaury Duval.
Liège
Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
- 16 July 1811) was a politician from the Principality of Liège. He was active in the Liège Revolution then the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
.
Youth
From an upper middle class family, he studied at the collège at ViséVisé
Visé is a Walloon municipality and city of Belgium, where it is located on the river Meuse, in the province of Liège.The municipality consists of the former municipalities of Visé, Lanaye, Lixhe, Richelle, Argenteau and Cheratte....
, headed by the Oratorians. In 1781 he prepared La Nymphe de Spa for abbé Raynal, a letter in which he made an apologia for Enlightenment philosophy. This brought him much difficulty, despite the protection he enjoyed from the prince-bishop François-Charles de Velbrück
François-Charles de Velbrück
François Charles de Velbrück was a German ecclesiastic. He was prince bishop of Liege from 16 February 1772 to 1784.-Life:...
. Exhausted by the minor persecutions his poetry suffered, he left for Paris, where he became friends with the most famous writers of the era. After Velbrück's death, conflict broke out between the new prince-bishop César-Constantin-François de Hoensbroeck
César-Constantin-François de Hoensbroeck
César-Constantin-François de Hoensbroeck or Hoensbroech was a German ecclesiastic of the Van Hoensbroeck family, most notable as prince bishop of Liege from 1784 to 1792, in which post he was nicknamed the "bourreau roux" or "red executioner".-Life:The son of Ulric Antoine de Hoensbroeck...
and the people of his principality. Putting his pen at the service of his fellow citizens, Bassenge published pro-liberal pamphlets and at the same time studied the history of Liège, giving extracts of his historical research in his Lettres à l'abbé de P... (1787–1789).
Revolution
An ardent defender of republican ideas, Bassenge returned to his birthplace on the outbreak of the revolution there in 1789, to support the insurgents. There he was elected as a deputy for the third estate in the conferences of the three orders and he, Fabry and Chestret quickly became the leaders of the liberal forces ranged against the prince-bishop. The Estates put him in charge of pleading their case before the imperial ReichskammergerichtReichskammergericht
The Reichskammergericht or Imperial Chamber Court was one of two highest judicial institutions in the Holy Roman Empire, the other one being the Aulic Council in Vienna. It was founded in 1495 by the Imperial Diet in Worms...
at Wetzlar, then in Berlin and finally at the congress of Frankfurt - he failed in his mission. The Société des amis de la liberté et de l'égalité de Liège then gave him the task of editing a report on the question of a merger with France, in which he supported such action. In December 1790 the Austrians reinstated the prince-bishop in Liège. Bassenge was excluded from the resulting amnesty and had to flee to France again, with many of his fellow liberals. In Paris he was put in charge of drafting the proposal for Liège's merger with France and then presenting it to the National Convention
National Convention
During the French Revolution, the National Convention or Convention, in France, comprised the constitutional and legislative assembly which sat from 20 September 1792 to 26 October 1795 . It held executive power in France during the first years of the French First Republic...
. At Sedan in 1791 he prepared an address from the inhabitants of Liège to Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor
Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor
Leopold II , born Peter Leopold Joseph Anton Joachim Pius Gotthard, was Holy Roman Emperor and King of Hungary and Bohemia from 1790 to 1792, Archduke of Austria and Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1765 to 1790. He was a son of Emperor Francis I and his wife, Empress Maria Theresa...
, in which he protested against his arbitrary reaction to the Liège revolution.
In 1792 Bassenge returned to Liège with Charles François Dumouriez
Charles François Dumouriez
Charles-François du Périer Dumouriez was a French general during the French Revolutionary Wars. He shared the victory at Valmy with General François Christophe Kellermann, but later deserted the Revolutionary Army and became a royalist intriguer during the reign of Napoleon.-Early life:Dumouriez...
's French troops, which had captured the principality of Liège and the Austrian Netherlands from the Austrians, but the French defeat at the battle of Neerwinden
Battle of Neerwinden (1793)
The Battle of Neerwinden took place on near the village of Neerwinden in present-day Belgium between the Austrians under Prince Josias of Coburg and the French under General Dumouriez...
forced him back into exile in France until 1795. Whilst in Paris from 1792 to 1795 he allied himself with the Girondins and was imprisoned and threatened with the guillotine during the Reign of Terror
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror , also known simply as The Terror , was a period of violence that occurred after the onset of the French Revolution, incited by conflict between rival political factions, the Girondins and the Jacobins, and marked by mass executions of "enemies of...
, until the Liége exiles intervened in his favour and won him Robespierre's support. On his release he returned to Liège on France's final annexation of it in 1795, becoming commissioner general to the executive directory within the departmental administration of Ourthe (one of the three departments created from Liège). In 1798 he was elected to represent that department in the Council of the Five Hundred in Paris (on which his younger brother also served - that brother later became sous-préfet for Montmédy and a member of the Corps législatif). Like many moderate republicans, he supported the 18 brumaire
18 Brumaire
The coup of 18 Brumaire was the coup d'état by which General Napoleon Bonaparte overthrew the French Directory, replacing it with the French Consulate...
coup which brought Bonaparte
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
and had no notion that Bonaparte would later make himself emperor. He gained a seat on the Corps législatif and defended his republican ideas in the Décade philosophique, a scientific and literary journal headed by Pierre-Louis Ginguené and Amaury Duval.