Jean Charles Dominique de Lacretelle
Encyclopedia
Jean Charles Dominique de Lacretelle, (3 September 1766 - 26 March 1855), was a French
historian
and journalist
.
Called Lacretelle le jeune to distinguish him from his elder brother, Pierre Louis de Lacretelle
. He was born at Metz
. He was called to Paris
by his brother in 1787, and during the French Revolution
belonged, like Pierre, to the party of the Feuillants. He was for some time secretary to the duc de la Rochefoucauld-Liancourt
, the famous philanthropist, and afterwards joined the staff of the Journal de Paris, then managed by Suard
, and where he had as colleagues André Chénier
and Jean-Antoine Roucher
. He made no attempt to hide his monarchist sympathies, and these, together with the way in which he reported the trial and death of King Louis XVI of France
, put him in danger of his life; to avoid this danger he enlisted in the army, but after Thermidor he returned to Paris and to his newspaper work.
He was involved in the royalist movement of the 13th Vendmiaire, and condemned to deportation after the 18th Fructidor; but, thanks to powerful influence, he was left forgotten in prison till after the 18th Brumaire, when he was set at liberty by Joseph Fouché
. Under the Empire
he was appointed a professor of history in the Faculté des lettres of Paris (1809), and elected as a member of the Académie française
(1811). In 1827 he was prime mover in the protest made by the French Academy against the minister Peyronnet's law on the press, which led to the failure of that measure, but this step cost him, as it did Abel-François Villemain
, his post as censeur royal.
Under Louis Philippe
Lacretelle devoted himself entirely to his teaching and literary work. In 1848 he retired to Mâcon
; but there, as in Paris, he was the centre of a brilliant circle, for he was a wonderful causeur, and an equally good listener, and had many interesting experiences to recall. His son Pierre Henri (1815-1899) was a humorous writer and politician of purely contemporary interest.
and its sequel:
The author was a moderate and fair-minded man, but possessed neither great powers of style, nor striking historical insight, nor the special historian's power of writing minute accuracy of detail with breadth of view. Carlyle
's sarcastic remark on Lacretelle's history of the Revolution, that it exists, but does not profit much, is partly true of all his books. He had been an eye-witness of and an actor in the events which he describes, but his testimony must be accepted with caution.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
.
Called Lacretelle le jeune to distinguish him from his elder brother, Pierre Louis de Lacretelle
Pierre Louis de Lacretelle
Pierre Louis de Lacretelle was a French lawyer, politician and writer.He was born in Metz, the elder brother of Jean Charles Dominique de Lacretelle....
. He was born at Metz
Metz
Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place...
. He was called to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
by his brother in 1787, and during 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...
belonged, like Pierre, to the party of the Feuillants. He was for some time secretary to the duc de la Rochefoucauld-Liancourt
François Alexandre Frédéric, duc de la Rochefoucauld-Liancourt
François Alexandre Frédéric, duc de la Rochefoucauld-Liancourt was a French social reformer.-Early life:...
, the famous philanthropist, and afterwards joined the staff of the Journal de Paris, then managed by Suard
Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Suard
Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Suard was a French journalist, translator and man of letters during the Age of Enlightenment....
, and where he had as colleagues André Chénier
André Chénier
André Marie Chénier was a French poet, associated with the events of the French Revolution of which he was a victim. His sensual, emotive poetry marks him as one of the precursors of the Romantic movement...
and Jean-Antoine Roucher
Jean-Antoine Roucher
Jean-Antoine Roucher , was a French poet.Roucher was the son of a tailor from Montpellier. His epithalamium on Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette won him the favour of Turgot, and a salt-tax collectorship. His poem, entitled Les Mois, appeared in 1779, was praised in manuscript, but critically...
. He made no attempt to hide his monarchist sympathies, and these, together with the way in which he reported the trial and death of King Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792, before being executed in 1793....
, put him in danger of his life; to avoid this danger he enlisted in the army, but after Thermidor he returned to Paris and to his newspaper work.
He was involved in the royalist movement of the 13th Vendmiaire, and condemned to deportation after the 18th Fructidor; but, thanks to powerful influence, he was left forgotten in prison till after the 18th Brumaire, when he was set at liberty by Joseph Fouché
Joseph Fouché
Joseph Fouché, 1st Duc d'Otrante was a French statesman and Minister of Police under Napoleon Bonaparte. In English texts his title is often translated as Duke of Otranto.-Youth:Fouché was born in Le Pellerin, a small village near Nantes...
. Under the Empire
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
he was appointed a professor of history in the Faculté des lettres of Paris (1809), and elected as a member of the Académie française
Académie française
L'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,...
(1811). In 1827 he was prime mover in the protest made by the French Academy against the minister Peyronnet's law on the press, which led to the failure of that measure, but this step cost him, as it did Abel-François Villemain
Abel-François Villemain
Abel-François Villemain was a French politician and writer.-Biography:Villemain was born in Paris and educated at the Lycée Louis-le-Grand. He became assistant master at the Lycée Charlemagne, and subsequently at the École Normale. In 1812 he gained a prize from the Academy with an essay on Michel...
, his post as censeur royal.
Under Louis Philippe
Louis-Philippe of France
Louis Philippe I was King of the French from 1830 to 1848 in what was known as the July Monarchy. His father was a duke who supported the French Revolution but was nevertheless guillotined. Louis Philippe fled France as a young man and spent 21 years in exile, including considerable time in the...
Lacretelle devoted himself entirely to his teaching and literary work. In 1848 he retired to Mâcon
Mâcon
Mâcon is a small city in central France. It is prefecture of the Saône-et-Loire department, in the region of Bourgogne, and the capital of the Mâconnais district. Mâcon is home to over 35,000 residents, called Mâconnais.-Geography:...
; but there, as in Paris, he was the centre of a brilliant circle, for he was a wonderful causeur, and an equally good listener, and had many interesting experiences to recall. His son Pierre Henri (1815-1899) was a humorous writer and politician of purely contemporary interest.
Works
JC Lacretelle's chief work is a series of histories of the 18th century, the RevolutionFrench 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...
and its sequel:
- Précis historique de la Revolution française, appended to the history of Rabaud St Etienne, and partly written in the prison of La ForceLa Force PrisonLa Force Prison was a French prison located in the Rue du Roi de Sicile, what is now the 4th arrondissement of Paris.Originally the private residence of the Duke of la Force, the structure was converted into a prison in 1780....
(5 vols., 1801-1806) - Histoire de France pendant le XVIII' siècle (6 vols., 1808)
- Histoire de l'Assemblée Constituante (2 vols., 1821)
- L'Assemblée Legislative (1822)
- La Convention Nationale (3 vols., 1824-1825)
- Histoire de France depuis la restauration (1829-1835)
- Histoire du consulat et de l'empire (4 vols., 1846)
The author was a moderate and fair-minded man, but possessed neither great powers of style, nor striking historical insight, nor the special historian's power of writing minute accuracy of detail with breadth of view. Carlyle
Thomas Carlyle
Thomas Carlyle was a Scottish satirical writer, essayist, historian and teacher during the Victorian era.He called economics "the dismal science", wrote articles for the Edinburgh Encyclopedia, and became a controversial social commentator.Coming from a strict Calvinist family, Carlyle was...
's sarcastic remark on Lacretelle's history of the Revolution, that it exists, but does not profit much, is partly true of all his books. He had been an eye-witness of and an actor in the events which he describes, but his testimony must be accepted with caution.