Louis Michel le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau
Encyclopedia
Louis-Michel le Peletier, marquis de Saint-Fargeau (sometimes spelled Lepeletier or Lepelletier; 29 May 1760 – 20 January 1793) was a French politician.
. After the death of his title holding family, Lepeletier gained a vast amount of wealth.
He entered into politics by becoming a lawyer ("avocat") in the employ of the Place du Chatelet
, a prison. In 1785 Le Peletier was advanced to avocat-general. In 1789 he was elected to the Parlement of Paris, and in that same year he became a deputy of the noblesse to the States-General
.
Initially, he shared the conservative
views of the majority of his class, but by degrees his ideas changed and became increasingly radical. On 13 July 1789 he demanded the recall of Necker
, whose dismissal by the king had aroused great excitement in Paris. In the Constituent Assembly
he moved the abolition of the death penalty
, of the galleys and of branding
, and the substitution of beheading
for hanging
. This attitude won him great popularity, and on 21 June 1790 he was made president of the Constituent Assembly. He remained in this position until 5 July 1790.
During the existence of the Legislative Assembly
, he was elected President of the General Council for the Yonne
département in 1791. He was then elected by this département to become a deputy to the Convention
. Here he was in favor of the trial of Louis XVI
by the assembly and was a deciding vote for the death of the king.
While in the Convention Le Peletier focused mainly on revolutionary reform of education, promoting a Spartan education. It called for both males and females to be taught in state-run schools and taught revolutionary ideas instead of the customary history, science, mathematics, language and religion. His educational plan was supported by Robespierre
and his ideas were borrowed in later schemes, notably by Jules Ferry
.
in a vote of 361 to 360, Le Peletier was rumored to have cast the deciding vote when he yielded to the arguments of Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans
in favor of death.
On 20 January 1793, the eve of the king's execution, he was assassinated in a restaurant in the Palais Royal
. His murderer, Philippe Nicolas Marie de Pâris, a member of the Garde du Corps
, allegedly plunged a saber that he had hidden under his cloak into Le Peletier's chest. His assassin fled to Normandy
, where, on the point of being discovered, he supposedly shot himself in the head. Other sources claim the real murderer fled to England where he died years later.
His daughter Suzanne, 11 years old at his death, became a national celebrity. She was officially adopted by the French Nation and given the title "Daughter of the State."
The Convention honored Louis Michel Le Peletier with a magnificent funeral. His body was displayed in the Place Vendôme
beneath the statue of King Louis XIV. Le Peletier was buried in the Panthéon
in Paris in 1793. His body was removed by his family on 14 February 1795.
Just a month after the assassination, on 23 February 1793, the Opéra-Comique presented the first of 4 performances of a musical treatment of his life and death called Le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau, ou Le premier martyr de la République française, with a libretto by Auguste-Louis Bertin d'Antilly and music by Frédéric Blasius
.
The station Saint-Fargeau
of the Paris Métro
is named for him.
A beautiful Sèvres bust of Louis Michel Le Peletier is on display in the Chateau De Vizelle, Isere.
On 30 September 1793 the French Navy's ship Séduisant
, one of two newly commissioned ships, with 74 guns, over 56 meters in length and 1550 tons in weight, was renamed Peletier. On 30 May 1795, the ship reverted to her original name Séduisant.
represented his death in a famous painting, Les Derniers moments de Michel Lepeletier or Lepelletier de Saint-Fargeau sur son lit de mort. David described his painting of Le Peletier's face as "Serene, that is because when one dies for one's country, one has nothing with which to reproach oneself." This painting, only known by a drawing made by a pupil of David, is considered by scholars the first official painting of the French Revolution, a rehearsal for David's The Death of Marat
later achievement.
(1770–1845), a noted entomologist
. The writer and academician Jean d'Ormesson
is descended from his daughter Suzanne Louise.
Career
Born in Paris, he belonged to a well-known family, his great-grandfather, Michel Robert Le Peletier des Forts, count of Saint-Fargeau, having been Controller-General of FinancesController-General of Finances
The Controller-General of Finances was the name of the minister in charge of finances in France from 1661 to 1791. The position replaced the former position of Superintendent of Finances , which was abolished with the downfall of Nicolas Fouquet.- History :The term "contrôleur général" in...
. After the death of his title holding family, Lepeletier gained a vast amount of wealth.
He entered into politics by becoming a lawyer ("avocat") in the employ of the Place du Chatelet
Place du Châtelet
The Place du Châtelet is a public square in Paris, on the right bank of the river Seine, on the borderline between the 1st and 4th arrondissements...
, a prison. In 1785 Le Peletier was advanced to avocat-general. In 1789 he was elected to the Parlement of Paris, and in that same year he became a deputy of the noblesse to the States-General
Estates-General of 1789
The Estates-General of 1789 was the first meeting since 1614 of the French Estates-General, a general assembly representing the French estates of the realm: the nobility, the Church, and the common people...
.
Initially, he shared the conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
views of the majority of his class, but by degrees his ideas changed and became increasingly radical. On 13 July 1789 he demanded the recall of Necker
Jacques Necker
Jacques Necker was a French statesman of Swiss birth and finance minister of Louis XVI, a post he held in the lead-up to the French Revolution in 1789.-Early life:...
, whose dismissal by the king had aroused great excitement in Paris. In the Constituent Assembly
National Constituent Assembly
The National Constituent Assembly was formed from the National Assembly on 9 July 1789, during the first stages of the French Revolution. It dissolved on 30 September 1791 and was succeeded by the Legislative Assembly.-Background:...
he moved the abolition of the death penalty
Capital punishment in France
Capital punishment was practiced in France from the Middle Ages until 1977, when the last execution took place by guillotine, being the only legal method since the French Revolution. The last person to be executed in France was Hamida Djandoubi, who was put to death in September 1977. The death...
, of the galleys and of branding
Human branding
Human branding or stigmatizing is the process in which a mark, usually a symbol or ornamental pattern, is burned into the skin of a living person, with the intention that the resulting scar makes it permanent. This is performed using a hot or very cold branding iron...
, and the substitution of beheading
Decapitation
Decapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
for hanging
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
. This attitude won him great popularity, and on 21 June 1790 he was made president of the Constituent Assembly. He remained in this position until 5 July 1790.
During the existence of the Legislative Assembly
Legislative Assembly (France)
During the French Revolution, the Legislative Assembly was the legislature of France from 1 October 1791 to September 1792. It provided the focus of political debate and revolutionary law-making between the periods of the National Constituent Assembly and of the National Convention.The Legislative...
, he was elected President of the General Council for the Yonne
Yonne
Yonne is a French department named after the Yonne River. It is one of the four constituent departments of Burgundy in eastern France and its prefecture is Auxerre. Its official number is 89....
département in 1791. He was then elected by this département to become a deputy to the 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...
. Here he was in favor of the trial of Louis XVI
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....
by the assembly and was a deciding vote for the death of the king.
While in the Convention Le Peletier focused mainly on revolutionary reform of education, promoting a Spartan education. It called for both males and females to be taught in state-run schools and taught revolutionary ideas instead of the customary history, science, mathematics, language and religion. His educational plan was supported by Robespierre
Maximilien Robespierre
Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre is one of the best-known and most influential figures of the French Revolution. He largely dominated the Committee of Public Safety and was instrumental in the period of the Revolution commonly known as the Reign of Terror, which ended with his...
and his ideas were borrowed in later schemes, notably by Jules Ferry
Jules Ferry
Jules François Camille Ferry was a French statesman and republican. He was a promoter of laicism and colonial expansion.- Early life :Born in Saint-Dié, in the Vosges département, France, he studied law, and was called to the bar at Paris in 1854, but soon went into politics, contributing to...
.
Death and later honors
In mid-January 1793, the Convention needed to decide the king's fate. When the king was condemned to death by guillotineGuillotine
The guillotine is a device used for carrying out :executions by decapitation. It consists of a tall upright frame from which an angled blade is suspended. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the head from the body...
in a vote of 361 to 360, Le Peletier was rumored to have cast the deciding vote when he yielded to the arguments of Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans
Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans
Louis Philippe Joseph d'Orléans commonly known as Philippe, was a member of a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, the ruling dynasty of France. He actively supported the French Revolution and adopted the name Philippe Égalité, but was nonetheless guillotined during the Reign of Terror...
in favor of death.
On 20 January 1793, the eve of the king's execution, he was assassinated in a restaurant in the Palais Royal
Palais Royal
The Palais-Royal, originally called the Palais-Cardinal, is a palace and an associated garden located in the 1st arrondissement of Paris...
. His murderer, Philippe Nicolas Marie de Pâris, a member of the Garde du Corps
Garde du Corps (France)
The Garde du Corps was the senior formation of the King of France's Household Cavalry within the Maison du Roi.-History:The oldest company in the Garde du Corps was the Company of Scottish Archers, later just the 1st Scottish Company or Garde Écossaise, formed in 1419 from Scots that fought for...
, allegedly plunged a saber that he had hidden under his cloak into Le Peletier's chest. His assassin fled to Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
, where, on the point of being discovered, he supposedly shot himself in the head. Other sources claim the real murderer fled to England where he died years later.
His daughter Suzanne, 11 years old at his death, became a national celebrity. She was officially adopted by the French Nation and given the title "Daughter of the State."
The Convention honored Louis Michel Le Peletier with a magnificent funeral. His body was displayed in the Place Vendôme
Place Vendôme
Place Vendôme is a square in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France, located to the north of the Tuileries Gardens and east of the Église de la Madeleine. It is the starting point of the Rue de la Paix. Its regular architecture by Jules Hardouin-Mansart and pedimented screens canted across the...
beneath the statue of King Louis XIV. Le Peletier was buried in the Panthéon
Panthéon, Paris
The Panthéon is a building in the Latin Quarter in Paris. It was originally built as a church dedicated to St. Genevieve and to house the reliquary châsse containing her relics but, after many changes, now functions as a secular mausoleum containing the remains of distinguished French citizens...
in Paris in 1793. His body was removed by his family on 14 February 1795.
Just a month after the assassination, on 23 February 1793, the Opéra-Comique presented the first of 4 performances of a musical treatment of his life and death called Le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau, ou Le premier martyr de la République française, with a libretto by Auguste-Louis Bertin d'Antilly and music by Frédéric Blasius
Frédéric Blasius
Frédéric Blasius was a French violinist, clarinetist, conductor, and composer. Born Matthäus Blasius, he used Frédéric as his pen name on his publications in Paris.- Life and career :Blasius was born in Lauterbourg, a town in the far north-west corner of France on the Rhineland...
.
The station Saint-Fargeau
Saint-Fargeau (Paris Metro)
Saint-Fargeau is a station of the Paris Métro, serving Line 3bis. It was opened on 27 November 1921 when Line 3 was extended from Gambetta to Porte des Lilas...
of the Paris Métro
Paris Métro
The Paris Métro or Métropolitain is the rapid transit metro system in Paris, France. It has become a symbol of the city, noted for its density within the city limits and its uniform architecture influenced by Art Nouveau. The network's sixteen lines are mostly underground and run to 214 km ...
is named for him.
A beautiful Sèvres bust of Louis Michel Le Peletier is on display in the Chateau De Vizelle, Isere.
On 30 September 1793 the French Navy's ship Séduisant
French ship Séduisant (1783)
Séduisant was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, lead ship of her class.She was renamed Pelletier on 30 September 1793, in honour of Louis Michel le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau. Under Savary, she was one of the last ships of the line at the Glorious First of June.On 30 May 1795 her name...
, one of two newly commissioned ships, with 74 guns, over 56 meters in length and 1550 tons in weight, was renamed Peletier. On 30 May 1795, the ship reverted to her original name Séduisant.
Painting by David
The painter Jacques-Louis DavidJacques-Louis David
Jacques-Louis David was an influential French painter in the Neoclassical style, considered to be the preeminent painter of the era...
represented his death in a famous painting, Les Derniers moments de Michel Lepeletier or Lepelletier de Saint-Fargeau sur son lit de mort. David described his painting of Le Peletier's face as "Serene, that is because when one dies for one's country, one has nothing with which to reproach oneself." This painting, only known by a drawing made by a pupil of David, is considered by scholars the first official painting of the French Revolution, a rehearsal for David's The Death of Marat
The Death of Marat
The Death of Marat is a 1793 painting in the Neoclassical style by Jacques-Louis David, and is one of the most famous images of the French Revolution. This work depicts the radical journalist Jean-Paul Marat lying dead in his bath on 13 July 1793 after his murder by Charlotte Corday...
later achievement.
Family
Le Peletier had a brother, Felix (1769–1837), well known for his advanced ideas, and a brother Amédée Louis Michel Lepeletier de Saint FargeauAmédée Louis Michel Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau
Amédée Louis Michel le Peletier, comte de Saint-Fargeau , also spelled Lepeletier or Lepelletier, was a French entomologist, and specialist in the Hymenoptera....
(1770–1845), a noted entomologist
Entomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
. The writer and academician Jean d'Ormesson
Jean d'Ormesson
Count Jean Lefèvre d'Ormesson is a French novelist whose work mostly consists of partially or totally autobiographic novels.- Life :...
is descended from his daughter Suzanne Louise.
Sources
- Andress, David, The Terror: The Merciless War for Freedom in Revolutionary France, New York, Straus and Giroux, 2005
- Déy, M., Histoire de la Ville et du Comté de Saint-Fargeau, Auxerre, 1856
- Hazeltine, Mayo Williamson, French Revolution: A Study of Democracy, London, Kessinger Publishing, 2003
- Herissay, Jacques, L'assassinat de Le Pelletier de Saint-Fargeau, Paris, Ed. Emile-Paul Frères, 1934
- Le Blant, Edmond, Lepeletier de Saint-Fargeau et son meurtrier, Paris, Douniol, 1874
- Lewis, Gwynne, The French Revolution Rethinking Debate, N.P. Routledge, 1993
- Martucci, Roberto, En attendant Le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau in Annales historiques de la Révolution française, 2002, n°2, pp. 77–104
- Stephens, Henry Moore, The Principle Speeches of the Statesmen and Orators of the French Revolution 1789-1795, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1892
- About David's painting:
- Baticle, Jeannine, La seconde mort de Lepeletier de Saint-Fargeau. Recherches sur le sort du tableau de David in Bulletin de la Société Française d'Histoire de l'Art, 1988, Paris, 1989, pp. 131–145
- Simon, Robert, David's Martyr-Portrait of Le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau and the conundrums of Revolutionary Representation in Art History, vol.14, n°4, December 1991, pp. 459–487
- Vanden Berghe Marc & Plesca, Ioana, Lepelletier de Saint-Fargeau sur son lit de mort par Jacques-Louis David : saint Sébastien révolutionnaire, miroir multiréférencé de Rome, Brussels, 2005 - online on www.art-chitecture.net/publications.php http://art-chitecture.net/publications.php
External links
- www.repeinture.com, dedicated to the repainting & study of the missing picture by David, project in process, View