Charles-François Lebrun

The three consuls: Jean-Jacques Régis de Cambacérès, Napoleon Bonaparte and Charles-François Lebrun

Charles-François Lebrun (born March 19, 1739 in Saint-Sauveur-Lendelin near Coutances ( department Manche ), † June 16, 1824 in Sainte-Mesme near Dourdan ( department Yvelines )) was a French statesman. After Napoleon's coup d'état in 1799, he became third consul and, after Napoleon's elevation to emperor, he became arch-treasurer of the empire in 1804 and duke of Piacenza in 1808 . He also served as Governor General of the Ligurian Republic from 1805-06 and from 1810-13 as such of Holland, which was united with France.

Life

Early life

Charles-François Lebrun came from a Breton family, attended the Collége in Coutances, then that of the Grassins in Paris and learned almost perfectly the Latin, Greek, Italian, English and Spanish languages, all of which he mastered equally. He read a lot and acquired a great deal of knowledge, was particularly concerned with public law and was very much in love with Montesquieu's De l'Esprit des lois . The trips he made to Holland and England contributed significantly to broadening his horizons . He liked the institutions in these countries very much, he learned a lot and returned to Paris in 1762, having matured significantly.

Lebrun wanted to become a lawyer, attended legal lectures and was recommended by Professor Lorry to Maupeou, the first speaker of parliament, as suitable to lead his eldest son's legal studies. As a result, he became the educator of Maupeou's children. A closer relationship quickly developed between Lebrun and Maupeou. He thought about reforms in the administration of the judiciary and discussed it with Lebrun, whose knowledge and talents impressed him so much that he let him edit his speeches and writings without Lebrun ever becoming his secretary. Although Lebrun had no inclination to the office, Maupeou got him that of a royal censor in 1766, and Lebrun always tried to act just and gently in this position.

When Maupeou became chancellor, Lebrun rose to become rent master and soon inspector general of the crown domains; in fact he was Maupeou's chancellery director and King Louis XV. once exclaimed: "What should Maupeou do without Lebrun?" Lebrun was the author of Maupeou's famous speeches, participated in his dispute with the parliaments and published several pamphlets in the interests of the court.

After his accession to the throne, Louis XVI fell. Maupeou, and Lebrun resigned with him on August 24, 1774. He had married a rich lady, Anne Delagoutte (* 1755; † 1800), on June 15, 1773, and was able to live independently; Influential people gave him protection, he enjoyed great respect and did not need the support of the court. At the newly acquired Grillon estate near Dourdan , he devoted himself to his studies for 15 years. Without mentioning his name, he published a French translation of Torquato Tasso's Gerusalemme liberata (“Liberated Jerusalem”) in Paris in 1774 , which was so well received by the public that it was ascribed to Rousseau , and in 1776 a three-volume translation of Homer's Iliad . Both works were published repeatedly and in 1809 they were followed by the translation of Homer's Odyssey . Lebrun handled these three translations with his mother tongue with rare mastery.

Role during the French Revolution

The French Revolution of 1789 called Lebrun back into public life. His work La Voix du Citoyen (1789 and 1804), published shortly before the outbreak of the revolution, attracted a lot of attention, demonstrated his wealth of knowledge and prophetically predicted a number of things that would happen over time. The Dourdan office sent Lebrun as a deputy of the Third Estate to the Estates General. Here he sincerely endeavored to put an end to the abuses and a regiment that was willing and able to meet modern demands; his goal was a strong, orderly government based on good laws. In the Constituent National Assembly he was one of the constitutional members, showed himself moderate and usually spoke with great expertise on financial and administrative questions. But he only climbed into the stands when the issues were really significant. He talked about the goods of the clergy and opposed the introduction of paper money such as the holding of lotteries. But he shone most of all in the discussions of the committees that gladly elected him as a body, and he willingly undertook the daunting task of being the rapporteur and author of almost all financial laws. His speeches were seen as a model of clarity and ingenuity.

As Lebrun had admired British institutions since his travels, he also advocated the introduction of the bicameral system in this new era of French history from the start. After the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly in 1791, he became President of the Board of Directors of the Seine-et-Oise department, and in 1792 took energetic measures to suppress dangerous disorder. After the Tuileries storm of August 10, 1792, he renounced all public activity and retired to the country. But prosecutors pursued him there, he was arrested in September 1793 and imprisoned in Versailles . He was released at the use of a representative of the people, but was only returned under police supervision of his family. On July 16, 1794, he was taken to Versailles prison again and only escaped the guillotine when Robespierre was overthrown on July 27, shortly afterwards .

At the beginning of 1795, Lebrun took over the presidency in the Seine-et-Oise department again. In October 1795 he became a member of the Council of the Ancients ( Conseil des Anciens ) for this department and its president on February 20, 1796, in what dignity Portalis succeeded him. He quickly gained general respect in this body, actively advocated the relatives of the emigrants, fought against the forced loans and wrote almost all reports on the laws in the field of state economics. In 1799 he was re-elected to the council of elders. While the former courtier was mistaken for a royalist, Lebrun saw in Napoleon Bonaparte the only savior of France and was enthusiastic about him, without the preparations for his coup d'état of 18th Brumaire VIII (November 9, 1799) and the associated overthrow of the Directory To take part.

Career under Napoleon

Napoleon now became the first consul of the republic and established an authoritarian consular constitution . He appointed Jean-Jacques Régis de Cambacérès to the second and Lebrun to the third consul. Thereupon Lebrun and his two consulate colleagues moved into the Tuileries . He was supposed to represent the administrative traditions of the Ancien Régime in the new administration. At first he had reservations about accepting the consulate, but was eventually persuaded by Napoleon to do so. His knowledge of history was very valuable to the First Consul and he used Lebrun primarily in the reorganization of finances and in internal administration. In 1803 Lebrun became a member of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres .

After Napoleon had become emperor, he left Lebrun as the head of finances and in May 1804 appointed him arch- treasurer of the empire (architrésorier de l'Empire) and prince with the title “High Princely Highness”. Lebrun contributed significantly to the introduction of the Court of Auditors. In June 1805 the Ligurian Republic was united with France, and Napoleon sent Lebrun there to win the mood and initiate the rise of the state into the Empire . Lebrun stayed in Genoa for a year as governor general , rendered valuable services to Napoleon and the Genoese were reluctant to see him parting in 1806. In 1808, although he had spoken out against the creation of a new aristocracy in the council, he accepted the title of Duke of Piacenza bestowed on him by Napoleon , if he did so reluctantly.

Napoleon wanted to abolish the tribunate, which he found uncomfortable; Lebrun defended it as part of the Constitution without being intimidated by Napoleon and fell out of favor. Until 1810 he took little part in state affairs. Then the emperor sent him to Holland, which he had united with France after the abdication of Louis Bonaparte in July 1810. The Duke went there as the Governor General of the Emperor and the Emperor instructed him not to worry about the discontent of the Dutch. But Lebrun tried hard to reconcile them, had the best of intentions, worked tirelessly and tried as best he could to alleviate the severity of Napoleon's measures, to raise Holland's prosperity, to revive trade and shipping. Even so, the Duke could not reconcile the Dutch. The Russian campaign of Napoleon meanwhile cost his second son Alexandre , the colonel of a lancing regiment, his life on November 24, 1812. In 1813 the Allies invaded Holland, the nation rose against France, a deputation asked Lebrun to leave the country, and he evacuated Amsterdam on November 18, 1813. After his return to Paris, Lebrun lived quietly and remained loyal to the emperor resigned and spoke out in March 1814 against the departure of the Empress-Regent Marie-Louise from Paris.

Later life and death

Lebrun stayed away from the Senate Act, which pronounced Napoleon's deposition, but after his abdication declared himself in favor of the restoration of the House of Bourbon . He rendered great services to the Bourbons as extraordinary commissioner at Caen and was on June 4, 1814 King Louis XVIII. appointed peer of France . When Napoleon returned to power during the reign of the Hundred Days in France, the Duke accepted the post of Grand Master of the University of Paris from him in 1815 and managed it successfully. After Napoleon's final overthrow and the renewed reign of Louis XVIII. therefore this Lebrun struck off the list of pairs. Lebrun, who was already at an advanced age at that time, lost all prestige and was only reappointed to the Chamber of Peers by a royal orderly in March 1819 , where he supported the constitutional party and gave the Duke of Angoulême wise advice on the establishment of the council for prisons . But mainly he devoted himself to serious studies, for which his still great freshness enabled him.

Lebrun died on June 16, 1824 at the age of 85 in his summer stay in his castle Sainte-Mesme near Dourdan. He was buried in the Père Lachaise cemetery. A bronze statue was erected for him in Coutances in 1847. His son Anne Charles Lebrun gave Opinions, rapports et choix d'écrits politiques de CF Lebrun with a biographical note (Paris 1829) out.

literature

• Arthur Kleinschmidt : Lebrun (Charles-François, Duke of Piacenza) , in: Johann Samuelersch , Johann Gottfried Gruber (Ed.): General Encyclopedia of Sciences and Arts , 2nd section, 42nd part (1888), p. 334f.
• Charles-François Lebrun . In: Meyers Konversations-Lexikon . 4th edition. Volume 10, Verlag des Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig / Vienna 1885–1892, p. 602.

Web links

Commons : Charles-François Lebrun, duc de Plaisance  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

predecessor	Office	Successor
Pauline Bonaparte	Duke of Piacenza 1808–1814	Marie Louise