Antoine Barnave

Beginnings

Resulting from an old Protestant family of the upper middle classes of Grenoble, wire of Jean-Pierre Barnave, lawyer attached to the Parliament of Grenoble, and Rye Marie-Louise the Pre one of Presle, the young Antoine follows studies of right to Grenoble and obtains the diploma of graduate, then of bachelor of law to the university of Orange (1780). In 1783, it is selected among young lawyers to make the closing speech of the Parliament of Grenoble. It points out its independence of mind by discoursing on “the division of the capacities” . Like the majority of the representatives of the middle-class, it wishes that “ a new distribution of the richness involve a new distribution of the capacity ”. The same year, it feels the pain to lose a younger brother.

The shortly after the Day of the tiles (June 7th, 1788), Barnave writes one makes out the spirit of the Edicts inviting to support the Parliament of Grenoble suspended by the central Capacity, and also approaches another lawyer, promised him with a bright future, Jean-Joseph Mounier. Barnave and Mounier will obtain the meeting of the deputies of the three orders of Dauphine on July 21st to the castle of Vizille. The resolution of Mounier claiming the re-establishment of the provincial Parliaments and the convocation of the General states is adopted there. January 7th, 1789, Mounier and Barnave are elected like representative of the Tiers state.

The National Assembly

Barnave will play a big role quickly there, initially within the delegation of Dauphine in support of Mounier. This last is in dissension with the toughening of the events, and leans for a monarchical compromise. Barnave moves away then from him and will constitute with Adrien Duport and the brothers Charles and Alexandre de Lameth. July 22nd, the shortly after lynching by the rabble of the general intendant Fuller and of its son-in-law Berthier de Sauvigny, it goes up to the platform and counterpart to the deputies nauseated by this act: “Sirs, one wants to tenderize you in favor of the blood poured yesterday in Paris. This blood was it thus so pure? ”, terrible sentence which will pass to the posterity.

Barnave is one of the rare speakers to be able to compete with Mirabeau. It acquires by a a little cold eloquence and its burning love for freedom a very high influence and a great popularity. After the days of the October 6th and 7th 1789, the monarchiens are ploughed up and Barnave obtains win against his/her former friend Mounier the support of the Parliament on the suspensive Veto of the King (whereas Mounier recommended an absolute veto). The triumvirate Duport, Barnave and Alexandre Lameth is classified “on the left” and takes part in the creation of the Company of the friends of the Constitution and the Freedom, which will become the Club of the Jacobins. They intrigue in order to draw aside Mirabeau and Fayette of the capacity, fearing that they do not confiscate one like the other the Revolution with their profit.

In May 1790, a specific conflict opposes Spain and England and poses the problem of the Franco-Spanish Pact of family, and thus of the capacities of the king as regards declaration of war. This question highly opposes Barnave to Mirabeau and the Parliament votes finally a motion of compromise: “The right of peace and the war belongs to the Nation. The war could be decided only by one decree of the legislative Body on the proposal formal and necessary of the king and then sanctioned by His Majesty”.

August 1st, Barnave is elected mayor of Grenoble. It accepts initially, but desists a few days later, calling upon the constraints of its mandate. It reaches the presidency of the constituent Assembly on October 25th, 1790 for one 15 days duration. Its popularity reaches its apogee.

However Barnave and its friends are in favor of the system censitaire and defend the property right. They feel exceeded by a democratic and levelling left. Barnave is attacked by Brissot, leader of the anti-slavery movement, which reproaches him in its newspaper the French Patriot his standpoint on the statute of the “coloured persons” in the French colonies. Barnave is hostile so that one grants the right of citizen to them.

In December 1790, Barnave which is represented with the presidency of the Parliament is beaten by obscure constitutional. The triumvirate, attacked on its line by Mirabeau, is discredited more and more with the Club of Jacobins, in spite of their positions extremists at the time of the business of the oath to the civil Constitution of the clergy (January 1791) or that of the emigration of the aunts of the king (February 1791).

After the death of Mirabeau, the Court seeks new allies in particular near the triumvirate. Barnave and its friends found on April 27th a new newspaper, Logographe , which posts its confidence in a limited monarchy. Barnave and Lameth are attacked by Robespierre and the abolitionists on the question of the rights of coloured persons which return under discussion, then Robespierre obtains, against the intervention of Duport a vote of the Parliament on the non-reegibility of her members. The triumvirate always controls with the Club of the Jacobins famous Comité of the correspondences, essential bond with the affiliated provincial companies, but the extreme-left, very minority to the Parliament, progresses in the clubs (clubs of the Jacobins and the Cordeliers).

The escape of the king

After its attempt at escape Louis XVI (June 21st and 22nd 1791), is stopped with Varennes. Barnave is sent by the Parliament, in company of Pétion and Latour-Maubourg, to bring back the royal family to Paris. The three deputies join the royal truck with the locality of the `' Oak split'', on the commune of Boursault.

During the three days that the voyage return lasts, Barnave is touched by misfortunes of Marie-Antoinette. It starts with her a secret correspondence (via the Chevalier of Jarjayes). It then joined the monarchists constitutional of the Club of Breaking into leaf the, which is worth to him the hatred of the Parisian people and the Montagne, which denounce “black Barnave behind, and white in front”. July 15th, 1791 he makes before the assembly a speech on “royal inviolability, the separation of the capacities and the termination of the French revolution”. He exhorts the king, via the correspondence with Marie-Antoinette, to adopt the Constitution sincerely, to condemn carried out emigrants, and to obtain from the Emperor of Austria the recognition of the new mode.

During August and until September 30th, closing date of Constituent, Barnave and the moderate ones, in spite of the opposition of Robespierre and of the left, are able to save monarchy, without to ensure the means of its action to him. As for Marie-Antoinette, she plays a double game obviously.

The iron cupboard

Barnave remains in Paris until January 5th, 1792. It continues to lavish its councils at the Court by the secret correspondence or interviews with Marie-Antoinette. He advises in particular the king to be used of his right to veto to the decrees on the emigrants and the refractory priests. He withdraws himself then with Grenoble, but following the day of August 10th, 1792, a correspondence of more compromising for him is discovered in a secretary of the cabinet of the king to the palate of the Tuileries.

End

Decree on August 19th in its family home of Saint-Egreve, it is imprisoned in the prisons of the citadel of the Bastille, then with the convent of Holy-Marie-D' in-High, is transformed into political prison. In June 1793, it is insulated at the fort Barraux. The approach of the Sardinian armies close to the border involves its transfer to the prison of Saint-Marcellin. It remains there only little of time, the Convention request its appearance before the revolutionary Tribunal. November 18th he is imprisoned with the Conciergerie. Its lawsuit is held November 27th and 28th. In spite of a brilliant pleading that he pronounces itself, he is condemned to died and guillotine on November 29th, 1793, at the same time as old the , Minister of Justice Duport-Dutertre.

Antoine Barnave is buried with the expiatory Chapelle in Paris.

Work

In prison, he had written Revolution and Constitution , work remarkable of intelligence and perspicacity which was published only in 1843 under the title Introduction to the French revolution . Its manuscripts were published by Mr. Bérenger under the title of Œuvres of Barnave , and republished on several occasions since 1960.

The work of Barnave shows that the revolution is the result of a long evolution since the Middle Ages, that the agrarian property had brought the formation of government aristocratic, then that the later development of the trade and industry involved the transformation of the traditional agrarian companies, the progress of the middle-class and its increasingly irresistible desire to take part in the government. The book of Barnave struck Jean Jaurès and Albert Mathiez.

Partial source

Barnave, the secret adviser of Marie-Antoinette of Pierre d' Amarzit - the Semaphore 2000.

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