Antoine barnave biography

A major new biography of Antoine Barnave—the politician and writer who advocated for a constitutional monarchy in revolutionary France

Antoine Barnave was one of the most influential statesmen in the early French Revolution. He was a didactic man of austere morals and vaulting ambition who dressed as an English dandy, running up considerable tailor’s bills. Before his execution at age thirty-two, he played a decisive role in revolutionary politics and even governed France in 1791 through a secret correspondence with Marie-Antoinette.

In the first biography for more than a century, John Hardman traces Barnave’s life from his youth in Dauphiné to his role in the Constituent Assembly and his part in forming the Feuillants, the party dedicated to the moderate cause. Despite his early death, Barnave left a remarkable volume of material, from published works to thousands of manuscript pages. Hardman uses this rich archive to explore the life of this elusive writer, politician, and thinker—and sheds new light on the revolutionary period.

John Hardman is one of the world&rsq

Leading historian of the French Revolution John Hardman provides a compelling new biography of Antoine Barnave, the influential statesman who advocated for a constitutional monarchy in early revolutionary France. Frequently described as being politically two-faced, Hardman dissects the public career and private life of Barnave through a wealth of manuscript pages and correspondence with Marie-Antoinette.

Through tracing Barnave’s life as a youth in Dauphiné, Hardman is able to intricately pinpoint the origins of Barnave’s seemingly contradictory political career. By the very nature of his birth, Barnave would experience social friction first-hand. While his mother, Marie-Louise de Pré was a member of the nobility and his father, Jean-Pierre, was part of the haute bourgeoise, the family were peasants in every other aspect than their birth. Restricted entry to parlement as a result of the 1762 règlement in Grenoble, Hardman explains that Barnave’s entry into the political sphere was originally motivated not only by a desire for personal advancement, but also social change nationa

16 Antoine Pierre Joseph Marie Barnave

Pronunciation

Commissary of the Assembly

October 22, 1761-November 29, 1793

 

Antoine Pierre Joseph Marie Barnave was a French politician, and is best known for his correspondence with Marie Antoinette that attempted to work toward a constitutional monarchy.  Barnave started to come into prominence when he was chosen as deputy of the Third-Estate during the Estates-General of 1789. Then, during the National Assembly, he formed with two other politicians which later became the Feuillants, a party that was in support of a constitutional monarchy. In 1793, his correspondence was found in Tuileries and used as evidence of his treason; he was guillotined the following day.

 

 

Bibliography of Sources:

“Antoine Barnave.” Wikipedia:  The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed May 22, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoine_Barnave.

Image Caption:

Fig. 1. Attributed to Anna Rajecka, Portrait of Antoine Barnave. c. 1788-1793, drawing, 10 x 7.6 cm. Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, England. Available at: ARTstor. Accessed April

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