Biographies

Barbé-Marbois had an extremely long (sixty-six years) and chequered (he was sacked by Napoleon twice) career. Born in Metz the son of grocer he soon became director of the Metz mint. After serving briefly as a diplomat in Europe (Ratisbon, Dresden, Munich) he accompanied his boss to America where he became freindly with George Washington […]

Fact file Born in Redon, in 1750, died in Paris on 31 July, 1825 Up to 1789, a lawyer at the Parlement de Paris 1790, elected Judge of the fourth arrondissement in Paris In September 1791, Bigot de Préameneu was appointed one of the Députés de Paris in the first legislature May 1792, elected President […]

Born in London, 1738, Charles Mann, 2nd Marquis of Cornwallis, participated in the American War of Independence (1775-1783). Despite his victories at Camden (1780) and  Guilford Courthouse (1781), his capitulation at Yorktown in the face of the Franco-American forces under Rochambeau and Washington on 19 October, 1781, led directly to American independence via the Treaty of […]

François Marie-Joseph Crouzet was born on 20 October, 1922, in Monts-sur-Guesnes (in the Vienne département). He completed his studies at the Ecole normale supérieure, the Faculté de Lettres de Paris and at the London School of Economics and Political Science. The early years of his career were spent as assistant d'histoire at the Faculté des […]

Alphonse Dubois de Saligny was appointed Secrétaire de légation in 1830 in compensation for his participation in the revolution of the Trois-Glorieuses in 1830. His career was however to be patchy. He was sent to Washington, as chargé d'affaires for the Republic of Texas (from 1839 to 1842), with a mission to prevent that state's […]

Born on 5 July, 1766, in Neunkirchen (Germany), where his father was stationed, Montalivet began his career as an officer cadet in the Royal Nassau Hussards, a regiment in the French service. He left in 1779 to complete his law studies in Valence, from where his family was originally. In 1785, he worked as a lawyer in […]

Jacques de Norvins was born in Paris on 18 June, 1769 (the same year as the emperor, he used to say proudly). He was the son of a wealthy tax administrator (receveur général des finances). After studying law, he became a magistrate and councillor-auditeur at the Châtelet de Paris.In 1792 he emigrated, serving in the […]

Etienne Pasquier was born into a noble family, one of whose illustrious ancestors (Estienne Pasquier) had written Recherches sur la France. His father was president of the Chambre des enquêtes at the Paris parlement, his mother a jansenist. He was sent to school at the austere Collège de Juilly. Brilliant, he was given a dispensation […]

Factfile Born Beausset (Var) 1 April 1746, Died Paris, 25 August, 1807.1765 lawyer at the Parlement d'Aix 1778 to 1781 Assesseur d'AixFrom 1794 lawyer in Paris1795 member of the Conseil des Anciens then deported after the Fructidor Coup d'Etat1798 Government Commissaire at the Conseil des Prises (Prize booty commission)1800 to 1804 Conseiller d'Etat attached to […]