Adrien Duquesnoy
Encyclopedia
Adrien Dusquenoy was a leading figure in the French Revolution
.
Dusquenoy was born in Briey
. He was elected as a deputy for Nancy, where he had been Mayor, for the third estate in the Estates General of 1789. He took part in the Storming of the Bastille
, where he remarked famously, "Yes, truly we shall be free! Our hands will never wear shackles again."
He subsequently joined the National Convention, where he was regarded as a moderate. He came under the suspicion of the Committee of Public Safety late in the 'Reign of Terror
', but was saved from the guillotine
by the Thermidorian Reaction
.
Under Napoleon, he worked at the Ministry of the Interior.
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
.
Dusquenoy was born in Briey
Briey
Briey is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.It is located above and in a steep section of the valley of the little River Woigot, some thirty kilometres to the west of the autoroute that connects Metz with Luxembourg...
. He was elected as a deputy for Nancy, where he had been Mayor, for the third estate in the Estates General of 1789. He took part in the Storming of the Bastille
Storming of the Bastille
The storming of the Bastille occurred in Paris on the morning of 14 July 1789. The medieval fortress and prison in Paris known as the Bastille represented royal authority in the centre of Paris. While the prison only contained seven inmates at the time of its storming, its fall was the flashpoint...
, where he remarked famously, "Yes, truly we shall be free! Our hands will never wear shackles again."
He subsequently joined the National Convention, where he was regarded as a moderate. He came under the suspicion of the Committee of Public Safety late in the 'Reign of Terror
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror , also known simply as The Terror , was a period of violence that occurred after the onset of the French Revolution, incited by conflict between rival political factions, the Girondins and the Jacobins, and marked by mass executions of "enemies of...
', but was saved from the guillotine
Guillotine
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...
by the Thermidorian Reaction
Thermidorian Reaction
The Thermidorian Reaction was a revolt in the French Revolution against the excesses of the Reign of Terror. It was triggered by a vote of the Committee of Public Safety to execute Maximilien Robespierre, Antoine Louis Léon de Saint-Just de Richebourg and several other leading members of the Terror...
.
Under Napoleon, he worked at the Ministry of the Interior.