Antoine Joseph Barruel-Beauvert
Encyclopedia
Antoine Joseph Barruel-Beauvert (1756–1817) was a French military officer and journalist. He was born Comte de Barruel-Beauvert, at the castle of Beauvert, in Languedoc
, but was impoverished by the Revolution. He took part in some events of the French Revolution
. He was also the first biographer of Jean-Jacques Rousseau
.
, he offered himself as a hostage for Louis XVI. He received the cross of St Louis
as a reward for his conduct on 20 June 1792, when the hall of the Assembly and the royal apartments in the Tuileries were invaded.
In 1789, Barruel-Beauvert published the first biography of Jean-Jacques Rousseau
, of whom he was a great admirer.
In 1795 he was editor of the journal entitled "Les Actes des Apotres", a Royalist publication, and because of that, after the coup of 18 Fructidor (4 September 1797), he was ordered to be deported, but made his escape. For a while, he was hiding in the house of Nicholas Bonneville
, where Thomas Paine
also lived. Barruel-Beauvert managed to remain in Paris undiscovered by the police till 1800, when he was imprisoned, but obtained his liberty in 1802. Empress Josephine seems to have lobbied for his release from prison. He also managed to receive a small government job.
, Barruel-Beauvert's disappointment at not receiving the rewards and honours, which he thought to be his due, led him to publish several somewhat controversial pamphlets. Because of this, he was obliged to leave Paris, and went to Italy. He died in Turin
, Italy, in 1817.
Languedoc
Languedoc is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day régions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées in the south of France, and whose capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyrénées. It had an area of approximately 42,700 km² .-Geographical Extent:The traditional...
, but was impoverished by the Revolution. He took part in some events of the French Revolution
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...
. He was also the first biographer of Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer of 18th-century Romanticism. His political philosophy influenced the French Revolution as well as the overall development of modern political, sociological and educational thought.His novel Émile: or, On Education is a treatise...
.
Military career
Having adopted the military profession, beginning in 1776, he commanded a company in the regiment of Belsunce. He later served in the militia of Brittany, and in 1790 joined the pro-Royalist national guard at Bagnols.Revolutionary events
After the flight of the royal family to VarennesFlight to Varennes
The Flight to Varennes was a significant episode in the French Revolution during which King Louis XVI of France, his wife Marie Antoinette, and their immediate family attempted unsuccessfully to escape from Paris in order to initiate a counter-revolution...
, he offered himself as a hostage for Louis XVI. He received the cross of St Louis
Order of Saint Louis
The Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis was a military Order of Chivalry founded on 5 April 1693 by Louis XIV and named after Saint Louis . It was intended as a reward for exceptional officers, and is notable as the first decoration that could be granted to non-nobles...
as a reward for his conduct on 20 June 1792, when the hall of the Assembly and the royal apartments in the Tuileries were invaded.
In 1789, Barruel-Beauvert published the first biography of Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer of 18th-century Romanticism. His political philosophy influenced the French Revolution as well as the overall development of modern political, sociological and educational thought.His novel Émile: or, On Education is a treatise...
, of whom he was a great admirer.
In 1795 he was editor of the journal entitled "Les Actes des Apotres", a Royalist publication, and because of that, after the coup of 18 Fructidor (4 September 1797), he was ordered to be deported, but made his escape. For a while, he was hiding in the house of Nicholas Bonneville
Nicholas Bonneville
Nicolas de Bonneville, born 13 March 1760 at Evreux in Upper Normandy, died on 9 November 1828 in Paris; he was a French bookseller, printer, journalist, and writer...
, where Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine
Thomas "Tom" Paine was an English author, pamphleteer, radical, inventor, intellectual, revolutionary, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States...
also lived. Barruel-Beauvert managed to remain in Paris undiscovered by the police till 1800, when he was imprisoned, but obtained his liberty in 1802. Empress Josephine seems to have lobbied for his release from prison. He also managed to receive a small government job.
Later years
After the Bourbon RestorationBourbon Restoration
The Bourbon Restoration is the name given to the period following the successive events of the French Revolution , the end of the First Republic , and then the forcible end of the First French Empire under Napoleon – when a coalition of European powers restored by arms the monarchy to the...
, Barruel-Beauvert's disappointment at not receiving the rewards and honours, which he thought to be his due, led him to publish several somewhat controversial pamphlets. Because of this, he was obliged to leave Paris, and went to Italy. He died in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, Italy, in 1817.