André Boniface Louis Riqueti, Vicomte de Mirabeau (30 November 175415 September 1792), son of
Victor de Riqueti, marquis de Mirabeau
Victor de Riqueti, Marquis de Mirabeau (; 5 October 171513 July 1789) was a French economist of the Physiocratic school. He was the father of Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau, Honoré, Comte de Mirabeau and André Boniface Louis Riqueti ...
and brother of the orator
Honoré Mirabeau
Honoré is a name of French origin and may refer to several people or places:
Given name
Sovereigns of Monaco
Lords of Monaco
*Honoré I, Lord of Monaco, Honoré I of Monaco
Princes of Monaco
*Honoré II, Prince of Monaco, Honoré II of Monaco
...
, was one of the reactionary leaders at the opening of the
French Revolution.
Life
Known as Barrel Mirabeau (''Mirabeau-Tonneau'') because of his "rotundity" and voluminous taste for drink,
he was sent to the army in
Malta
Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
in 1776, and spent part of his two years there in prison for insulting a religious procession.
He served as a colonel, commanding the
Touraine Regiment under the
comte de Rochambeau
Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau (1 July 1725 – 10 May 1807) was a French Royal Army officer who played a critical role in the Franco-American victory at the siege of Yorktown in 1781 during the American Revolutionary War. ...
in the
American Revolution
The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...
. During the war, he was in several sea-fights with the English and witnessed the
Battle of Yorktown in 1781.
In the following year, he had two narrow escapes from drowning. With his debts paid up by his father, he was elected by the noblesse of
Limoges
Limoges ( , , ; , locally ) is a city and Communes of France, commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region. Situated o ...
a deputy to the
States General.
Unlike his brother, he opposed the
French Revolution. He was a violent
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
and opposed everything that threatened the old régime. and in 1790 left
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
to join the royalist counter-revolutionary forces in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. He was not very successful in his efforts to form a regiment from French exiles and deserters, and died of a stroke in
Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau or simply Freiburg is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fourth-largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim and Karlsruhe. Its built-up area has a population of abou ...
two years later.
To Mirabeau is attributed a statement otherwise associated with
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778), known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' Voltaire (, ; ), was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, philosopher (''philosophe''), satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit ...
,
He shared fully in the eccentric family pride; and boasted of his brother's genius even when bitterly opposing him. He emigrated about 1790 and raised a legion which was to bear his name; but his insolence alienated the German princes and his command was taken from him. He died in August 1792 of
apoplexy
Apoplexy () refers to the rupture of an internal organ and the associated symptoms. Informally or metaphorically, the term ''apoplexy'' is associated with being furious, especially as "apoplectic". Historically, it described what is now known as a ...
or from a
duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people with matched weapons.
During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the rapier and later the small sword), but beginning in ...
in
Freiburg im Breisgau
Freiburg im Breisgau or simply Freiburg is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fourth-largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim and Karlsruhe. Its built-up area has a population of abou ...
. He wrote some verse as well as various pamphlets.
Notes
References
*
Attribution:
*
External links
Kurzbiogramm Mirabeau-Tonneau– Biography of "Barrel Mirabeau" in German
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mirabeau, Andre Boniface Louis Riqueti De
Mirabeau, Andre Boniface Louis de Riqueti, vicomte de
Mirabeau, Andre Boniface Louis de Riqueti, vicomte de
Mirabeau, Andre Boniface Louis de Riqueti, vicomte de
Viscounts of Mirabeau
Mirabeau, Andre Boniface Louis de Riqueti, vicomte de