![Armand-Gaston Camus](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Armand-Gaston_Camus.jpg)
Armand-Gaston Camus (2 April 17402 November 1804),
French revolutionist
A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor.
...
, was a successful lawyer and
advocate before the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...
. He was the son of Pierre Camus, a lawyer in the
Parlement of Paris
The Parliament of Paris (french: Parlement de Paris) was the oldest ''parlement'' in the Kingdom of France, formed in the 14th century. It was fixed in Paris by Philip IV of France in 1302. The Parliament of Paris would hold sessions inside the ...
.
Camus is considered the founder of the
Archives Nationales, as in 1789 he was appointed as archivist of its predecessor, the Commission des archives of the Assembly (
Estates-General). He served in this role until his death.
French Revolution
In 1789 Camus was elected by the
Third Estate
The estates of the realm, or three estates, were the broad orders of social hierarchy used in Christendom (Christian Europe) from the Middle Ages to early modern Europe. Different systems for dividing society members into estates developed and ...
of
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
to the
Estates-General; he attracted attention by his speeches against social inequalities.
He was one of the
National Assembly's earliest presidents (28 October11 November 1789), and he was the most frequent speaker: no one addressed the Assembly more times than he did (more than 600 times);
d'André is second at 497, and
le Chapelier third at 447. Camus was so frequently called upon to speak mostly because of his expertise in
canon law
Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...
.
Camus was appointed on 14 August 1789 as archivist to the Commission des archives of the Assembly; the commission was the immediate precursor to the
Archives Nationales. He would retain these functions until his death.
He helped to write and voted for the
Civil Constitution of the Clergy, worked to end the practice of paying
annates
Annates ( or ; la, annatae, from ', "year") were a payment from the recipient of an ecclesiastical benefice to the ordaining authorities. Eventually, they consisted of half or the whole of the first year's profits of a benefice; after the appr ...
to the papacy, and promoted the annexation of the
Vaucluse
Vaucluse (; oc, Vauclusa, label= Provençal or ) is a department in the southeastern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It had a population of 561,469 as of 2019.[National Convention
The National Convention (french: link=no, Convention nationale) was the parliament of the Kingdom of France for one day and the French First Republic for the rest of its existence during the French Revolution, following the two-year Nationa ...]
by the ''
département
In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety ...
'' of
Haute-Loire
Haute-Loire (; oc, Naut Léger or ''Naut Leir''; English: Upper Loire) is a landlocked department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of south-central France. Named after the Loire River, it is surrounded by the departments of Loire, Ardèche, ...
,
he was on a
mission
Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to:
Organised activities Religion
*Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity
*Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...
outside Paris during the
judgment of Louis XVI. But, he wrote on 13 January 1793 that he voted for "death without appeal and without reprieve".
On his return, Camus was
sent to Belgium as one of five commissioners of the Convention, to the
Armée du Nord
The Army of the North or Armée du Nord is a name given to several historical units of the French Army. The first was one of the French Revolutionary Armies that fought with distinction against the First Coalition from 1792 to 1795. Others existe ...
commanded by
General C. F. Dumouriez. The general was in an extremely precarious position, and was suspected of plotting to betray the Revolution. The suspicions were confirmed when Dumouriez delivered Camus with his colleagues to the
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
ns (3 April 1793).
After thirty-three months of captivity, Camus was exchanged for
Marie Thérèse of France
Marie may refer to:
People Name
* Marie (given name)
* Marie (Japanese given name)
* Marie (murder victim), girl who was killed in Florida after being pushed in front of a moving vehicle in 1973
* Marie (died 1759), an enslaved Cree person in T ...
in November 1795. He played an inconspicuous role in the
Council of Five Hundred
The Council of Five Hundred (''Conseil des Cinq-Cents''), or simply the Five Hundred, was the lower house of the legislature of France under the Constitution of the Year III. It existed during the period commonly known (from the name of the ...
, refusing positions in the Ministry of Finance or of Police. He was restored to the office of archivist in 1796 and became absorbed in literary work. He remained an austere
republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
, refusing to take part in the
Napoleonic
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...
régime.
External links
Online, full-text versions of pamphlets written by Armand-Gaston Camus Ball State University Digital Media Repository
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Camus, Armand Gaston
1740 births
1804 deaths
French archivists
Jansenists
French revolutionaries
Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery