![Barnabé Buisson](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Barnab%C3%A9_Buisson.jpg)
Barnabé Brisson (Latinised: Barnabas Brissonius) (1531 – 15 November 1591) was a French jurist and politician.
Biography
Born as the son of the king's lieutenant in
Fontenay-le-Comte
Fontenay-le-Comte (; Poitevin: ''Funtenaes'' or ''Fintenè'') is a commune and subprefecture in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region of Western France. In 2018, it had a population of 13,302, while its functional area had a po ...
, Vendée, Brisson studied law in
Orléans
Orléans (;["Orleans"](_blank)
(US) and [Bourges
Bourges () is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre. It is the capital of the department of Cher, and also was the capital city of the former province of Berry.
History
The name of the commune derives either from the Bituriges, t ...]
and finally
Poitiers
Poitiers (, , , ; Poitevin: ''Poetàe'') is a city on the River Clain in west-central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and the historical centre of Poitou. In 2017 it had a population of 88,291. Its agglomerat ...
, where he stayed on as an advocate. Between 1553 and 1556, he moved on to Paris, where he swiftly gained repute for his learning and rhetorical skills.
Charles IX named him
Advocate General of the
Parlement
A ''parlement'' (), under the French Ancien Régime, was a provincial appellate court of the Kingdom of France. In 1789, France had 13 parlements, the oldest and most important of which was the Parlement of Paris. While both the modern Fre ...
in 1573. His successor,
Henry III, put particular trust in Brisson, who was made first
Fiscal
Fiscal usually refers to government finance. In this context, it may refer to:
Economics
* Fiscal policy, use of government expenditure to influence economic development
* Fiscal policy debate
* Fiscal adjustment, a reduction in the government ...
in 1573, promoted to
Président à mortier
The ''président à mortier'' () was one of the most important legal posts of the French ''Ancien Régime''. The ''présidents'' were principal magistrates of the highest juridical institutions, the ''parlements'', which were the appeal courts. ...
in 1580, appointed Sixth President of the Parlement in 1588 and entrusted with several diplomatical missions.
As the
French Wars of Religion
The French Wars of Religion is the term which is used in reference to a period of civil war between French Catholic Church, Catholics and Protestantism, Protestants, commonly called Huguenots, which lasted from 1562 to 1598. According to estim ...
flamed up again, Brisson remained in Paris after the royalist judges on the Parlement fled the city on 16 January 1589, following the King, who had fled on May 13, 1588. Next day, the ''Seize'' ("sixteen"), a group of
League
League or The League may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band
* ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football
Sports
* Sports league
* Rugby league, full contact footba ...
notables that now ruled Paris, installed Brisson as First President of the Parlement in replacement of
Achille de Harlay
Achille de Harlay de Sancy, CO (1581, Paris26 November 1646), the son of Nicolas de Harlay, seigneur de Sancy, was a French diplomat and intellectual who was noted as a linguist and orientalist. He entered Church service, becoming the Bishop of S ...
. As a ''
politique
During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, ''politiques'' () were those in a position of power who put the success and well-being of their state above all else. During the Wars of Religion, this included moderates of both religious faiths ( ...
'', Brisson sought to mediate between the warring factions. The Seize, however, soon began to mistrust him, because they considered him to remain loyal to Henry. Consequently, they had him sentenced to death by a special court and executed by
hanging
Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging i ...
in 1591.
Scholarly work
![Code Henri III TOC](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Code_Henri_III_TOC.png)
Brisson never held academic office. Despite this, he is – with
Contius,
Balduinus,
Cujacius,
Hotmannus and
Donellus – among the group of 16th century French jurists that brought
Humanist
Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry.
The meaning of the term "human ...
jurisprudence to its peak.
His principal work is ''De Verborum Quae ad Jus Civile Pertinent Significatione'' (1559), a two-
folio
The term "folio" (), has three interconnected but distinct meanings in the world of books and printing: first, it is a term for a common method of arranging sheets of paper into book form, folding the sheet only once, and a term for a book ma ...
dictionary of
Justinian
Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565.
His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovat ...
legal terminology that saw 17 reeditions (often much amended) up until 1805. ''De Verborum'' was the standard
legal dictionary
A law dictionary (also known as legal dictionary) is a dictionary that is designed and compiled to give information about terms used in the field of law.
Types
Distinctions are made among various types of law dictionaries.
Differentiating facto ...
of the time, and for centuries remained an authoritative source for
lexicographer
Lexicography is the study of lexicons, and is divided into two separate academic disciplines. It is the art of compiling dictionaries.
* Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionaries.
* Theoreti ...
s.
Among his other works, the following warrant particular mention. The ''Code Henri III'' was an influential 1587 compilation of the laws of France. It saw numerous reeditions, as did Brisson's works on pre-Justinian
Roman law
Roman law is the law, legal system of ancient Rome, including the legal developments spanning over a thousand years of jurisprudence, from the Twelve Tables (c. 449 BC), to the ''Corpus Juris Civilis'' (AD 529) ordered by Eastern Roman emperor J ...
. These include ''De formulis et solennibus populi Romani verbis'', a comprehensive compilation of Roman legal terminology.
External links
Le Code du Roy Henri III Roy de France et de Pologne PDF scan online
*
References
*
* Tarlton Law Library, Jamail Center for Legal Research,
University of Texas School of Law
The University of Texas School of Law (Texas Law) is the law school of the University of Texas at Austin. Texas Law is consistently ranked as one of the top law schools in the United States and is highly selective—registering the 8th lowest ac ...
Brisson, Barnabé(accessed March 2007)
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brisson, Barnabe
1531 births
1591 deaths
People from Fontenay-le-Comte
16th-century French lawyers
French politicians
French Renaissance humanists
People executed by France by hanging
Executed French people
16th-century executions by France
Executed people from Pays de la Loire
French male non-fiction writers