François-Bernard de Chauvelin, marquis de Grosbois (born 29 November 1766 in
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 ...
; died 9 April 1832 in
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 ...
), also known as ''Marquis de Chauvelin'', was a French
nobleman
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteris ...
, diplomat, parliamentarian and
liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
reformer.
Biography
The scion of an illustrious family, Chauvelin followed his father
François-Claude de Chauvelin as ''Master of the King's Wardrobe''
(to
Louis XVI
Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...
) and fought in the
Comte de Rochambeau
Marshal Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, 1 July 1725 – 10 May 1807, was a French nobleman and general whose army played the decisive role in helping the United States defeat the British army at Yorktown in 1781 during the ...
's French Expeditionary Force. However, despite being of aristocratic birth, he had been raised with liberal views and thus became supportive of 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 ...
.
In February 1792 he married Herminie-Felicienne-Joséphine Tavernier de Boulogne de Magnanville and was posted to the
Court of St. James's
The Court of St James's is the royal court for the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. All ambassadors to the United Kingdom are formally received by the court. All ambassadors from the United Kingdom are formally accredited from the court – & ...
, styled "Ambassador's Cloak" (or Deputy Ambassador), under
Talleyrand. His role in London was to persuade the British Government to remain neutral in the impending war between France and Austria and Prussia.
[ Arriving in May 1792, Chauvelin was well received at first][ and secured ]British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
neutrality. However, on 10 August 1792, in light of the storming of the Tuileries and the formal suspension of King Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...
from power, Chauvelin's status became ambiguous - as his credentials had been issued by a non-ruling king and, moreover, Britain had recalled its own ambassador (and not replaced him), thereby ending official communication. Following the formation of the French Republic in September, the new French republican government did not promptly renew his credentials, ending what remained of his official status at the Court of St James. Despite Chauvelin's claims to continue as interim representative of France until the arrival of his new credentials (he believed them imminent), foreign secretary William Grenville refused to recognize him as officially speaking for the French republic and returned his papers and missives. Chauvelin finally received his new credentials from the French republic in January 1793 and requested an audience with the British king to present them. But the timing was inauspicious - Louis XVI had been sentenced to death by the French convention the day before, and would be executed a few days later (21 January). Chauvelin was ordered to leave England by 1 February 1793, as the British made preparations for war.[Grenville's letter to Chauvelin (24 January 1793) in ]
After returning to 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 ...
and ingratiating himself with the new régime, Chauvelin was posted as French Ambassador to the Medici
The House of Medici ( , ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici, in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century. The family originated in the Mu ...
s in Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...
but his term there was unsuccessful,[ being unable to convince the Grand-Duke to recognize the new French Republic. Chauvelin was recalled to Paris and jailed as a suspect during the ''Terreur''. However, he was released following Robespierre's arrest during the ]Thermidorean Reaction
The Thermidorian Reaction (french: Réaction thermidorienne or ''Convention thermidorienne'', "Thermidorian Convention") is the common term, in the historiography of the French Revolution, for the period between the ousting of Maximilien Robespie ...
(27 July 1794).[
In 1800, he was elected to the ''Tribunat'' and in February 1804, he was appointed ]Prefect
Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area.
A prefect's ...
of La Lys. And in 1811, Chauvelin was created a Baron of the Empire
As Emperor of the French, Napoleon I created titles of nobility to institute a stable elite in the First French Empire, after the instability resulting from the French Revolution.
Like many others, both before and since, Napoleon found that th ...
and appointed Councillor of State. From 1812 to 1814, he governed Catalonia
Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy.
Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the nort ...
styled ''Intendant-Général''having been expected to win over the Catalans to Joseph Bonaparte
it, Giuseppe-Napoleone Buonaparte es, José Napoleón Bonaparte
, house = Bonaparte
, father = Carlo Buonaparte
, mother = Letizia Ramolino
, birth_date = 7 January 1768
, birth_place = Corte, Corsica, Republic of ...
, Emperor Napoleon's brother, who had been installed as King of Spain.
In 1816, he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies, and spoke in favor of press freedom and extending the electoral franchise. He earned a reputation as an outstanding orator. He was one of the major figures of the left-wing, republican and liberal group in parliament. Though he was returned again as a Deputy in 1827, he played no further part in public affairs, finally resigning in 1829. He then permanently withdrew to the former Abbey of Cîteaux
An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns.
The conce ...
in Beaune
Beaune () is the wine capital of Burgundy in the Côte d'Or department in eastern France. It is located between Lyon and Dijon. Beaune is one of the key wine centers in France, and the center of Burgundy wine production and business. The annua ...
, which he had bought and converted into a residence. He died of cholera three years later in Paris.
Chauvelin and ''The Scarlet Pimpernel''
In Baroness Emmuska Orczy’s novel ''The Scarlet Pimpernel
''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' is the first novel in a series of historical fiction by Baroness Orczy, published in 1905. It was written after her stage play of the same title (co-authored with Montague Barstow) enjoyed a long run in London, having ...
'' and its sequels, the Scarlet Pimpernel's arch enemy throughout most of the series is Citizen Chauvelin, a character loosely based on the real Marquis. Although there are some similarities between the real and fictional Chauvelins, Orczy's depiction of Chauvelin's career, personality and history is highly distorted.
See also
* List of Ambassadors of France to the United Kingdom
References
* ''The Authentic State Papers which Passed Between Monsieur Chauvelin, Minister Plenipotentiary from France, and the Right Hon. Lord Grenville, Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs: From 12th May 1792 to 24th January 1793 and Presented to the House of Commons January 28th, 1793''. London: J. Ridgeway
online
* M. PREVOST, ''Bernard-François Chauvelin'', in: Dictionnaire de Biographie française, Edn 8, col. 905-906.
* J. DE SMET, ''L'administration du département de La Lys'', in: Annales de la Société d'Emulation de Bruges, 1931, blz. 138-138.
* Andries VAN DEN ABEELE, ''De vier prefecten van het departement van de Leie. II. Bernard François markies de Chauvelin'', in: Biekorf, 2004, blz. 224-251 en 333-356.
Notes
External links
National Portrait Gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chauvelin, Bernard-Francois de
1766 births
1832 deaths
Diplomats from Paris
People of the French Revolution
Politicians from Paris
French marquesses
Nobility of the First French Empire
Ambassadors of France to Great Britain
Nobility from Paris