Guillaume-Isidore Baron de Montbel (4 July 1787 – 3 February 1861) was a French politician who was a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Pa ...

, a deputy and a minister in the French government during the last year of the Bourbon Restoration. He was an ardent royalist and opposed to the freedom of press. After the

July Revolution The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution (french: révolution de Juillet), Second French Revolution, or ("Three Glorious ays), was a second French Revolution after the first in 1789. It led to the overthrow of King ...

of 1830 he was tried in absentia and sentenced to civil death. He was later pardoned and returned to France.

Early years

Guillaume-Isidore de Montbel was born in

, Haute-Garonne, on 4 July 1787. His grandfather, Jean Baron de Montbel, had been Treasurer of France. His parents were Jean-Louis Baron de Montbel (1727–1793) and Catherine-Rosalie de Reynal (1766–1843). His father was a councilor at the parliament of Toulouse in 1753 and a king's advocate from 1777 to 1791. His father was executed in 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 ...

. Montbel was a fervent royalist. He enlisted in the Royal Volunteers in 1815. During the Hundred Days of

Napoleon 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 who ...

's return to power he was placed under police supervision. He was a property owner in Toulouse, a councilor of that city, and was appointed

by the restored Bourbon regime, replacing his close friend

Jean-Baptiste de Villèle Jean-Baptiste is a male French name, originating with Saint John the Baptist, and sometimes shortened to Baptiste. The name may refer to any of the following: Persons * Charles XIV John of Sweden, born Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte, was King ...

. On 17 November 1827 Montbel was elected deputy for the second district of Haute-Garonne. As a deputy Montbel was active and zealous, devoted to the monarchy and a fluent speaker. He defended the views of Villèle in matters of policy and finance, presented many proposals and amendments, and was a tireless opponent of the Liberals. He was appointed to the committee to examine the proposed law on periodicals, and showed himself hostile to the freedom of the press, for which he blamed the assassination by Louis Pierre Louvel of

Charles Ferdinand, Duke of Berry Charles Ferdinand d'Artois, Duke of Berry (24 January 1778 – 14 February 1820) was the third child and younger son of Charles X, King of France, (whom he predeceased) by his wife Maria Theresa of Savoy. In June 1832, two years after the overthro ...

. He was the candidate of the extreme right for vice-speaker of the chamber in 1829, but only received 62 votes. On 7 April 1829 he criticized as wasteful and romantic the French intervention on behalf of the Greeks, who were seeking independence.

Minister

Montbel was Minister of Religious Affairs and Public Education from 8 August 1829 to 18 November 1829. In this position he continued the tolerant policy of

Antoine Lefebvre de Vatimesnil Antoine François Henri Lefebvre de Vatimesnil (19 December 1789 – 10 October 1860) was a French lawyer and politician. He was a deputy from 1828 to 1834, Minister of Public Education from 1828 to 1829, and a Representative in 1849. Early years ...

and rejected the demands of the Ultras to suspend the courses of

Victor Cousin Victor Cousin (; 28 November 179214 January 1867) was a French philosopher. He was the founder of "eclecticism", a briefly influential school of French philosophy that combined elements of German idealism and Scottish Common Sense Realism. As ...

and François Guizot. He was appointed Minister of the Interior on 18 November 1829 after the resignation of Labourdonnaye, at the personal desire of King

Charles X Charles X (born Charles Philippe, Count of Artois; 9 October 1757 – 6 November 1836) was King of France from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. An uncle of the uncrowned Louis XVII and younger brother to reigning kings Louis XVI and Lou ...

. He placed Sirieys Mayrinhac in charge of the general police. He spoke several times in the Chamber, trying in vain to overcome the unpopularity of the ministerial cabinet. He played an active role in the discussion of 5 March 1830 over the Royal Address, fighting the attacks of the constitutional party. He was then Minister of Finance from 19 May 1830 until 29 July 1830 in the last days of the Bourbon Restoration. He signed the

July Ordinances The July Ordinances, also known as the Four Ordinances of Saint-Cloud, were a series of decrees set forth by Charles X and Jules Armand de Polignac, the chief minister, in July 1830. Compelled by what he felt to be a growing, manipulative radi ...

which inadvertently led to the

and the end of the Bourbon dynasty.

Later career

Montbel accompanied the king to Rambouillet. After the Duke of Orleans had been appointed lieutenant-general of the kingdom, he returned to Paris and then went to Vienna, Austria. He was included in the trial of ministers of Charles X of France and on 28 September 1830 was sentenced in absentia to civil death and life imprisonment. A central charge was that he had taken 421,000 francs on 28 July to supply the royalist troops during the height of the struggle. Montbel was granted an amnesty by the Molé ministry in 1837. He returned to France, but stayed away from public affairs for the rest of his life. He died in

Schloss Frohsdorf Schloss Frohsdorf is a castle-like complex in Lanzenkirchen in Niederösterreich and was built 1547–50 out of the ruins of the so-called "Krotenhof". After similar devastation in the year 1683 it was largely altered and renovated in the Baroque ...

, Austria, on 3 February 1861, while visiting

Henri, Count of Chambord Henri, Count of Chambord and Duke of Bordeaux (french: Henri Charles Ferdinand Marie Dieudonné d'Artois, duc de Bordeaux, comte de Chambord; 29 September 1820 – 24 August 1883) was disputedly King of France from 2 to 9 August 1830 as Hen ...

, the legitimist pretender.

Bibliography

After leaving public life, Montbel published a number of works with monarchist themes: * * * *''Dernière époque de l’histoire de Charles X, ses derniers voyages, sa maladie, sa mort, ses funérailles, son caractère et ses habitudes dans l’exil'', s.d. * :Republished in 1845 with the title: : His grandson published a posthumous collection of writings: *

References

Citations Sources * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Montbel, Guillaume-Isidore Baron de 1787 births 1861 deaths French politicians