Louis de Potter (26 April 1786 – 22 July 1859), was a
Belgian
Belgian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to, Belgium
* Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent
* Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German
*Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...
journalist, revolutionary, politician and writer. Out of the more than 100 books and pamphlets, one of the most notable works was his famous ''Letter to my Fellow Citizens'' in which he promoted democracy, universal electoral rights and the unity among Belgian liberals and Catholics. As one of the heroes of the
Belgian Revolution
The Belgian Revolution (, ) was the conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces (mainly the former Southern Netherlands) from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium.
T ...
, he proclaimed the independence of Belgium from the Netherlands (from the terrace of the
Brussels City Hall
The Town Hall (french: Hôtel de Ville, Dutch: ) of the City of Brussels is a landmark building and the seat of the City of Brussels municipality of Brussels, Belgium. It is located on the south side of the famous Grand-Place/Grote Markt (Br ...
on 28 September 1830), and inaugurated the first Belgian parliamentary assembly (on 10 November 1830), on behalf of the outgoing
Belgian provisional government.
Life
![Blason de la famille de Potter de Droogenwalle (Belgique)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Blason_de_la_famille_de_Potter_de_Droogenwalle_%28Belgique%29.svg)
De Potter belonged to a rich noble family (his father was the
Esquire
Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title.
In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...
Clément de Potter de Droogenwalle) which sought
asylum in Germany
The right of asylum for victims of political persecution is a basic right stipulated in the Constitution of Germany. In a wider sense, the right of asylum recognises the definition of ' refugee' as established in the 1951 Refugee Convention and ...
after the second
French invasion of the Southern Netherlands in 1794 and remained there until the
Consulate
A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of diplomatic mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth coun ...
. This meant that Louis's education in Bruges remained largely incomplete and so he restarted it during the family's time abroad, wanting to learn Latin, ancient Greek and modern languages. He spent 12 years in Italy (in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
from 1811 to 1821 and in
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
from 1821 to 1823) to study the history of the
Roman Catholic church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, though he studied it with the prejudices which predominated in
Enlightenment thoughts. He then discovered the foundations of the reforms made in the "aristocratic republics of Italy" and those of the revolution for the French republic. While in Rome, he began an affair with the Italian painter,
Matilde Malenchini, that lasted until 1826.
In 1816 he had already published his ''Considérations sur l'histoire des principaux conciles depuis les apôtres jusqu'au Grand Schisme d'Occident'' (''Considerations on the history of the main
council
A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...
s from the
apostle
An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to send off". The purpose of such sending ...
s to the
Great Western Schism
The Western Schism, also known as the Papal Schism, the Vatican Standoff, the Great Occidental Schism, or the Schism of 1378 (), was a split within the Catholic Church lasting from 1378 to 1417 in which bishops residing in Rome and Avignon bo ...
''). In 1821, he completed this first work with another, in six volumes, titled ''L'Esprit de l'Église ou Considérations sur l'histoire des conciles et des papes, depuis
Charlemagne
Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Holy ...
jusqu'à nos jours'' (''The Spirit of the Church, or Considerations on the history of the councils and the popes, from Charlemagne to our own days'').
During his stay in Florence, he had access to the archives and library of Bishop Ricci - minister-counsellor of the Grand-Duke of Habsburg - it was there that he gathered the materials for a third work, ''Vie de Scipion de Ricci, évêque de Pistoie et de Prato'' (''Life of
Scipione de' Ricci
Scipione de' Ricci (19 January 1741 – 27 January 1810) was an Italian Catholic prelate, who was bishop of Pistoia from 1780 to 1791. He was sympathetic to Jansenist ideas in theology.
Biography
Scipione de' Ricci was born in Florence,''The ...
, bishop of
Pistoia
Pistoia (, is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of a province of the same name, located about west and north of Florence and is crossed by the Ombrone Pistoiese, a tributary of the River Arno. It is a typi ...
and of
Prato
Prato ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Italy, the capital of the Province of Prato. The city lies in the north east of Tuscany, at the foot of Monte Retaia, elevation , the last peak in the Calvana chain. With more than 200,000 i ...
''). This was published in 1825, and was immediately translated into German and English. The author's aim in this work was to glorify
Josephinism
Josephinism was the collective domestic policies of Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor (1765–1790). During the ten years in which Joseph was the sole ruler of the Habsburg monarchy (1780–1790), he attempted to legislate a series of drastic reforms ...
, the justification of the reforms carried out in
Tuscany
Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze'').
Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...
under the auspices of grand duke
Pietro Leopold I of Tuscany, brother of
Joseph II
Joseph II (German: Josef Benedikt Anton Michael Adam; English: ''Joseph Benedict Anthony Michael Adam''; 13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg lands from November 29, 1780 unt ...
.
De Potter was a founding member of the first ''
Société des douze''.
After a long residence in Germany, France, and Italy, he returned to
Bruges
Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the countr ...
in 1823, initially very satisfied to see the northern and southern Netherlands united under the rule of
William of Nassau. He wrote "I thank fate for destining me to live under
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 ...
political institutions, which, by the principals of moderation and equity, put no barrier in the way of thought". After his father's death, he left Bruges and settled in
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, but did not re-assume the title to which his noble blood entitled him. Even so, he had to get a job and was on very good terms with the whole cabinet, or at least with the head of the department of the interior,
Pierre van Gobbelschroy
Pierre Louis Joseph Servais van Gobbelschroy (10 May 1784, in Leuven – 3 October 1850, in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert) was a conservative politician of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands in the first half of the 19th century.
Life
Although born ...
, his former classmate.
[ Théodore Juste, ''op cit''.]
De Potter began his political career as editor of the liberal opposition journal ''Le Courrier des Pays-Bas''. He deployed his verve as a polemicist against the Catholic clergy, the aristocracy and William I's government. One of his articles, published on 8 November 1828, was a violent pamphlet against the king's ministers and marked the journal's rallying to the cause of
unionism. Minister of Justice
Cornelis Van Maanen hounded de Potter for this opposition to William's government and finally had him found guilty on 20 December 1828, condemning him to 18 months' detention and a fine of 1000
florins
The Florentine florin was a gold coin struck from 1252 to 1533 with no significant change in its design or metal content standard during that time. It had 54 grains (3.499 grams, 0.113 troy ounce) of nominally pure or 'fine' gold with a purcha ...
. On 8 January 1830, William I revoked the job and pension of all members of the Belgian
estates general who opposed his policies. De Potter was then still in prison and there launched the idea of a national subscription to compensate deputies and civil servants who had fallen prey to this measure.
Van Maanen continued to hound de Potter, this time for plotting against the state and exciting revolt, and so on 30 April 1830 he was sentenced to an 8-year exile by the Brussels
court of assizes
A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordanc ...
for publications composed in prison, such as the pamphlet on the ''Union of the Catholics and Liberals'' (de Potter's co-plotters and friends
Jean-François Tielemans and
Adolphe Bartels were condemned to seven years' banishment at the same sitting). He thought of spending his exile in France, but this country refused to welcome him and so he ended up in
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
until 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 ...
, when France did allow him in. After the
Belgian Revolution
The Belgian Revolution (, ) was the conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces (mainly the former Southern Netherlands) from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium.
T ...
, he returned to Brussels and was a member of the
provisional government
A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, or a transitional government, is an emergency governmental authority set up to manage a political transition generally in the cases of a newly formed state or f ...
. In it he was given the specific task of planning the basic laws for the new state of
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
. On 10 November he pronounced the opening of the
National Congress of Belgium
The National Congress (french: Congrès national, nl, Nationaal Congres) was a temporary legislative assembly in Belgium, convened in 1830 in the aftermath of the Belgian Revolution. Its purpose was to devise a national constitution for the n ...
, in favour of a Republican regime. After the Congress pronounced itself in favour of a
constitutional monarchy
A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...
on 13 November 1830 he returned to private life and upon the provisional government's downfall he withdrew to France.
Works
* ''Considérations sur l'histoire des principaux conciles depuis les apôtres jusqu'au Grand Schisme d'Occident'', 1816
* ''L'Esprit de l'Église ou Considérations sur l'histoire des conciles et des papes, depuis Charlemagne jusqu'à nos jours'', 6 volumes, 1821
* ''Vie de Scipion de Ricci, évêque de Pistoie et de Prato'', 1825.
* ''Saint-Napoléon, en paradis et en exil'', 1825.
* ''Lettres de saint Pie V sur les affaires religieuses en France'', 1826.
* ''L'Union des catholiques et des libéraux dans les Pays-Bas'', (1ste editie juli 1829, 2e editie, Brussel 1831)
* ''Lettre de Démophile à M. Van Gobbelschroy sur la garantie de la liberté des Belges à l'époque de l'ouverture de la session des états généraux'' (1829-1830).
* ''Lettre de Démophile au roi sur le nouveau projet de loi contre la presse et le message royal qui l'accompagne, 1829
* ''Correspondance de De Potter avec Thielemans, depuis la prison des Petits Carmes'', Brussel, 1829
* ''Lettre à mes concitoyens'', Brussel, 1830
* ''De la Révolution à faire d'après l'expérience des révolutions avortées'' (1831)
* ''Éléments de tolérance à l'usage des catholiques belges'' (1834)
* ''Questions aux catholiques belges sur l'encyclique de M. de Lamennais'' (1835).
* ''Histoire du christianisme'' (Parijs 1836)
* ''Résumé de l'histoire du christianisme'' (1856)
* ''La Révolution belge de 1828 à 1839, souvenirs personnels'' (Brussel 1838-39)
* ''Études sociales'', (1843)
* ''La Justice et la Sanction religieuse'' (1846)
* ''La Réalité déterminée par le raisonnement'' (1848)
* ''A B C de la science sociale'' (1848)
* ''Catéchisme social'' (1850)
* ''Catéchisme rationnel'' (1854)
* ''Dictionnaire rationnel'' (1859).
Notes
References
* ''Procès porté devant la Cour d'Assises du Brabant Méridional, contre L. De Potter, F. Tielemans, etc.'', Brussel, 1830, 2 vol.
* Lucien JOTTRAND, ''Louis de Potter'', Brussel, 1860
* Théodore JUSTE, ''Louis de Potter: membre du gouvernement provisoire. D'après des documents inédits'', Brussel, 1874
*
Th. JUSTE, ''Louis de Potter'', in: Biographie nationale de Belgique, Tome V, 1876, col. 620-629
* Maurice BOLOGNE, ''Louis de Potter, histoire d'un homme banni de l'histoire'', Luik, z. d. (1930).
* E. VAN TURENHOUDT, ''Un Philosophe au Pouvoir, Louis de Potter'', Brussel, 1946.
* Willy VAN HILLE, ''Histoire de la famille Van Hille'' (Tablettes des Flandres, Recueil 4), Brugge, 1954, blz. 183-185.
* Frans BAEKELANDT, ''Louis de Potter'', in: Kontaktblad Gidsenbond Brugge en West-Vlaanderen, oktober, 2004 - idem in: ''Historische opstellen'', Brugge, 2011.
* René DAELEMANS & Nicolas DE POTTER, ''Louis de Potter. Révolutionnaire belge en 1830'', postface de Francis BALACE, Couleur Livres, Charleroi, 2011.
*This article incorporates text from the ''International Cyclopedia'' of 1890, a publication now in the public domain.
{{DEFAULTSORT:De Potter, Louis
1786 births
1859 deaths
Historians of the Catholic Church
19th-century Belgian journalists
Male journalists
Writers from Bruges
19th-century Belgian historians
Members of the National Congress of Belgium
People of the Belgian Revolution
Politicians from Bruges