![Philippe Le Bas](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Philippe_Le_Bas.jpg)
Philippe-François-Joseph Le Bas (4 November 1764,
Frévent
Frévent () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France.
Geography
A farming town situated in the valley of the Canche river, west of Arras, at the junction of the D946, the D939 and the D941 roads.
...
,
Pas-de-Calais – 28 July 1794, Paris) was a French politician and revolutionary.
Biography
The son of a notary, intendant to the prince de Rache, avocat to the parliament of 1789, companion and collaborator of
Saint-Just, Le Bas was elected député to the
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 ...
for the Pas-de-Calais in 1792, sitting among the
Montagnards
Montagnard (''of the mountain'' or ''mountain dweller'') may refer to:
* Montagnard (French Revolution), members of The Mountain (''La Montagne''), a political group during the French Revolution (1790s)
** Montagnard (1848 revolution), members of t ...
. A discreet, cold, and loyal representative, he voted for King
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 ...
's death and against the sentence at his trial (i.e., against the people's appeal). Le Bas and
Duquesnoy were delegated 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 ...
in August 1793, and Le Bas proceeded with the arrest of generals
Richardot and
O'Moran for inability. A member of the
Committee of General Security
The Committee of General Security () was a parliamentary committee of the French National Convention which acted as police agency during the French Revolution. Along with the Committee of Public Safety it oversaw the Reign of Terror. The Committe ...
, he was among those close to
Robespierre,
Couthon, and
Saint-Just, who had a brief and discreet relation with his sister Henriette.
He and Saint-Just were made the Convention's commissioners to the armies and set out on this mission to eastern France, where he reorganized the army after its reverses at
Wissembourg
Wissembourg (; South Franconian: ''Weisseburch'' ; German: ''Weißenburg'' ) is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in northeastern France.
It is situated on the little river Lauter close to the border between France and Germany a ...
. Saint-Just and Le Bas were also later sent to reorganize the armée du Nord by the
Committee of Public Safety in the face of an attempted return by Austrian forces after
Wattignies
Wattignies (; nl, Wattenijs) is a commune in the Nord department of northern France. It lies in the south-western part of the Lille conurbation. It covers an area of , and as of 2019 its population was 15,075.
Neighboring communes
Lille, Fac ...
- it was this reorganisation that made possible the victory at
Fleurus
Fleurus (; wa, Fleuru) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It has been the site of four major battles.
The municipality consists of the following districts: Brye, Heppignies, Fleurus, Lambusart, ...
. Since 1 June he was appointed as the director of the "École de Mars", formerly known as the
École Militaire
École may refer to:
* an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée)
* École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France
* École, Savo ...
.
Death
Faithful to Robespierre,
Augustin Robespierre
Augustin Bon Joseph de Robespierre (21 January 1763 – 28 July 1794), known as Robespierre the Younger, was a French lawyer, politician and the younger brother of French Revolutionary leader Maximilien Robespierre. His political views were simil ...
and Le Bas demanded to share his fate. The five deputies were taken to the
Committee of General Security
The Committee of General Security () was a parliamentary committee of the French National Convention which acted as police agency during the French Revolution. Along with the Committee of Public Safety it oversaw the Reign of Terror. The Committe ...
, questioned and then escorted to different prisons; LeBas to the
Conciergerie
The Conciergerie () ( en, Lodge) is a former courthouse and prison in Paris, France, located on the west of the Île de la Cité, below the Palais de Justice. It was originally part of the former royal palace, the Palais de la Cité, which als ...
. The mayor of the Commune ordered the janitors to refuse any member of the Convention. LeBas, as well as the others gathered in the
Hôtel de Ville on
9 Thermidor. When the anti-Robespierristes under
Barras Barras may refer to:
Places
* Barras, Cumbria, England
* Barras, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France
* Barras, Piauí, Brazil
* Duas Barras, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
* Sete Barras, São Paulo, Brazil
Other uses
* Barras (surname)
* Barras (market), ...
and
Léonard Bourdon broke into the main room of the townhall (where Le Bas had taken refuge with Maximilien Robespierre, Augustin Robespierre, St-Just and Couthon) LeBas committed suicide by pistol in the early morning of 10 Thermidor.
Marriage and issue
He married Elisabeth Duplay, daughter of
Maurice Duplay, Robespierre's landlord in Paris, and their son was
Philippe Le Bas (1794–1860), who would be
Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte's preceptor until 1827 then director of the library of the
Sorbonne
Sorbonne may refer to:
* Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities.
*the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970)
*one of its components or linked institution, ...
(from 1844 to 1860), a member of the
Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres
The Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres () is a French learned society devoted to history, founded in February 1663 as one of the five academies of the Institut de France. The academy's scope was the study of ancient inscriptions (epigr ...
(1838–60) and president of the
Institut de France
The (; ) is a French learned society, grouping five , including the Académie Française. It was established in 1795 at the direction of the National Convention. Located on the Quai de Conti in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the institute ...
(from 1858).
Bibliography
* Stéfane-Pol, Elisabeth Duplay Le Bas, ''Autour de Robespierre: Le conventionnel Le Bas, d'après des documents inédits et les mémoires de sa veuve'', E. Flammarion, 1901, 340 pages
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lebas, Philippe-Francois-Joseph
1762 births
1794 deaths
People from Pas-de-Calais
Suicides by firearm in France
French politicians who committed suicide
Deputies to the French National Convention
Regicides of Louis XVI
18th-century French lawyers
Jacobins
People on the Committee of Public Safety
Représentants en mission
18th-century suicides