Stanislas Marie Adélaïde, comte de

Clermont-Tonnerre The House of Clermont-Tonnerre is a French noble family, members of which played some part in the history of France, especially in Dauphiné, from about 1100 to the French Revolution (1789–99). History Sibaud, lord of Clermont in Viennois, wh ...

(October 10, 1747 – August 10, 1792) 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 ...

, military officer, and politician during 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 ...

Early life and career

Born in Mandres-aux-Quatre-Tours in the

Duchy of Bar The County of Bar, later Duchy of Bar, was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire encompassing the '' pays de Barrois'' and centred on the city of Bar-le-Duc. It was held by the House of Montbéliard from the 11th century. Part of the county, t ...

, Stanislas was the eldest son of François-Joseph, marquis de Clermont-Tonnerre (1726-1809) and his first wife, Mary Anne de Lentilhac de Gimel, and the grandson of Gaspard, duc de Clermont-Tonnerre (1688-1781), marshal of France. Following in the family tradition, he became colonel of the 1st Cuirassier Regiment. In 1782, he married Mary Louise Josephine Delphine de Rosières de Sorans (December 1766 - October 26, 1832, Paris), lady-in-waiting to

Princess Élisabeth of France Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. Princess as a subst ...

; the sister of Louis XVI. She bore him three children, of whom only the eldest daughter survived into adulthood, marrying Esprit Louis Charles Alexandre Savary de Lancosme (1784-1853) in 1803. Prior to the beginning of the

he was a Freemason, a noted

orator An orator, or oratist, is a public speaker, especially one who is eloquent or skilled. Etymology Recorded in English c. 1374, with a meaning of "one who pleads or argues for a cause", from Anglo-French ''oratour'', Old French ''orateur'' (14th ...

(having acquired practice in speaking in the

Masonic Lodge A Masonic lodge, often termed a private lodge or constituent lodge, is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also commonly used as a term for a building in which such a unit meets. Every new lodge must be warranted or chartered ...

), and a

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 ...

. He spent time with reformists such as

Antoine Pierre Joseph Marie Barnave Antoine Pierre Joseph Marie Barnave (, 22 October 176129 November 1793) was a French politician, and, together with Honoré Mirabeau, one of the most influential orators of the early part of the French Revolution. He is most notable for corresp ...

and

Jacques Pierre Brissot Jacques Pierre Brissot (, 15 January 1754 – 31 October 1793), who assumed the name of de Warville (an English version of "d'Ouarville", a hamlet in the village of Lèves where his father owned property), was a leading member of the Girondins du ...

outside of the Assembly as they all shared the common interest of keeping the monarchy in place.

French Revolution

He was elected to the

Estates-General of 1789 The Estates General of 1789 was a general assembly representing the French estates of the realm: the clergy (First Estate), the nobility (Second Estate), and the commoners (Third Estate). It was the last of the Estates General of the Kingdom o ...

by the Second Estate of Paris, and was the spokesman of the minority of Liberal nobles (including the duc d'Orléans and the

marquis de Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revolutio ...

) who joined the

Third Estate The estates of the realm, or three estates, were the broad orders of social hierarchy used in Christendom (Christian Europe) from the Middle Ages to early modern Europe. Different systems for dividing society members into estates developed and ...

on the 25th of June. In July 1789, Stanislas wrote and shared two propositions based on varying cahiers from across the Assembly, one known as the ''Rapport du Comité de Constitution''. Both liberals and conservatives alike felt the proposals were not rooted in the best interest of either faction. He was chiefly concerned with keeping the kingdom intact, yet he voted for the motion of the ''vicomte de Noailles'' to abolish feudalism in France 4–5 August 1789. Clermont-Tonnerre desired to model the new constitution of France on the organic laws of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. He served on the first incarnation (established 17 July 1789) of the eight-member Constitutional Committee. When the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...

rejected its proposals for a bicameral legislature and an

absolute veto Absolute may refer to: Companies * Absolute Entertainment, a video game publisher * Absolute Radio, (formerly Virgin Radio), independent national radio station in the UK * Absolute Software Corporation, specializes in security and data risk manage ...

for the Crown (10–11 September 1789), he resigned along with five fellow conservatives (including

Jean Joseph Mounier Jean Joseph Mounier (12 November 1758 – 28 January 1806) was a French politician and judge. Biography Mounier was born the son of a cloth merchant in Grenoble in Southeastern France. He studied law, and in 1782 purchased a minor judgeship at ...

). For the remainder of his tenure in the National Assembly he attached himself to the party of moderate

Royalists A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governm ...

, known as monarchi gens, led by

Pierre Victor, baron Malouet Pierre Victor, baron Malouet (11 February 1740 – 7 September 1814), was a French colonial administrator, planter, conservative publicist and monarchist politician, who signed as an émigré the Whitehall Accord. Life Malouet was born in Ri ...

. He was twice elected president of the National Constituent Assembly in rapid succession (17–31 August 1789; 9–28 September 1789).

Conflict with the Jacobins

His political views earned him the animosity of radical politicians of the

Palais Royal The Palais-Royal () is a former royal palace located in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. The screened entrance court faces the Place du Palais-Royal, opposite the Louvre. Originally called the Palais-Cardinal, it was built for Cardinal R ...

; yet in spite of threats and abuse he continued to advocate a moderate liberal policy, especially in the matter of removing restrictions for the Jews and Protestants and extending the system of

trial by jury A jury trial, or trial by jury, is a legal proceeding in which a jury makes a decision or findings of fact. It is distinguished from a bench trial in which a judge or panel of judges makes all decisions. Jury trials are used in a significan ...

. In January 1790, he collaborated with

in founding the Club des Impartiaux and the Journal des Impartiaux, the names of which were changed in November to the Société des Amis de la Constitution Monarchique and Journal de la Société, in order to emphasize their opposition to the Jacobin Club. Their Société des Amis was denounced by

in the Assembly (January 21, 1791), and on March 28 it was attacked by a mob, whereupon it was closed by order of the National Assembly. Stanislas's efforts to pass legislation in the Assembly ultimately failed as he would end up dead at the hands of the riots. Many of his fellow nobles such as Barnave and Brissot would ultimately meet the same fates under 40 brought upon them by the revolutionaries.

Last Days

Clermont-Tonnerre was arrested after the Flight to Varennes (21 June 1791). He was released on 10 August 1792, only to be murdered by the people of Paris during the Storming of the Tuileries Palace. He attempted to contact King Louis XVI through the rioting, but was apprehended by one of Robespierre's mobs while hiding in Madame de Brassac's home. Their animosity toward any sympathizer of the King led them to believe he should be executed immediately. Stanislas was then forced through a fourth-floor window and fell to his death.

References

* ''In turn, it gives the following references:'' **''Recueil des opinions de Stanislas de Clermont-Tonnerre'' (4 vols., Paris, 1791), the text of his speeches as published by himself **A. Aulard, ''Les Orateurs de la Constituante'' (2nd ed., Paris, 1905). **A. Aulard, ''Les Orateurs de la Révolution'' (Paris, 1905) {{DEFAULTSORT:Clermont-Tonnerre, Stanislas de 1757 births 1792 deaths People from Meurthe-et-Moselle Counts of Clermont-Tonnerre Monarchiens Members of the National Constituent Assembly (France) Assassinated French politicians People killed in the French Revolution People murdered in France