Antoine Joseph Barruel-Beauvert (1756–1817) was a French military officer and journalist. He was born Comte de Barruel-Beauvert, at the castle of Beauvert, in

Languedoc The Province of Languedoc (; , ; oc, Lengadòc ) is a former province of France. Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately ...

, but was impoverished by the Revolution. He took part in some events 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 November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

. He was also the first biographer of

Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolu ...

Military career

Having adopted the military profession, beginning in 1776, he commanded a company in the regiment of Belsunce. He later served in the militia of Brittany, and in 1790 joined the pro-Royalist national guard at Bagnols.

Revolutionary events

After the flight of the royal family to

Varennes Varennes-en-Argonne (, literally ''Varennes in Argonne'') or simply Varennes (German: Wöringen) is a commune in the Meuse department in the Grand Est region in Northeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 639. Geography Varennes-en-Ar ...

, he offered himself as a hostage for

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 ...

. He received the

cross of St Louis The Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis (french: Ordre Royal et Militaire de Saint-Louis) is a dynastic order of chivalry founded 5 April 1693 by King Louis XIV, named after Saint Louis (King Louis IX of France). It was intended as a rewa ...

as a reward for his conduct on 20 June 1792, when the hall of the Assembly and the royal apartments in the Tuileries were invaded. In 1789, Barruel-Beauvert published the first biography of

, of whom he was a great admirer. In 1795 he was editor of the journal entitled "Les Actes des Apotres", a Royalist publication, and because of that, after the

coup of 18 Fructidor The Coup of 18 Fructidor, Year V (4 September 1797 in the French Republican Calendar), was a seizure of power in France by members of the Directory, the government of the French First Republic, with support from the French military. The coup wa ...

(4 September 1797), he was ordered to be deported, but made his escape. For a while, he was hiding in the house of

Nicholas Bonneville Nicohlas Bonneville (born Nicolas de Bonneville; 13 March 1760 — 9 November 1828) was a French bookseller, printer, journalist, and writer. He was also a political figure of some relevance at the time of the French Revolution and into the early ...

, where

Thomas Paine Thomas Paine (born Thomas Pain; – In the contemporary record as noted by Conway, Paine's birth date is given as January 29, 1736–37. Common practice was to use a dash or a slash to separate the old-style year from the new-style year. In th ...

also lived. Barruel-Beauvert managed to remain in Paris undiscovered by the police till 1800, when he was imprisoned, but obtained his liberty in 1802. Empress Josephine seems to have lobbied for his release from prison. He also managed to receive a small government job.

Later years

After the

Bourbon Restoration Bourbon Restoration may refer to: France under the House of Bourbon: * Bourbon Restoration in France (1814, after the French revolution and Napoleonic era, until 1830; interrupted by the Hundred Days in 1815) Spain under the Spanish Bourbons: * Ab ...

, Barruel-Beauvert's disappointment at not receiving the rewards and honours, which he thought to be his due, led him to publish several somewhat controversial pamphlets. Because of this, he was obliged to leave Paris, and went to Italy. He died in

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

, Italy, in 1817.''A new general biographical Dictionary,''
projected and partly arranged by H.J. Rose, Volume 3. Rich. Glag, 1848

Bibliography

*"Vie de J. J. Rousseau," 1789 *"Caricatures Politiques", Histoire de la pretendue Princesse de Bourbon Conti", Besançon, 1811 *"Lettres sur quelques Particularites de l'Hist. pendant l'lnterregne des Bourbons," 1815, 3 vols

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Barruel-Beauvert, Antoine Joseph 1756 births 1817 deaths French counter-revolutionaries French biographers French editors French pamphleteers 18th-century French writers 18th-century French male writers 19th-century French writers French male writers 19th-century French male writers