Félix Julien Jean Bigot de Préameneu (; 26 March 1747 – 31 July 1825) was one of the four legal authors of the

Napoleonic Code The Napoleonic Code (), officially the Civil Code of the French (; simply referred to as ), is the French civil code established during the French Consulate in 1804 and still in force in France, although heavily and frequently amended since i ...

written at the request of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

at the beginning of the nineteenth century.

Biography

Bigot de Préameneu was a lawyer for the Parlement of Rennes, then to the

Parlement of Paris The ''Parlement'' of Paris () was the oldest ''parlement'' in the Kingdom of France, formed in the 14th century. Parlements were judicial, rather than legislative, bodies and were composed of magistrates. Though not representative bodies in the p ...

before the

revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...

, and was also a member of the Legislative Assembly in 1791. He professed moderate opinions and was among the defenders of

Louis XVI Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765), Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir- ...

, but he departed from parliamentary politics after the Commune, becoming a judge under the National Constituent Assembly and the Directory. Under the

Consulate A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of 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 countries, a ...

, he was appointed government commissioner by the supreme court. In 1802, he was appointed as legislative president of the

Council of State A council of state is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head ...

and was one of the four jurist authors of the Code Napoleon, led by Cambacérès and instigated by

Napoleon I of France Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

in 1800. In 1803, he was elected to the

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

. In 1808, he replaced Portalis as Minister of Public Worship. He was made a count of the empire on 24 April 1808, and became a peer of France during the

Hundred Days The Hundred Days ( ), also known as the War of the Seventh Coalition (), marked the period between Napoleon's return from eleven months of exile on the island of Elba to Paris on20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII o ...

. He married Eulalie Marie Renée Barbier, daughter of Aimé Francois Barbier and Jeanne Dufour. Bigot lost all his responsibilities at the beginning of the second Restoration. He died on 31 July 1825 in Paris and is buried in

Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (, , formerly , ) is the largest cemetery in Paris, France, at . With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Buried at Père Lachaise are many famous figures in the ...

(14th division). He is briefly mentioned in the

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...

novel Les Miserables as the recipient of an angry letter regarding Bishop Myriel. Image:100Fi474 bigot preameneu.jpg, Portrait of Bigot de Préameneu Image:Père-Lachaise - Division 14 - Bigot de Préameneu 01.jpg, Tomb of Félix Julien Jean Bigot de Préameneu in

References

Biography of Félix Julien Jean Bigot de Préameneu
on the Napoleon & Empire website (in English).

(in English) {{DEFAULTSORT:Bigot 1747 births 1825 deaths Conseil d'État (France) People of the First French Empire Members of the Académie Française Members of the Chamber of Peers of the Hundred Days Ministers of religious affairs of France Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery 18th-century French jurists 19th-century French jurists