Louis Bénigne François Bertier de Sauvigny (1737–1789) was a French public servant under the monarchy. He held the position of

intendant An intendant (; ; ) was, and sometimes still is, a public official, especially in France, Spain, Portugal, and Latin America. The intendancy system was a centralizing administrative system developed in France. In the War of the Spanish Success ...

of Paris from 13 September 1776 onwards. An energetic official he undertook extensive reforms of the city's taxation system, introducing calculations on the basis of arable land ownership. By the time the French Revolution broke out in July 1789, Bertier de Sauvigny was already unpopular, as part of his duties involved the obtaining of provisions for the Royal army. During the period of widespread disturbances that preceded and followed the

storming of the Bastille The Storming of the Bastille ( ), which occurred in Paris, France, on 14 July 1789, was an act of political violence by revolutionary insurgents who attempted to storm and seize control of the medieval armoury, fortress, and political prison k ...

on 14 July, rumors were circulated accusing Bertier de Sauvigny of responsibility for food shortages in Paris at the time, On 22 July 1789, Bertier de Sauvigny was in residence at his country house in Compiegne. An armed party brought him to Paris in a

cabriolet A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary across eras and manufacturers. A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving ex ...

(two wheeled carriage), to answer charges of actions aimed at starving 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 ...

. Outside the city a crowd of demonstrators intercepted the group and tore off the roof of the vehicle. The intendent was beaten and stoned before being taken to the

Porte Saint-Martin The Porte Saint-Martin (, ''St. Martin Gate'') is a Parisian monument located at the site of one of the gates of the now-destroyed fortifications of Paris. It is located at the crossing of the Rue Saint-Martin, the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Martin an ...

. There he was confronted with the severed head of his father-in-law

Joseph Foullon de Doué __NOTOC__ Joseph-François Foullon de Doué (25 June 1715 – 22 July 1789) was a French politician and a Controller-General of Finances under Louis XVI. A deeply unpopular figure, he has the ignominious distinction of being the first recorded pe ...

, a member of the Parlement of Paris. Bertier de Sauvigny was then hanged from a lamp post in front of the Hôtel de Ville. The ferocity of the lynching of Foullon and Bertier led to protests to which

Antoine Barnave Antoine Pierre Joseph Marie Barnave (, 21 September 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 corre ...

, a member of the new National Assembly, responded: "What, then, is their blood so pure?"

Simon Schama Sir Simon Michael Schama ( ; born 13 February 1945) is an English historian and television presenter. He specialises in art history, Dutch history, Jewish history, and French history. He is a professor of history and art history at Columbia Uni ...

, page 406 '' Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution'',

Pierre de Coubertin Charles Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin (; born Pierre de Frédy; 1 January 1863 – 2 September 1937), also known as Pierre de Coubertin and Baron de Coubertin, was a French educator and historian, co-founder of the International Olympic ...

was his great-great-grandson.

References

1737 births 1789 deaths Civil servants from Paris People of the Ancien Régime {{France-bio-stub