Mathieu-François Pidansat Mairobert (20 February 1727 – 27 March 1779) was a French writer.

Biography

He was the son of François Pierre Pidansat, bailiff of the Duchy-Peerage of Aumont and commissioner lieutenant judge for the municipality of Paris (1727), and Nicole Picardat. He was also the maternal uncle of Jean Nicolas Jacques Parisot (1757-1838). Raised by Marie Anne Doublet de Persan, whom he referred to as his mother, he quickly became involved in the discussions and disputes of the literary world. He held the position of royal censor and served as secretary to the king for the

Duke of Chartres Originally, the Duchy of Chartres (''duché de Chartres'') was the ''comté'' de Chartres, a County. The title of comte de Chartres thus became duc de Chartres. This duchy–peerage was given by Louis XIV of France to his nephew, Philippe II ...

. Until his death, he contributed to the cultural and political chronicle "

Mémoires secrets The ''Mémoires secrets pour servir à l'histoire de la République des Lettres en France depuis 1762 jusqu'à nos jours'' ("Secret Memoirs Serving as a History of the Republic of Letters in France from 1762 until Our Days") is an anonymous chroni ...

", traditionally attributed to Louis Petit de Bachaumont. His close ties to the "Parti Patriote" and his connections with

Restif de la Bretonne Nicolas Restif de la Bretonne, born Nicolas-Edme Rétif or Nicolas-Edme Restif (; 23 October 1734 – 3 February 1806), also known as Rétif, was a French novelist. The term '' retifism'' for shoe fetishism was named after him (an early no ...

led to police surveillance. In 1779, he became implicated in the trial of the Marquis de Brunoy, to whom he was a creditor for a significant sum. Although it was believed that he was acting on behalf of a higher authority, 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 ...

issued a public reprimand against him on 27 March 1779. Feeling disgraced, Mairobert went to a bathhouse that evening, where he first opened his veins with a razor before taking his life with a pistol. The parish priest of the Church of St. Eustache in Paris agreed to bury him only upon the King's express order. Restif de la Bretonne mourned his loss deeply and visited his house every year on the anniversary of his suicide to commemorate the date.

Works

* ''Querelle de M.M. de Voltaire et de Maupertuis'' (1753) * ''Correspondance secrète, et familière du chancelier de Maupeou avec Sorhouet'' (1771, in-12), a radical pamphlet reprinted under the title of ''Maupeouana'' (1773, 2 vol. in-12) *
Principes sur la Marine
', (manuscript in-8°, 1775). * Anecdotes sur la comtesse du Barry (London, 1775, in-12), one of the best sellers of the late 18th century,

Robert Darnton Robert Choate Darnton (born May 10, 1939) is an American cultural historian and academic librarian who specializes in 18th-century France. He was director of the Harvard University Library from 2007 to 2016. Life Darnton was born in New Yor ...

, « La France, ton café fout le camp ! », ''Actes de la recherche en sciences sociales'', 1993, n° 100, . attributed to Charles Théveneau de Morande. * ''L'Observateur anglais'' (London msterdam 1777-1778, 4 vol. in-12), several times reprinted under the title of ''l’Espion anglais'' ( lire en ligne) * ''Lettres de "Madame du Barry'' (London, 1779, in-12).

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pidansat de Mairobert, Mathieu-Francois 1727 births 1779 deaths People from Aube 18th-century French writers 18th-century French male writers 18th-century suicides Suicides by firearm in France