Philippe Jacques Rühl (3 May 1737 – 29/30 May 1795) was a
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
-
French statesman 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 November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...
, best remembered as the ''doyen d'âge'' (oldest deputy) of the opening session of the
Convention
Convention may refer to:
* Convention (norm), a custom or tradition, a standard of presentation or conduct
** Treaty, an agreement in international law
* Convention (meeting), meeting of a (usually large) group of individuals and/or companies in a ...
of 1792–1795.
Biography
Born in Strasbourg, a son of a Lutheran minister. He studied theology at the University of Strasbourg. He later served as director of
gymnasium at
Dürkheim, Germany, then as a tutor at the princely court of
Leiningen-Dachsburg (Linange-Hartenbourg). As court counselor, he participated in settling succession dispute with the Italian branch of the family.
French Revolution
With the advent of
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 returned to his native
Alsace
Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it ha ...
, where he became an administrator of the Département of
Bas-Rhin
Bas-Rhin (; Alsatian: ''Unterelsàss'', ' or '; traditional german: links=no, Niederrhein; en, Lower Rhine) is a department in Alsace which is a part of the Grand Est super-region of France. The name means 'Lower Rhine', referring to its low ...
under the new regime created by 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 ...
.
He was elected (31 August 1791) as a representative of
Bas-Rhin
Bas-Rhin (; Alsatian: ''Unterelsàss'', ' or '; traditional german: links=no, Niederrhein; en, Lower Rhine) is a department in Alsace which is a part of the Grand Est super-region of France. The name means 'Lower Rhine', referring to its low ...
to the
Legislative Assembly (1791–1792). He sat with the extreme left wing of the deputies and served as a deputy member of the Extraordinary Commission of Twelve (18 June 1792 – 21 September 1792).
Elected (4 September 1792) to the
Convention
Convention may refer to:
* Convention (norm), a custom or tradition, a standard of presentation or conduct
** Treaty, an agreement in international law
* Convention (meeting), meeting of a (usually large) group of individuals and/or companies in a ...
(1792–1795) as a deputy for
Bas-Rhin
Bas-Rhin (; Alsatian: ''Unterelsàss'', ' or '; traditional german: links=no, Niederrhein; en, Lower Rhine) is a department in Alsace which is a part of the Grand Est super-region of France. The name means 'Lower Rhine', referring to its low ...
, he presided at the first session of the Convention as the oldest deputy present (20 September 1792). He continued to ally himself with the more radical section of deputies, joining the
Montagnard faction. However, he was absent from the Convention during the
trial
In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribun ...
of
King 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 e ...
. He would go on to serve a full term as President of the
Convention
Convention may refer to:
* Convention (norm), a custom or tradition, a standard of presentation or conduct
** Treaty, an agreement in international law
* Convention (meeting), meeting of a (usually large) group of individuals and/or companies in a ...
from 6 March 1794 until 21 March 1794.
Rühl served as a member of the
Committee of General Security
The Committee of General Security () was a parliamentary committee of the French National Convention which acted as police agency during the French Revolution. Along with the Committee of Public Safety it oversaw the Reign of Terror. The Committe ...
(14 September 1793 – 31 August 1794). He was dispatched as
Representative on a Mission to departments of
Marne and
Haute-Marne
Haute-Marne (; English: Upper Marne) is a department in the Grand Est region of Northeastern France. Named after the river Marne, its prefecture is Chaumont. In 2019, it had a population of 172,512.[levée en masse
''Levée en masse'' ( or, in English, "mass levy") is a French term used for a policy of mass national conscription, often in the face of invasion.
The concept originated during the French Revolutionary Wars, particularly for the period follow ...]
(
military conscription
Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...
). While on this mission he showed his revolutionary zeal by breaking the so-called
Holy Ampulla
The Holy Ampulla or Holy Ampoule (''Sainte Ampoule'' in French) was a glass vial which, from its first recorded use by Pope Innocent II for the anointing of Louis VII in 1131 to the coronation of Louis XVI in 1774, held the chrism or anointing ...
(8 October 1793) – the Holy Ampulla had been a vessel containing the sacred oil for anointment of the French kings at
Reims
Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne.
Founded ...
. He served in a second mission to
Bas-Rhin
Bas-Rhin (; Alsatian: ''Unterelsàss'', ' or '; traditional german: links=no, Niederrhein; en, Lower Rhine) is a department in Alsace which is a part of the Grand Est super-region of France. The name means 'Lower Rhine', referring to its low ...
(23 Nov 1793 – 8 Jan 1794) for organizing the district of
Neu-Saarwerden.
Along with
Robert Lindet
Jean-Baptiste Robert Lindet (2 May 1746 in Bernay, Eure – 17 February 1825) was a French politician of the Revolutionary period. His brother, Robert Thomas Lindet, became a constitutional bishop and member of the National Convention. Although ...
of the
Committee of Public Safety
The Committee of Public Safety (french: link=no, Comité de salut public) was a committee of the National Convention which formed the provisional government and war cabinet during the Reign of Terror, a violent phase of the French Revolution ...
, he refused to sign the death warrant of
Georges Danton
Georges Jacques Danton (; 26 October 1759 – 5 April 1794) was a French lawyer and a leading figure in the French Revolution. He became a deputy to the Paris Commune, presided in the Cordeliers district, and visited the Jacobin club. In Augu ...
in the spring of 1794.
Thermidor
Rühl was designated for yet another mission, this time to
Bas-Rhin
Bas-Rhin (; Alsatian: ''Unterelsàss'', ' or '; traditional german: links=no, Niederrhein; en, Lower Rhine) is a department in Alsace which is a part of the Grand Est super-region of France. The name means 'Lower Rhine', referring to its low ...
and
Haut-Rhin
Haut-Rhin (, ; Alsatian: ''Owerelsàss'' or '; german: Oberelsass, ) is a department in the Grand Est region of France, bordering both Germany and Switzerland. It is named after the river Rhine. Its name means ''Upper Rhine''. Haut-Rhin is th ...
, 24 July 1794, but did not depart until 1 August 1794, and so he was in Paris to witness the fall of
Robespierre
Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (; 6 May 1758 – 28 July 1794) was a French lawyer and statesman who became one of the best-known, influential and controversial figures of the French Revolution. As a member of the Esta ...
. He returned 25 August 1794.
He participated in the
Revolt of 1 Prairial Year III
The insurrection of 1 Prairial Year III was a popular revolt in Paris on 20 May 1795 against the policies of the Thermidorian Convention. It was the last and one of the most remarkable and stubborn popular revolts of the French Revolution. After t ...
(20 May 1795), addressing the insurgents with the words "Du pain et la Constitution de 1793!" ("Bread and Constitution of 1793!"). This action threatened the new conservative order, and he was threatened with indictment, but in the end was sentenced only to house arrest "in view of his advanced age" (he was 58). He was called before the military commission on 28 May 1795 and committed suicide by stabbing himself with a dagger, a precursor of the "Martyrs of Prairial" (Romme, Goujon, Duquesnoy, Soubrany, Duroy, and Bourbotte).
External sources
Biography of Rühl, Philippe
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruhl, Philippe
1737 births
1795 deaths
Politicians from Strasbourg
University of Strasbourg alumni
Deputies to the French National Convention
Suicides by sharp instrument in France
French politicians who committed suicide
Presidents of the National Convention
18th-century suicides