Stanislas Marie Adélaïde, comte de Clermont-Tonnerre (October 10, 1747 – August 10, 1792) was a French

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

, military officer, and politician during the French Revolution.

Early life and career

Born in Mandres-aux-Quatre-Tours in the

Duchy of Bar The County of Bar, later Duchy of Bar, was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire encompassing the ''Barrois, pays de Barrois'' and centred on the city of Bar-le-Duc. It was held by the County of Montbéliard, House of Montbéliard from the 11t ...

, Stanislas was the eldest son of François-Joseph, marquis de Clermont-Tonnerre (1726-1809) and his first wife, Mary Anne de Lentilhac de Gimel, and the grandson of Gaspard, duc de Clermont-Tonnerre (1688-1781), marshal of France. Following in the family tradition, he became colonel of the 1st Cuirassier Regiment. In 1782, he married Mary Louise Josephine Delphine de Rosières de Sorans (December 1766 - October 26, 1832, Paris), lady-in-waiting to Princess Élisabeth of France; the sister of Louis XVI. They had three children, of whom only the eldest daughter survived into adulthood, marrying Esprit Louis Charles Alexandre Savary de Lancosme (1784-1853) in 1803. Prior to the beginning of the French Revolution he was a

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

, a noted

orator An orator, or oratist, is a public speaker, especially one who is eloquent or skilled. Etymology Recorded in English c. 1374, with a meaning of "one who pleads or argues for a cause", from Anglo-French ''oratour'', Old French ''orateur'' (14 ...

(having acquired practice in speaking in the

Masonic Lodge A Masonic lodge (also called Freemasons' lodge, or private lodge or constituent lodge) is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also a commonly used term for a building where Freemasons meet and hold their meetings. Every new l ...

), and a Liberal. He spent time with reformists such as

Antoine Pierre Joseph Marie 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 corres ...

and

Jacques Pierre Brissot Jacques Pierre Brissot (, 15 January 1754 – 31 October 1793), also known as Brissot de Warville, was a French journalist, abolitionist, and revolutionary leading the political faction, faction of Girondins (initially called Brissotins) at the ...

outside of the Assembly as they all shared the common interest of keeping the monarchy in place.

French Revolution

He was elected to the

Estates-General of 1789 The Estates General of 1789 () was a general assembly representing the French estates of the realm: the clergy (First Estate), the nobility (Second Estate), and the commoners (Third Estate). It was the last of the Estates General of the Kingdom ...

by the Second Estate of Paris, and was the spokesman of the minority of Liberal nobles (including the duc d'Orléans and the

marquis de Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette, Marquis de La Fayette (; 6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (), was a French military officer and politician who volunteered to join the Conti ...

) who joined 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 ...

on the 25th of June. In July 1789, Stanislas wrote and shared two propositions based on varying cahiers from across the Assembly, one known as the ''Rapport du Comité de Constitution''. Both liberals and conservatives alike felt the proposals were not rooted in the best interest of either faction. He was chiefly concerned with keeping the kingdom intact, yet he voted for the motion of the ''vicomte de Noailles'' to abolish feudalism in France 4–5 August 1789. Clermont-Tonnerre desired to model the new constitution of France on the organic laws of

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. He served on the first incarnation (established 17 July 1789) of the eight-member Constitutional Committee. When 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 repr ...

rejected its proposals for a

bicameral legislature Bicameralism is a type of legislature that is divided into two separate assemblies, chambers, or houses, known as a bicameral legislature. Bicameralism is distinguished from unicameralism, in which all members deliberate and vote as a single ...

and an absolute veto for the Crown (10–11 September 1789), he resigned along with five fellow conservatives (including

Jean Joseph Mounier Jean Joseph Mounier (; 12 November 1758 – 28 January 1806) was a French politician and judge. Biography Mounier was born the son of a cloth merchant in Grenoble in Southeastern France. He studied law, and in 1782 purchased a minor judgeship ...

). For the remainder of his tenure in the National Assembly he attached himself to the party of moderate

Royalists A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gover ...

, known as monarchi gens, led by

Pierre Victor, baron Malouet Pierre Victor, baron Malouet (11 February 1740 – 7 September 1814) was a French politician, colonial administrator and writer. As an émigré, he signed the Whitehall Accord with Great Britain in 1794. Life Malouet was born in Riom as the ...

. He was twice elected president of the National Constituent Assembly in rapid succession (17–31 August 1789; 9–28 September 1789).

Conflict with the Jacobins

His political views earned him the animosity of radical politicians of the

Palais Royal The Palais-Royal () is a former French royal palace located on Rue Saint-Honoré in the 1st arrondissement of Paris. The screened entrance court faces the Place du Palais-Royal, opposite the Louvre. Originally called the Palais-Cardinal, it was ...

; yet in spite of threats and abuse he continued to advocate a moderate liberal policy, especially in the matter of removing restrictions for the Jews and

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

and extending the system of

trial by jury A jury trial, or trial by jury, is a legal proceeding in which a jury makes a decision or findings of fact. It is distinguished from a bench trial, in which a judge or panel of judges makes all decisions. Jury trials are increasingly used ...

. In January 1790, he collaborated with

in founding the Club des Impartiaux and the Journal des Impartiaux, the names of which were changed in November to the Société des Amis de la Constitution Monarchique and Journal de la Société, in order to emphasize their opposition to the

Jacobin Club The Society of the Friends of the Constitution (), renamed the Society of the Jacobins, Friends of Freedom and Equality () after 1792 and commonly known as the Jacobin Club () or simply the Jacobins (; ), was the most influential List of polit ...

. Their Société des Amis was denounced by

in the Assembly (January 21, 1791), and on March 28 it was attacked by a mob, whereupon it was closed by order of the National Assembly. Stanislas's efforts to pass legislation in the Assembly ultimately failed as he would end up dead at the hands of the riots. Many of his fellow nobles such as Barnave and Brissot would ultimately meet the same fates under 40 brought upon them by the revolutionaries.

Last days

Clermont-Tonnerre was arrested after the

Flight to Varennes The Flight to Varennes (French: fuite de Varennes) during the night of 20–21 June 1791 was a significant event in the French Revolution in which the French royal family—comprising Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, the Dauphin Louis Charles, ...

(21 June 1791). He was released on 10 August 1792, only to be murdered by the people of Paris during the storming of the Tuileries. He attempted to contact King Louis XVI through the rioting but was apprehended by one of Robespierre's mobs while hiding in Madame de Brassac's home. Their animosity toward any sympathizer of the King led them to believe he should be executed immediately. Stanislas was then forced through a fourth-floor window and fell to his death.

References

* ''In turn, it gives the following references:'' **''Recueil des opinions de Stanislas de Clermont-Tonnerre'' (4 vols., Paris, 1791), the text of his speeches as published by himself **A. Aulard, ''Les Orateurs de la Constituante'' (2nd ed., Paris, 1905). **A. Aulard, ''Les Orateurs de la Révolution'' (Paris, 1905) {{DEFAULTSORT:Clermont-Tonnerre, Stanislas de 1757 births 1792 deaths People from Meurthe-et-Moselle Counts of Clermont-Tonnerre Monarchiens Members of the National Constituent Assembly (France) Assassinated French politicians People killed in the French Revolution People murdered in France Politicians assassinated in the 18th century