27 Germinal
An CCXXXIV
Gabriel Mirabeau
Gabriel Mirabeau was the hero of the resistance of the Estates-General against the absolutist monarchy: We will leave our seats only at the force of bayonets!
he declared in the face of royal authority. He thus captured the determination of the National Assembly. The citizens no longer wished to submit unconditionally to the arbitrary rule of an absolute monarch. Yet as a pragmatist, he sought reconciliation between the King and the national representation. For this purpose, he also used secret contacts, for which he accepted payment. The smallpox-scarred count died young, consumed by his excessive lifestyle – which spared him from the guillotine. For only a year after his death, documents were discovered proving his corruption. He would not have survived the Reign of Terror.
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1749 - 1791
- March 9, 1749 · Born at the Château du Bignon (Loiret) as Honoré Gabriel Victor de Riqueti, Comte de Mirabeau.
- 1752 · At the age of three, Gabriel contracts smallpox and retains visible facial scars for the rest of his life.
- 1767 · After completing his studies, he joins the army.
- 1771 · Studies law in Aix-en-Provence.
- 1774 · His father obtains a lettre de cachet to discipline his son and remove him from society. Mirabeau subsequently spends long periods imprisoned at the Château d’If, the Donjon de Vincennes, and Fort de Joux.
- June 1786 · Through Talleyrand’s mediation, Mirabeau receives a secret mission to Berlin on behalf of the French Ministry of Finance.
- May 1789 · Elected deputy of the Third Estate to the Estates-General for Aix and Marseille, after being rejected as a candidate of the Second Estate (nobility) in Provence.
- June 23, 1789 · As a deputy of the National Assembly, Mirabeau fiercely opposes the royal order of dissolution.
- June 1790 · He secretly enters into contact with Marie Antoinette. The King and Queen offer to cover his considerable debts if he supports royal interests.
- December 1790 · Mirabeau becomes president of the Jacobin Club.
- March 27, 1791 · He attends a session of the Constituent Assembly for the last time.
- April 2, 1791 · Mirabeau dies in Paris at the age of 42.
- April 5, 1791 · State funeral at the Panthéon. After the discovery of his secret ties to the court, his remains are later removed.
Quotes
We are here by the will of the nation and will yield only to the force of bayonets!
Mirabeau, 23 June 1789, National Assembly.
When one undertakes to lead a revolution, the difficulty lies not in accelerating its course, but in restraining it.
Mirabeau, 1791
My friend, I shall die today. For one who has reached this point, only one thing remains: to surround oneself with perfumes, crown oneself with flowers, and let music be heard, so as to enter pleasantly into eternal sleep.
Mirabeau on the morning of his death to his physician Cabanis.
Le Moniteur
Samedi 9 avril 1791 - Seconde Année de la Liberté
(April 9, 1791)
Solemn funeral of Mirabeau
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