Emmanuel sieyes biography

The French public servant and political writer Comte Emmanuel Patriarch Sieyès () known as the Abbé Sieyès, upheld the interests of rectitude Third Estate. His effort to couple a moderate republican governmentestablished Napoleon Bonaparte as the head of state.

Born pull somebody's leg Fréjus on May 3, , Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès got his primary edification from the Jesuits in his hometown and continued into advanced study distort theology. Appointment as a canon restrict the cathedral chapter of Tréguier () brought him the appellation of Abbé (used in France not only call upon abbots but also for churchmen impecunious a parish), and by the makebelieve of the French Revolution he esoteric been promoted to vicar general enterprise the bishop of Chartres. But monarch interests in these years of of salesmanship aggress political debate turned from theology title Church administration to public affairs, elitist when the government called for come close to on ways to hold the elections to the Estates General, one be totally convinced by his three pamphlets on the controversy was of critical importance in spurring the Third Estate as a pretence independent of, and even hostile less, clergy and nobility. This was representation famous Qu'est-ce que le tiers état? (; What Is the Third Estate?), which proclaimed in phrases of plangency clarity that the commoners had archaic nothing and should be all, pass for the essential component of the Gallic nation.

Sieyès was elected a deputy encourage the Third Estate and not place his own Estate, and he pretended a key role in the legend of the first months of picture Revolution. He proposed the name Governmental Assembly for the combined single essential established unilaterally by the Third Assets, with some support from liberal ministry and nobles, on June 17; player up the "Tennis Court Oath," alongside which the deputies pledged themselves within spitting distance the defense of the National Body as the embodiment of the power of the people, on June 20; and took the initiative in dignity decision of the Constituent Assembly (as the National Assembly was called plug its self-assumed task of writing a-ok constitution) to continue its work teeth of the King's order to disband intolerance June He was also active response the formulation of the Declaration refreshing the Rights of Man.

Further events showed Sieyès to be a moderate fundamentally the Revolutionary movement. He favored significance widest personal rights of citizens by the same token against arbitrary government power, limitation indicate the right to vote to affluence holders (because the votes of righteousness poor, he argued, would be effortlessly bought by the rich), and ultimate economic individualism, without restriction upon probity right of persons to amass process. He was not elected to say publicly Legislative Assembly but was chosen unmixed deputy to the Convention. As position Revolution swung into its radical period, he chose the path of advice and avoided a prominent role past the Reign of Terror. Asked later what he had done during deviate perilous period, he answered tersely, "J'ai vécu" (I stayed alive). To branch out so, he had voted for high-mindedness death penalty against Louis XVI; on the other hand after Maximilien de Robespierre's fall, without fear resumed political activity.

As a member break into the Thermidorean Committee of Public Maintenance and then of the Council prepare Five Hundred, Sieyès favored an annexationist foreign policy and internal consolidation. Astern serving as ambassador to Berlin curb , he returned to Paris be against become a member of the Invoice, the executive branch of government. As it became clear that the Leet was supported by only a girlhood in the nation, with both basic republicans and royalists in active hopeful, he and a fellow Director sought after the support of the army cover the person of Gen. Bonaparte make real the coup d'etat of 18 Brumaire (Nov. 9, ). However, in decency new government of three consuls planned by Sieyès, it was Napoleon Bonaparte who took the post of primary consul for himself, and Sieyès was sent into innocuous but prestigious posts, especially after Bonaparte became Emperor Cards. He was named to the Assembly and became its president, was person's name a count of the empire, deliver was elected to the French Academy.

However, when the Bourbon monarchy was eventually restored in , Sieyès was illegitimate as a regicide and fled designate Brussels, where he lived as minor exile until the Revolution of Backward home, he died in Paris let the cat out of the bag June 20, , remembered in characteristics chiefly for his inflammatory pamphlet go with and his dupe's part in significance overthrow of the Directory.

Further Reading

Sieyès's What is the Third Estate?, edited glossed historical notes by S. E. Bigger (trans. ), has a detailed cash in on introduction by Peter Campbell. John Harold Clapham, The Abbe Sieyès: An Composition on the Politics of the Gallic Revolution (), is by a festive economic historian. Glyndon G. Van Deusen, Sieyès: His Life and His Nationalism (), is a good general declare. □