Politician notorious for the repression of Lyon who was Minister of Police under the Directory, the Consulate and the Empire
Born near Nantes in 1759, he taught in Oratorian colleges. In the Revolution he became a leading member of the Jacobin Club of Nantes, and as a deputy to the National Convention he called for the immediate execution of Louis XVI. On mission he led dechristianisation in the Nièvre, and in November 1793 he and Collot d'Herbois put down the revolt of Lyon with mass executions. He clashed with Robespierre, was expelled from the Jacobin Club in 1794 and plotted his overthrow on 9 Thermidor. Appointed Minister of Police in July 1799, he helped the coup of 18 Brumaire and held the ministry twice under the Consulate and the Empire until 1810, becoming Duke of Otranto. After Napoleon's abdication in 1815 he presided over the Government Commission and briefly served Louis XVIII as Minister of Police, but in 1816 he was proscribed as a regicide and he died in Trieste in 1820.
Also known as: Duke of Otranto
Activities and affiliations
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1790–1794
Security, intelligence and policing
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1793–1794
French First Republic state institutionsRepresentative on mission
Government and administration -
1799
French First Republic state institutionsMinister of Police
Security, intelligence and policing -
1799–1810
Consulate and First Empire state institutionsMinister of PoliceMain
Security, intelligence and policing -
1815
Consulate and First Empire state institutionsPresident of the Government CommissionHeads of state and government of France
Government and administration -
1815
French monarchy state institutionsMinister of Police
Security, intelligence and policing
Career Timeline
- 1790Leading member of the Jacobin Club of Nantes
- 1792Deputy for the Loire-Inférieure in the National Convention
- 1793On mission in the Nièvre; dechristianisation
- 1793.11–1794.04Repression of Lyon with Collot d'Herbois
- 1794.07.14Expelled from the Jacobin Club by Robespierre
- 1799.07.20–1802Minister of Police
- 1804.07–1810.06.03Minister of Police
- 1815.03.20–06.22Minister of Police during the Hundred Days
- 1815.06.23–07.07President of the Government Commission
- 1815.07–09Minister of Police under Louis XVIII
- 1816Proscribed as a regicide