Claude-Carloman de Rulhière
Encyclopedia
Claude-Carloman de Rulhière (or Rulhières) (June 12, 1735 – January 30, 1791) was a French
poet
and historian
.
He was born at Bondy
, Seine-Saint-Denis
. He became aide-de-camp
to Marshal Richelieu
, whom he followed through the Hanover
ian campaign of 1757 to his government at Bordeaux
in 1758; and at the age of twenty-five he was sent to St Petersburg
as secretary of legation. Here he witnessed the revolution which seated Catherine II of Russia
on the throne, and thus obtained the facts noted in Anecdotes sur la révolution de Russie en 1762. Catherine made repeated efforts to secure the destruction of the manuscript, which remained unpublished until after the empress's death.
Rulhière became secretary to the comte de Provence (afterwards Louis XVIII
) in 1773, and he was admitted to the Académie Française
in 1787. The later years of his life were spent chiefly in Paris, where he held an appointment in the Foreign Office and went much into society; but he visited Germany
and Poland
in 1776. His unfinished Histoire de l'anarchie de Pologne (4 vols., 1807) was published posthumously under the editorship of PCF Daunou
. The only important historical work which he published during his lifetime was his Eclaircissements historiques sur les causes de la révocation de l'édit de Nantes ... (2 vols., 1788), undertaken in view of the restoration to the Protestants of their civil rights
. Rulhière died at Bondy.
His short sketch of the Russian revolution is justly ranked among the masterpieces of the kind in French. Of the larger Poland Thomas Carlyle
, as justly, complains that its allowance of fact is too small in proportion to its bulk. The author was also a fertile writer of vers de société ("[polite] society verses"), short satires, epigrams, etc., and he had a considerable reputation among the witty and ill-natured group also containing Nicolas Chamfort
, Antoine de Rivarol
, Louis René de Champcenetz, etc. On the other hand he has the credit of caring for Jean-Jacques Rousseau
in his morose old age, until Rousseau as usual quarrelled with him.
Rulhière's works were edited, with a notice by Pierre-René Auguis, in 1819 (Paris, 6 vols. in-8). The Russian Revolution may be found in the Chefs-d'œuvre historiques of the Collection Didot, and the Poland, with title altered to Révolutions de Pologne, in the same collection. See also a notice by Eugène Asse prefixed to an edition (1890) of Rulhière's Anecdotes sur le Maréchal de Richelieu; Sainte-Beuve
, Causeries du lundi (vol. iv.).
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
.
He was born at Bondy
Bondy
Bondy is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.-Name:The name Bondy was recorded for the first time around AD 600 as Bonitiacum, meaning "estate of Bonitius", a Gallo-Roman landowner.-History:...
, Seine-Saint-Denis
Seine-Saint-Denis
- Culture :A number of hip hop artists come from the Seine-Saint-Denis, including one of the first major hip-hop groups in France, NTM, as well as Lord Kossity, or more recent acts such as Tandem or Sefyu.- Miscellaneous topics :...
. He became aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to Marshal Richelieu
Louis François Armand du Plessis, duc de Richelieu
Armand de Vignerot du Plessis was a French soldier, diplomat and statesman. Joining the army, he participated in three major wars and eventually rose to the rank of Marshal of France....
, whom he followed through the Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
ian campaign of 1757 to his government at Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
in 1758; and at the age of twenty-five he was sent to St Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
as secretary of legation. Here he witnessed the revolution which seated Catherine II of Russia
Catherine II of Russia
Catherine II, also known as Catherine the Great , Empress of Russia, was born in Stettin, Pomerania, Prussia on as Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg...
on the throne, and thus obtained the facts noted in Anecdotes sur la révolution de Russie en 1762. Catherine made repeated efforts to secure the destruction of the manuscript, which remained unpublished until after the empress's death.
Rulhière became secretary to the comte de Provence (afterwards Louis XVIII
Louis XVIII of France
Louis XVIII , known as "the Unavoidable", was King of France and of Navarre from 1814 to 1824, omitting the Hundred Days in 1815...
) in 1773, and he was admitted to the Académie Française
Académie française
L'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,...
in 1787. The later years of his life were spent chiefly in Paris, where he held an appointment in the Foreign Office and went much into society; but he visited Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
in 1776. His unfinished Histoire de l'anarchie de Pologne (4 vols., 1807) was published posthumously under the editorship of PCF Daunou
Pierre Claude François Daunou
Pierre Claude François Daunou was a French statesman and historian of the French Revolution and Empire.- Early career :...
. The only important historical work which he published during his lifetime was his Eclaircissements historiques sur les causes de la révocation de l'édit de Nantes ... (2 vols., 1788), undertaken in view of the restoration to the Protestants of their civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
. Rulhière died at Bondy.
His short sketch of the Russian revolution is justly ranked among the masterpieces of the kind in French. Of the larger Poland Thomas Carlyle
Thomas Carlyle
Thomas Carlyle was a Scottish satirical writer, essayist, historian and teacher during the Victorian era.He called economics "the dismal science", wrote articles for the Edinburgh Encyclopedia, and became a controversial social commentator.Coming from a strict Calvinist family, Carlyle was...
, as justly, complains that its allowance of fact is too small in proportion to its bulk. The author was also a fertile writer of vers de société ("[polite] society verses"), short satires, epigrams, etc., and he had a considerable reputation among the witty and ill-natured group also containing Nicolas Chamfort
Nicolas Chamfort
Nicolas Chamfort was a French writer, best known for his witty epigrams and aphorisms. He was secretary of Louis XVI's sister, and of the Jacobin club.-Life:...
, Antoine de Rivarol
Antoine de Rivarol
Antoine de Rivarol was a Royalist French writer during the Revolutionary era.Rivarol was born in Bagnols-sur-Cèze, Gard. It appears that his father, an innkeeper, was a cultivated man...
, Louis René de Champcenetz, etc. On the other hand he has the credit of caring for Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer of 18th-century Romanticism. His political philosophy influenced the French Revolution as well as the overall development of modern political, sociological and educational thought.His novel Émile: or, On Education is a treatise...
in his morose old age, until Rousseau as usual quarrelled with him.
Rulhière's works were edited, with a notice by Pierre-René Auguis, in 1819 (Paris, 6 vols. in-8). The Russian Revolution may be found in the Chefs-d'œuvre historiques of the Collection Didot, and the Poland, with title altered to Révolutions de Pologne, in the same collection. See also a notice by Eugène Asse prefixed to an edition (1890) of Rulhière's Anecdotes sur le Maréchal de Richelieu; Sainte-Beuve
Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve
Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve was a literary critic and one of the major figures of French literary history.-Early years:...
, Causeries du lundi (vol. iv.).