Jacques Joseph Viennet
Encyclopedia
Jacques Joseph Viennet was a French politician and a member of the National Convention
in 1792.
, king of the Lombards
. Aged 18, he was bestowed a canonry in the chapter of Capestang
, but renounced it two years later for a military career, joining the régiment des dragons du Languedoc as an officer. He was involved in the Hanover campaigns (1757–1759) and participated in the last battles of the Seven Years' War
. At the end of that war, in 1763, his regiment was disbanded and he went into retirement until the French Revolution
.
A municipal officer of Béziers in 1790, on 9 September 1791 he was elected to the National Assembly
as député for Hérault
, the 8th of 9, by 233 votes out of 420. He sat with the moderates and was re-elected on 4 September 1792 for the same département, with 409 out of 484 votes. He contested the Assembly
's right to judge Louis XVI of France
and declared "I never believed myself authorised by our constituents to be a judge; I always thought that an assembly of legislators could not set up a judicial tribunal, that the same body cannot simultaneously exercise justice and make the laws and that this accumulation of powers will end up in a monstrosity. The precipitate speed with which you have decided to judge Louis gives your enemies ample material for the most bitter and perhaps the most just criticisms" Pressed to reply, he continued "[If I am] asked to declare if Louis is guilty, I reply Yes. If I am asked today what kind of punishment ought to be applied to Louis, I reply - a man can only be punished by laws that pre-dated the crimes that he committed. The only thing to be held against Louis is the prevention of the abdication of the monarchy." He voted for the king to be imprisoned for the duration of the war, an appeal to the people and sentencing.
In an altercation he had with Marat
, who fired a pistol at him from his pocket, Viennet grabbed his arm and demanded he meet him for a duel at the bois de Boulogne
- Marat declined the invitation.
Viennet fought the suggestions of Voulland
who had claimed he had revolutionised the Hérault, and he was with Cochon de Lapparent
commissaire for re-raising the cavalry in the 14 armies of the Republic. In this post he gave evidence of his probity. He was elected to the Council of Ancients
as deputy for Herault by 193 out of 232 votes on 13 October 1795, and was a sociétaire of this assembly, sitting in it until March 1798, when he left the political scene.
He was the father of Jean-Pons-Guillaume Viennet
and the brother of the priest Louis Esprit Viennet who became priest of Paris's église Saint-Merry aged 40 and in 1790 preached a sermon on the civil constitution of the clergy.
National Convention
During the French Revolution, the National Convention or Convention, in France, comprised the constitutional and legislative assembly which sat from 20 September 1792 to 26 October 1795 . It held executive power in France during the first years of the French First Republic...
in 1792.
Life
His family was Italian in origin, dating back to a lieutenant of DesideriusDesiderius
Desiderius was the last king of the Lombard Kingdom of northern Italy...
, king of the Lombards
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
. Aged 18, he was bestowed a canonry in the chapter of Capestang
Capestang
Capestang is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France.-History:In antiquity, the nearby marshes were crossed by the 1500 metre long Roman Pont Serme...
, but renounced it two years later for a military career, joining the régiment des dragons du Languedoc as an officer. He was involved in the Hanover campaigns (1757–1759) and participated in the last battles of the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
. At the end of that war, in 1763, his regiment was disbanded and he went into retirement until the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
.
A municipal officer of Béziers in 1790, on 9 September 1791 he was elected to the National Assembly
National Assembly
National Assembly is either a legislature, or the lower house of a bicameral legislature in some countries. The best known National Assembly, and the first legislature to be known by this title, was that established during the French Revolution in 1789, known as the Assemblée nationale...
as député for Hérault
Hérault
Hérault is a department in the south of France named after the Hérault river.-History:Hérault is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
, the 8th of 9, by 233 votes out of 420. He sat with the moderates and was re-elected on 4 September 1792 for the same département, with 409 out of 484 votes. He contested the Assembly
National Convention
During the French Revolution, the National Convention or Convention, in France, comprised the constitutional and legislative assembly which sat from 20 September 1792 to 26 October 1795 . It held executive power in France during the first years of the French First Republic...
's right to judge Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792, before being executed in 1793....
and declared "I never believed myself authorised by our constituents to be a judge; I always thought that an assembly of legislators could not set up a judicial tribunal, that the same body cannot simultaneously exercise justice and make the laws and that this accumulation of powers will end up in a monstrosity. The precipitate speed with which you have decided to judge Louis gives your enemies ample material for the most bitter and perhaps the most just criticisms" Pressed to reply, he continued "[If I am] asked to declare if Louis is guilty, I reply Yes. If I am asked today what kind of punishment ought to be applied to Louis, I reply - a man can only be punished by laws that pre-dated the crimes that he committed. The only thing to be held against Louis is the prevention of the abdication of the monarchy." He voted for the king to be imprisoned for the duration of the war, an appeal to the people and sentencing.
In an altercation he had with Marat
Jean-Paul Marat
Jean-Paul Marat , born in the Principality of Neuchâtel, was a physician, political theorist, and scientist best known for his career in France as a radical journalist and politician during the French Revolution...
, who fired a pistol at him from his pocket, Viennet grabbed his arm and demanded he meet him for a duel at the bois de Boulogne
Bois de Boulogne
The Bois de Boulogne is a park located along the western edge of the 16th arrondissement of Paris, near the suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt and Neuilly-sur-Seine...
- Marat declined the invitation.
Viennet fought the suggestions of Voulland
Jean-Henri Voulland
Jean-Henri Voulland was a politician of the French Revolution. Originating from a Protestant family, he originally studied law. One of his offices was as deputy for Gard in the National Convention, to which role he was elected on 5 September 1792. In September 1793 he was elected as a member of...
who had claimed he had revolutionised the Hérault, and he was with Cochon de Lapparent
Charles Cochon de Lapparent
Charles Cochon Lapparent, was born in Champdeniers-Saint-Denis on 24 January 1750 and died in Poitiers on 17 July 1825. He was a French politician and Minister of Police....
commissaire for re-raising the cavalry in the 14 armies of the Republic. In this post he gave evidence of his probity. He was elected to the Council of Ancients
Council of Ancients
The Council of Ancients or Council of Elders was the upper house of the Directory , the legislature of France from 22 August 1795 until 9 November 1799, roughly the second half of the period generally referred to as the French Revolution.The Council of Ancients was the senior of the two halves of...
as deputy for Herault by 193 out of 232 votes on 13 October 1795, and was a sociétaire of this assembly, sitting in it until March 1798, when he left the political scene.
He was the father of Jean-Pons-Guillaume Viennet
Jean-Pons-Guillaume Viennet
Jean-Pons-Guillaume Viennet was a French politician, playwright and poet. He was also a member of the Académie française and a prominent Freemason....
and the brother of the priest Louis Esprit Viennet who became priest of Paris's église Saint-Merry aged 40 and in 1790 preached a sermon on the civil constitution of the clergy.