Jean-Paul Rabaut Saint-Etienne
Encyclopedia
Jean-Paul Rabaut Saint-Étienne (14 November 1743 – 5 December 1793) was a French revolutionary
.
, Gard
, the son of Paul Rabaut
, the additional surname of Saint-Étienne taken from a small property near Nîmes.
Like his father, he became a Calvinist pastor, and distinguished himself with his zeal for his co-religionists, working energetically to obtain the recognition of the civil rights
which had been granted to them by Louis XVI
in 1788. Having gained a reputation with his Histoire primitive de la Grèce, he was elected deputy to the States General
in 1789 by the third estate of the bailliage of Nîmes.
In the Constituent Assembly
, Rabaut de Saint-Étienne worked on the framing of the constitution; he spoke against the establishment of the Republic, which he considered ridiculous; and voted for the suspensive veto, as likely to strengthen the position of the Crown. In the Convention, he sat among the Girondists, opposed the trial of Louis XVI, was a member of the Commission of Twelve
, and was proscribed with his party.
He remained in hiding for some time, but he was ultimately discovered and guillotined in December 1793.
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...
.
Biography
Rabaut de Saint-Étienne was born at NîmesNîmes
Nîmes is the capital of the Gard department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. Nîmes has a rich history, dating back to the Roman Empire, and is a popular tourist destination.-History:...
, Gard
Gard
Gard is a département located in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region.The department is named after the River Gard, although the formerly Occitan name of the River Gard, Gardon, has been replacing the traditional French name in recent decades, even among French speakers.- History...
, the son of Paul Rabaut
Paul Rabaut
Paul Rabaut was a French pastor of the Huguenot "Church of the Desert".He was born at Bédarieux, Hérault. In 1738 he was admitted as a preacher by the synod of Languedoc, and in 1740 he went to Lausanne to complete his studies in the seminary founded by Antoine Court...
, the additional surname of Saint-Étienne taken from a small property near Nîmes.
Like his father, he became a Calvinist pastor, and distinguished himself with his zeal for his co-religionists, working energetically to obtain the recognition of the 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...
which had been granted to them by Louis XVI
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....
in 1788. Having gained a reputation with his Histoire primitive de la Grèce, he was elected deputy to the States General
French States-General
In France under the Old Regime, the States-General or Estates-General , was a legislative assembly of the different classes of French subjects. It had a separate assembly for each of the three estates, which were called and dismissed by the king...
in 1789 by the third estate of the bailliage of Nîmes.
In the Constituent Assembly
Constituent assembly
A constituent assembly is a body composed for the purpose of drafting or adopting a constitution...
, Rabaut de Saint-Étienne worked on the framing of the constitution; he spoke against the establishment of the Republic, which he considered ridiculous; and voted for the suspensive veto, as likely to strengthen the position of the Crown. In the Convention, he sat among the Girondists, opposed the trial of Louis XVI, was a member of the Commission of Twelve
Commission of Twelve
During the French Revolution, the Extraordinary Commission of Twelve was a commission of the French National Convention charged with finding and trying conspirators...
, and was proscribed with his party.
He remained in hiding for some time, but he was ultimately discovered and guillotined in December 1793.