Alexandre-Théodore-Victor Lameth | |
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| Born | 20 October 1760 Paris, France |
| Died | 18 March 1829 (1829-03-19) (aged 68) |
| Title | Count |
| Relatives | Charles Malo François Lameth(brother) Théodore de Lameth(brother) |
Alexandre-Théodore-Victor, comte de Lameth (20 October 1760 – 18 March 1829) was a French soldier and politician.
Alexandre Lameth was born inParis on 20 October 1760 and was the youngest child of Marie Thérèse de Broglie. His mother was the sister of theMaréchal de Broglie and a favourite ofMarie Antoinette.[1] His other two brothers were,Théodore Lameth (1756–1854), who served in the American war, sat in the Legislative Assembly as deputy from the department of Jura, and became maréchal-de-camp; andCharles Malo François Lameth, who was a popular politician and a hero of theAmerican War of Independence.[2] He served in theAmerican War of Independence as a colonel in the Royal Lorraine Regiment underRochambeau.[3] He was also aKnight of the Order of Malta like his brotherCharles Lameth.[4] Like many other veterans from theAmerican War of Independence, and those among theFrench Patriot Party, Lameth became friends withThomas Jefferson. His commitment to moderate constitutional and social reform gathered him respect in the eyes of Jefferson, given his idea for a unicameral, influential legislature.[5] Several American newspapers would publish his speeches of what took place during theNational Assembly, and his stances onprivate property, theCivil Constitution of the Clergy, etc.[6] Alexandre-Théodore-Victor was a member of theSociety of the Cincinnati from France.
Alexandre Lameth,Adrien Duport, andBarnave were brought together in September 1789 for the first time during the first struggles of the Patriot Party. Despite the odds against them, their political ties strengthened and became a profound friendship that lasted through the turmoil. In theConstituent Assembly they formed a "Triumvirate", which controlled a group of about forty deputies forming the advanced left of the Assembly. He presented a famous report in theConstituent Assembly on the organization of the army, but is better known by his eloquent speech on 28 February 1791, at theJacobin Club, againstHonoré Mirabeau, whose relations with the court were beginning to be suspected, and who was a personal enemy of Lameth. During the next months, as leaders of theFeuillant club, they established their belief that theflight of the King to Varennes was all because of the faulty revolutionary process that prohibited any manner of compromise. They intended to rule out both the Republicans and Democrats, so there would be as much compromise as possible. Their main intention was to end the war as soon as possible while still maintaining the gains of the revolution by passing the Constitution.[7] Their hopes for moderate reform were sullied by the radical turn of the Revolution.[8]
He served in the army asmaréchal-de-camp underNicolas Luckner and theMarquis de la Fayette, but was accused oftreason on 12 August 1792 for protesting against theAttack on the Tuileries.[9] Once he fled the country, Lameth as well asGilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette,Bureaux de Pusy, andLatour-Maubourg, former members of theConstituent Assembly, were captured byAustrians. They were held in dungeons for seven years.[10]
After his release, he went into business atHamburg with his brotherCharles and theduc d'Aiguillon, and did not return to France until theConsulate. Under the Empire, he was made prefect successively in several departments, and in 1810 was declared a Baron of the Empire.[11] In 1814, he attached himself to theBourbons, and under the Restoration was appointed prefect ofSomme, deputy forSeine-Inférieure and finally deputy forSeine-et-Oise,[11] in which capacity he was a leader of the Liberal opposition.[12]
He wrote various novels and articles, his two most prominent being:Histoire de l'Assemblée constituante andMémoirespubliés avec introduction et notes parEugène Welvert.[13] In Histoire de l'Assemblée constituante, he introduced this work by displaying how he did not wish to write a book of biased anecdotes, nor provide a side of the revolution that states he was a main player, even though he was in a position to recall the most prominent events. He wanted to present an accurate, detailed description of the work of theConstituent Assembly.[14]
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One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Lameth, Alexandre Théodore Victor, Comte de".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 16 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 129. Endnote: See{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)| International | |
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