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Jean-Marie Roland de la Platière | |
|---|---|
 Engraving by Nicolas Colibert, 1792-1793. | |
| Minister of the Interior | |
| In office 24 March 1792 – 13 June 1792 | |
| Preceded by | Bon-Claude Cahier de Gerville |
| Succeeded by | Jacques Augustin Mourgue |
| Minister of Justice | |
| In office 23 March 1792 – 12 April 1792 | |
| Preceded by | Marguerite-Louis-François Duport-Dutertre [fr] |
| Succeeded by | Antoine Duranton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1734-02-18)18 February 1734 |
| Died | 10 November 1793(1793-11-10) (aged 59) |
| Cause of death | Suicide |
| Political party | Gironde |
| Spouse | Jeanne Manon Roland de la Platiere |
| Occupation | Economist |
| Known for | Leader ofGirondist faction |
| Signature |  |
Jean-Marie Roland de la Platière (French pronunciation:[ʒɑ̃maʁiʁɔlɑ̃dəlaplatjɛʁ]; 18 February 1734 – 10 November 1793) was a French inspector of manufactures inLyon and became a leader of theGirondist faction in theFrench Revolution, largely influenced in this direction by his wife,Marie-Jeanne "Manon" Roland de la Platière. He served as aminister of the interior inKingLouis XVI's government in 1792.
Roland de la Platière was born and baptized on 18 February 1734 inThizy, Rhône. He was a studious child, who received a thorough education. At the age of 18 years, Roland was offered the choice of becoming either a businessman or a priest. But he declined both offers and took up studying manufacturing, leading him to the city ofLyons. Two years later, a cousin and inspector of manufactures offered Roland a position in Rouen. He gladly accepted the job. Roland then was transferred toLanguedoc, where he became an enthusiastic economist but soon became ill from overwork. He was then offered the less stressful job of lead inspector ofPicardy which was the third most important manufacturing province in France in 1781.
Later that year he married Marie-Jeanne Phlipon, better known simply asMadame Roland, the daughter of a Parisian engraver. Madame Roland was just as involved in Jean-Marie's work as he was, editing much of his writing and supporting his political goals. For the first four years of their marriage, Roland continued to live in Picardy and work as a factory inspector. His knowledge of commercial affairs enabled him to contribute articles to theEncyclopédie Méthodique, a three volume encyclopedia of manufacturing and industry, in which, as in all his literary work, he was assisted by his wife.[1]
During the first year of the Revolution, the Rolands moved toLyon, where their influence grew and their political ambitions became clear. From the beginning of the Revolution, they affiliated with theliberal cause. The articles they contributed to theCourrier de Lyon came to the attention of theParisian press; although Roland signed them, it was Madame Roland who wrote them. The city then sent Roland to Paris to inform the Constituent Assembly of the critical state of the silk industry and to ask for relief of Lyon's debt. As a result, a correspondence began between Roland,Jacques Pierre Brissot and other supporters of the Revolution, whom he had met in Paris. The Rolands arrived in Paris during February 1791, and remained there until September. They frequented theSociety of the Friends of the Constitution, entertaining deputies who later became leading Girondists, and taking an active part in the political landscape. Meanwhile, Madame Roland opened her first salon, helping her husband's name become better known in the capital.
In September 1791, Roland's mission was complete and he returned to Lyon. By then, however, inspectorships of manufacture had been abolished, so the Roland family decided to move and make their new home in Paris. Roland became a member of theJacobin Club, and their influence continued to grow. Madame Roland'ssalon becoming the rendezvous of Brissot,Jérôme Pétion de Villeneuve,Maximilien Robespierre, and other leaders of the popular movement – especiallyFrançois Nicolas Leonard Buzot.[1]
When theGirondins assumed power, Roland found himself appointed minister of the interior on 23 March 1792, displaying both his administrative ability and what theEncyclopædia Britannica (Eleventh Edition, 1911) characterized as "abourgeois brusqueness".[1] His wife's influence on his declarations of policy was particularly strong in this period: as Roland wasex officio excluded from theLegislative Assembly, these declarations were in writing, and so most prone to exhibit Madame Roland's personal beliefs.[1]
KingLouis XVI used hisveto power to prevent decrees againstémigrés and thenon-juring clergy. Madame Roland therefore wrote a letter addressing the royal refusal to sanction the decrees and the role of the king in the state, which her husband addressed and sent to the king. When it remained unanswered, Roland read it aloud in full council and in the king's presence. Judged inconsistent with a minister's position and disrespectful in tone, the incident led to Roland's dismissal. However, he then read the letter to the Assembly, which ordered it printed and circulated. It became a manifesto of dissatisfaction, and the Assembly's subsequent demand that Roland and other dismissed ministers be reinstated eventually led to the king's dethronement.
After theinsurrection of 10 August, Roland was reinstated as Interior Minister, but was dismayed by what he saw as the lack of progress made by the Revolution. As a provincial, he opposed theMontagnards who aimed at supremacy not only in Paris but in the government as well. His hostility to theParis Commune prompted him to propose transferring the government toBlois; and his attacks on Robespierre and his associates made him very unpopular. After failing to seal thearmoire de fer (iron chest) found in theTuileries Palace, containing documents that indicated Louis XVI's relations with corrupt politicians, he was accused of destroying some of the evidence within. Finally, during the trial of the king, he and the Girondists demanded that the sentence should be decided by a poll of the French people rather than theNational Convention. Two days after the king's execution, he resigned his office.[1]
Not long after he resigned as minister, the Girondins came under attack and Roland was denounced as well. Roland fled Paris and went into hiding; in his absence, he was sentenced to death. Madame Roland remained in Paris, where she was arrested in June 1793 and executed on 8 November. When Roland learned belatedly of his wife's imminent death, he wandered away from his refuge inRouen and wrote a few words expressing his horror at theReign of Terror: "From the moment when I learned that they had murdered my wife, I would no longer remain in a world stained with enemies." He attached the paper to his chest, sat up against a tree, and ran acane-sword through his heart on the evening of 10 November 1793.[1][2][3]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Roland, Jean Marie".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 23 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 462–464.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minister of the Interior March – June 1792 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Justice March – April 1792 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of the Interior August 1792 – January 1793 | Succeeded by |
