Mirabeau, << MIHR uh boh or mee ra BOH >> Comte de (1749-1791), was a French statesman, orator, and leader of the French Revolution (1789-1799). His powerful and eloquent speaking style made him the most forceful enemy of the French royal court. Mirabeau wanted the French government to consist of both a monarch and an elected assembly, like the constitutional monarchy of Britain. His political beliefs were sincere. But Mirabeau was always in debt and had a disgraceful personal life. As a result, neither King Louis XVI of France nor the revolutionaries fully trusted him.
Mirabeau was born in Bignon. His father was a nobleman. Mirabeau’s given and family name was Honore Gabriel Victor de Riqueti. In 1767, he became a cavalry officer in the French army. Mirabeau left the army after serving in Corsica in 1769. From 1774 to 1780, he was imprisoned several times for debt and other offenses.
In 1780, Mirabeau moved to the Netherlands. There, he began writing pamphlets attacking the despotism of the French monarchy. These writings made him famous among the middle class throughout Europe. By 1788, Mirabeau had returned to France. In 1789, he was elected to represent Aix-en-Provence in a body called the Estates-General (see Estates-General ). Despite his noble background, he was chosen as a delegate of the third estate, which included peasants, working people of the cities, and the middle class. In June 1789, the delegates of the third estate declared themselves the National Assembly of France. They took an oath not to disband until they had written a constitution for France. On June 23, a chief aide of Louis XVI ordered the deputies to leave their meeting place at Versailles. Mirabeau thundered, “Go and tell your master that we are here by the will of the people and that we shall not budge save at the point of a bayonet.” The deputies stayed.
Mirabeau was a founder and an active member of the Jacobin Club, a powerful group of revolutionary leaders (see Jacobins ). In 1791, he was elected president of the National Assembly. Mirabeau urged the king to accept the many reforms adopted by the Assembly and to take his place as a constitutional monarch. The royal family rejected his wise advice. Mirabeau died after a brief illness and was buried as a national hero.
