Barnave: The Revolutionary who Lost his Head for Marie Antoinette

Another gentleman who loved our dear Queen so much...



Antoine Barnave was one of the most influential statesmen in the early French Revolution. He was a didactic man of austere morals and vaulting ambition who dressed as an English dandy, running up considerable tailor's bills. Before his execution at age thirty-two, he played a decisive role in revolutionary politics and even governed France in 1791 through a secret correspondence with Marie-Antoinette. This biography, the first for more than a century, traces Barnave's life from his youth in Dauphiné to his role in the Constituent Assembly and his part in forming the Feuillants, the party dedicated to the moderate cause. Despite his early death, Barnave left a remarkable volume of material, from published works to thousands of manuscript pages. This biography uses the rich archive to explore the life of this elusive writer, politician, and thinker—and sheds new light on the revolutionary period.
https://academic.oup.com/yale-scholarship-online/book/51592