Sèze, Raymond de |
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BORN 20 Sep 1748, Bordeaux, Gironde - DIED 2 May 1828, Paris GRAVE LOCATION Paris: Père Lachaise, Rue du Repos 16 (division 53, ligne 01, V, 15) |
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Raymond de Seze studied law in Bordeaux. He had already made himself a name when he defended the Baron de Bensenval against the charge of high treason. He was one of the defenders of queen Marie-Antoinette during the Necklace Affair. He had already retired from his profession when he was asked to aid the defense of Louis XVI, who was tried by the revolutionary Convention in 1792. He had very little time to prepare his defense of the king and had not slept for four days when he pled for three hours on 26 Dec 1792, asking to spare the king's life. He disputed the right of the Convention to be judge and jury and he positioned Louis as the restorer of liberty in France. The Convention was impressed, but the king was sentenced to death all the same. De Seze was imprisoned himself, but he wasn't executed. After Robespierre disappeared from the scene he was released. He withdrew from the public eye because he considered the the regime of the Directoire as well as that of Napoleon illegitimate. When the Bourbons reeturned to power in 1815 he was made a peer and accepted a position as a judge. In 1816 he became a member of the Académie Française, succeeding Jean-François Ducis at seat 33. Related persons • worked for Louis XVI Auguste, King of France |
| Images |
 The grave of Raymond de Seze at Père Lachaise, Paris. Picture by Androom (19 Nov 2006) |
Sources • Père Lachaise: grafschriften, Paris, 1993 • Raymond de Sèze - Wikipedia (EN) |
