Jean-Jacques-Régis de Cambacérès
Jean-Jacques-Régis de Cambacérès entered the world on the 18th of October 1753 in Montpellier. He was born into a family of legal nobility, though his childhood remained relatively poor. His father later became mayor of that same city. His brother Étienne Hubert de Cambacérès would eventually rise to become a cardinal. In 1774, Cambacérès graduated in law from the college d'Aix. He then succeeded his father as Councillor in the court of accounts and finances in Toulouse. This early career established him within the legal aristocracy before the revolution began.
During the National Convention which assembled in September 1792, Cambacérès sat left of center. He protested that the Convention did not have the power to sit as a court during the trial of Louis XVI. He demanded that the king should have due facilities for his defence. Nevertheless, when the trial proceeded, Cambacérès voted with the majority that declared Louis to be guilty. He recommended that the penalty should be postponed until it could be ratified by a legislative body. This specific vote later saved him from being executed for regicide. Many of his decisions were well thought out and calculated. He made sure that he never committed himself to a certain faction.
In December 1799, Cambacérès was appointed Second Consul under Bonaparte. He owed this appointment to his vast legal knowledge and his reputation as a moderate republican. During 1795, he worked on much of the legislation of the revolutionary period. He negotiated peace with Spain, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, the Kingdom of Prussia and the Batavian Republic. His remarkable debating skills gave him a spot as a councilor of the Five Hundred from 1795 to 1799. In 1799, however, he became Minister of Justice. He supported the coup of 18 Brumaire in November 1799 that brought Napoleon Bonaparte to power as First Consul.
His most important work during this period was the drawing up of a new Civil Law Code. The Code was promulgated by Bonaparte as Emperor Napoleon in 1804. In the end, the Napoleonic Code was the work of Cambacérès and a commission of four lawyers. The Code was a minor revised form of Roman law. It included minor modifications drawn from the laws of the Franks still current in northern France. The Code was later extended by Napoleon's occupations to Poland, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Western Germany. Versions of the Code are only still in force in Quebec and Louisiana today.
Cambacérès retained high office under Napoleon despite disapproving of his accumulation of power. He served as Arch-Chancellor of the Empire and President of the House of Peers from the 2nd of June to the 7th of July 1815. In 1808 he was made Duke of Parma. His duchy was one of the twenty created as a duché grand-fief among 2200 noble titles created by Napoleon. As Napoleon became increasingly obsessed with military affairs, Cambacérès became the de facto domestic head of government of France. This position inevitably made him increasingly unpopular as France's economic situation grew worse. Nevertheless, he was given credit for the justice and moderation of the government.
When the Empire fell in 1814, Cambacérès retired to private life but was later called upon during Napoléon's brief return to power in 1815. During the Hundred Days, the short period of time when Napoleon returned from exile, Cambacérès served as the minister of justice. After the restoration of the monarchy, he was exiled from France in 1816. The fact that he had opposed the execution of Louis XVI counted in his favor. In May 1818 his civil rights as a citizen of France were restored. From 1815 and on, Cambacérès used the title of Duke of Cambacérès. He lived quietly in Paris until his death in 1824.
The common belief that Cambacérès is responsible for decriminalizing homosexuality in France is in error. Before the French Revolution, sodomy had been a capital crime under royal legislation. The penalty was burning at the stake. Very few men, however, were ever actually prosecuted and executed for consensual sodomy. The National Constituent Assembly revised French criminal law in 1791 and got rid of a variety of offenses inspired by religion. Sodomy was not specifically mentioned but was covered under the umbrella of religious crimes. Cambacérès was a homosexual, his sexual orientation was well-known, and he does not seem to have made any effort to conceal it. Napoleon is recorded as making a number of jokes on the subject.
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Common questions
When and where was Jean-Jacques-Régis de Cambacérès born?
Jean-Jacques-Régis de Cambacérès entered the world on the 18th of October 1753 in Montpellier. He was born into a family of legal nobility, though his childhood remained relatively poor.
What role did Jean-Jacques-Régis de Cambacérès play during the trial of Louis XVI?
During the National Convention which assembled in September 1792, Cambacérès voted with the majority that declared Louis to be guilty. He recommended that the penalty should be postponed until it could be ratified by a legislative body.
How did Jean-Jacques-Régis de Cambacérès contribute to the Napoleonic Code?
The Napoleonic Code was the work of Cambacérès and a commission of four lawyers. The Code was promulgated by Bonaparte as Emperor Napoleon in 1804.
Why was Jean-Jacques-Régis de Cambacérès exiled from France in 1816?
After the restoration of the monarchy, he was exiled from France in 1816. In May 1818 his civil rights as a citizen of France were restored.
Did Jean-Jacques-Régis de Cambacérès decriminalize homosexuality in France?
The common belief that Cambacérès is responsible for decriminalizing homosexuality in France is in error. The National Constituent Assembly revised French criminal law in 1791 and got rid of a variety of offenses inspired by religion.