Jean-Paul Rabaut Saint-Étienne

Jean -Paul Rabaut Saint -Étienne ( born November 14, 1743 Nîmes, † December 5, 1793 ) was a politician during the French Revolution.

He was the son of Paul Rabauts and took the additional surname Saint- Étienne from a small estate near Nîmes. Like his father, he became a pastor and distinguished himself by his zeal for his Protestant faith. He worked vigorously to it to obtain the recognition of civil rights given to them by Louis XVI. Had been granted in 1787 in the Edict of Versailles. After he had acquired with his Histoire de la Grèce primitive a reputation, he was elected in 1789 as deputy of the Estates-General of the Third Estate of the bailiwick of Nîmes. In the Constituent Assembly he worked on the draft Constitution and spoke out against the establishment of a republic, which he felt was ridiculous. He voted for the suspensive veto, as it would probably strengthen the position of the crown. In the National Convention, he sat among the Girondins and turned against the condemnation of Louis XVI. As a member of the Committee of Twelve, he was ostracized by that party. He hid for some time, but was eventually discovered and guillotined in December 1793.

Writings

• Précis historique de la révolution française, 1793 German: Concise History of the French Revolution