François Gayot de Pitaval

François Gayot de Pitaval (* 1673 in Lyon, † 1743 ) was a French jurist and author. He was known especially for his Causes célèbres et interesting, avec les jugemens qui les ont décidées ( Famous and interesting legal cases with the associated judgments ), a collection of criminal cases with which he was the founder of the genre of court reporting. In the 19th century the name became a synonym for Pitaval collections of legal cases.

Biography

François Gayot de Pitaval was the first soldier in Lyon. Later, he studied law and became a lawyer in 1713. He was a lawyer at the Parlement ( the Court in Paris at the time of the Ancien Régime ) at the time of Louis XIV worked.

Causes célèbres

The collection of Causes célèbres et interesting, avec les qui les ont jugemens décidées was compiled by Pitaval 1734-1743 in twenty volumes and published. It is the best-known criminal cases of his time. Basis were the case files of the respective cases.

He puts into the Causes célèbres not only the course of the process, but also the particular case underlying psychological and human entanglements and uncovering the acts subject is the type of representation, the Causes célèbres distinguished from earlier case collections of legal cases, which are legal on the facts concentrated. At the same time is also aware presented the usually high penalties and the full force of that law enforcement and criminal enforcement, less a deterrent than to criticize the practice. Pitaval also criticized the apparent backwardness of the judiciary, corruption and ignorance of the judiciary. This also critical train François Gayot de Pitaval is also considered one of the pioneers of the French Revolution.

Target audience was the one the professional audience of lawyers, but also the broad general audience felt by the collection of criminal cases addressed and entertained. The collection edited by him at that time became a bestseller.

Effects of Pitaval

First, the collection Pitavals formed the model, and finally the generic term " Pitaval " for the collection of sensational criminal cases, such as " The new Pitaval " by Julius Eduard Hitzig and Willibald Alexis (1842-1890), Egon Erwin Kisch's "Prague Pitaval " and a variety of other collections. The East German television called a propaganda series, which, for example, " The affair Heyde Sawade " belonged, " Bonner Pitaval ".

The gathered by Pitaval cases formed a treasure trove for writers of detective and horror literature. For example, the film Sommersby is based on that described by Pitaval case of Martin Guerre, the cases of the Marquise de Brinvilliers and Catherine Monvoisin served as a background for ETA Hoffmann's " Das Fräulein von Scuderi ".

Expenditure

• Causes célèbres et interesting, avec les qui les ont jugemens décidées. 1734-1743 ( digitized individual volumes in Gallica ).
• Stories from Ancient Pitaval. Edited by the measures taken by Schiller selection and providing other pieces augmented by Paul Ernst. 3 volumes. Insel-Verlag, Leipzig, 1910.
• The true stories of the old Pitaval. Strange legal cases as a contribution to the history of mankind. The method described by C.E. Ed Franz and especially by Friedrich Schiller. Translation re-edited by Helmuth Eggert. 2nd edition. Gebr Judge Publishing Company, Erfurt 1950.
• The Pitaval. Selected and introduced v. Erich Brautlacht. Bleckede, Meissner circa 1950.
• Outrageous criminal cases. A collection of famous and remarkable criminal cases. After 1792-1794 by Friedrich Schiller published selection and translation, re-edited and compiled. Volt Media, Paderborn 2005, ISBN 3-937229-03-5.