Philippe-Antoine Merlin de Douai
Philippe -Antoine Merlin ( born October 30, 1754 Arleux ( Nord Department ); † December 26, 1838 in Paris) was a politician during the French Revolution, the Consulate and the First Empire. He was from 1797 to 1799 Member of the Executive Board. To avoid confusion with the politician Antoine Christophe Merlin ( de Thionville ), he was called Merlin de Douai.
Life
Phillippe Antoine Merlin was born the son of a wealthy farmer. He studied at Douai the rights, practiced there since 1775 in the profession of a lawyer, and quickly acquired a reputation as an excellent lawyer.
The Third Estate of the constituency elected Douai Merlin in the spring of 1789 deputies of the Estates General ( États généraux ). He acted as rapporteur of the " Feudalitätenausschusses " the Constituent Assembly and wrote significant parts of the decrees of 15 March 1790 and May 3, 1790 for the solution of the agrarian question. These decrees led to an equality of civil and noble estate, but aggravated the tax expense of the peasants. In the fall of 1791, he stood before the criminal court of his home department, which elected him in September 1792 Deputies of the National Convention. He stood close to the plane, was a member of the Committee on Legislation and voted for the death of Louis XVI.
Merlin served since January 1793 in occupied Belgium, since April 1793 in the Vendée rebellious as " representative in Mission " and returned in September 1793 to return to Paris. There he developed legislative proposals. His objections to the " Glorious First Law" of June 10, 1794 earned him the enmity of Robespierre. Merlin therefore approved the coup of 9 Thermidor (27 July 1794).
On September 1, 1794 Merlin was elected to the Committee of Public Safety. He advocated France's policy of expansion to the " natural limits ", the formation of sister republics and designed the Peace Treaty of Basel with Prussia (5 April 1795) and the Treaty of The Hague, the Netherlands (16 May 1795) in substantial parts. In addition, he ran decided the cancellation of " revolutionary terror " and called for the abolition of the " Glorious First - laws."
Merlin worked with the Penalty Commission, the Constitution of the Year III ( directorial of 1795). He also served on the committee of five, who led the defeat of the royalist Vendémiaire Rebellion (5 October 1795). On October 25, 1795 he published the new Penal Code ( " Code de DELITS et des peines "), which was his work in the essential parts. That is why Merlin was "national des sciences et arts institute " is selected in the " Council of Elders " and in the.
Philippe Antoine Merlin de Douai launched on November 3, 1795 to January 3, 1796 the Ministry of Justice, dated January 3, 1796, he led until 3 April 1796 the Ministry of Police and 3 April 1796 to 8 September 1797 he again served as Minister of Justice.
After the coup of the 18th Fructidor V (4 September 1797) Merlin was appointed instead Barthelemy member of the Board. Approved together with Reubell and he corrected the constitution of the Helvetic Republic, which had been worked out by Peter Ochs. It was designed in principle to the model of the constitution of the year III. Merlin designed the church policy of the Governing Board, led on 30 August 1798 the "Decade cult" in France and was eliminated on June 18, 1799 from the Board of.
In April 1800, Merlin Deputy Government Commissioner at the Court of Cassation and 1801 the Attorney General. In 1803 he was elected a member of the Académie française. Emperor Napoleon I got Merlin 1809 counts and in 1811 appointed him to the State Council for life.
Merlin was banished by the Bourbons in 1815 to Dieppe, but he managed to flee to the Netherlands. After the July Revolution of 1830 Merlin returned to Paris. He was re- added to the "Institute ", whose member he remained until his death on December 26, 1838.
Philippe Antoine Merlin is the father of the French general Eugène Antoine François Merlin ( 1778-1854 ).