Félix Julien Jean Bigot de Préameneu (, 26 March 1747 - 31 July 1825) was one of the four legal authors of the Napoleonic Code written at the request of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

at the beginning of the nineteenth century.

Biography

Bigot de Préameneu was a lawyer for the

Parlement of Brittany The Parliament of Brittany (, ) was one of the , a court of justice under the French , with its seat at Rennes. The last building to house the Parliament still stands and now houses the Rennes Court of Appeal, the natural successor of the Parliame ...

, then to the

Parlement of Paris The Parliament of Paris (french: Parlement de Paris) was the oldest ''parlement'' in the Kingdom of France, formed in the 14th century. It was fixed in Paris by Philip IV of France in 1302. The Parliament of Paris would hold sessions inside the ...

before the

revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

, and was also a member of the Legislative Assembly in 1791. He professed moderate opinions and was among the defenders of

Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...

, but he departed from parliamentary politics after the

Commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

, becoming a judge under the National Constituent Assembly and the

Directory Directory may refer to: * Directory (computing), or folder, a file system structure in which to store computer files * Directory (OpenVMS command) * Directory service, a software application for organizing information about a computer network's u ...

. Under the

Consulate A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of diplomatic mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth c ...

, he was appointed government commissioner by the supreme court. In 1802, he was appointed as legislative president of the

Council of State A Council of State is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head o ...

and was one of the four jurist authors of the Code Napoleon, led by Cambacérès and instigated by Napoleon I of France in 1800. In 1803, he was elected to the Académie française. In 1808, he replaced Portalis as

Minister of Public Worship The Minister of Worship (or "Minister of Public Worship", or "Minister of Ecclesiastical Affairs") was a cabinet member in the Government of France responsible for overseeing the French government's relationship with religions. An area of parti ...

. He was made a count of the empire on 24 April 1808, and became a peer of France during the Hundred Days. He married Eulalie Marie Renée Barbier, daughter of Aimé Francois Barbier and Jeanne Dufour. Bigot lost all his responsibilities at the beginning of the second Restoration. He died on 31 July 1825 in Paris and is buried in

Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (french: Cimetière du Père-Lachaise ; formerly , "East Cemetery") is the largest cemetery in Paris, France (). With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Notable figure ...

(14th division). Image:100Fi474 bigot preameneu.jpg, Portrait of Bigot de Préameneu Image:Père-Lachaise - Division 14 - Bigot de Préameneu 01.jpg, Tomb of Félix Julien Jean Bigot de Préameneu in

References

Biography of Félix Julien Jean Bigot de Préameneu
on the Napoleon & Empire website (in English).

(in English) {{DEFAULTSORT:Bigot 1747 births 1825 deaths Conseil d'État (France) French jurists People of the First French Empire Members of the Académie Française Members of the Chamber of Peers of the Hundred Days French Ministers of Religious Affairs Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery 18th-century jurists 19th-century jurists