Pierre Fatio (7 November 1662 – 6 September 1707) was a lawyer and politician from the Republic of Geneva. His struggle against the dominance of the aristocracy in the Genevan government led to his execution on charges of conspiring against the state.

Family and education

Fatio was born into a patrician family in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

on 7 November 1662. He was one of twenty-four children born to François Fatio and Marie Franconis. François, the son of a

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

refugee from the Val Bregaglia, was a merchant and banker from

Vevey Vevey (; ; ) is a town in Switzerland in the Vaud, canton of Vaud, on the north shore of Lake Leman, near Lausanne. The German name Vivis is no longer commonly used. It was the seat of the Vevey (district), district of the same name until 200 ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, who became a citizen of the Republic of Geneva in 1647. Pierre Fatio was a cousin and contemporary of mathematician and inventor Nicolas Fatio de Duillier. Fatio enrolled at the

University of Basel The University of Basel (Latin: ''Universitas Basiliensis''; German: ''Universität Basel'') is a public research university in Basel, Switzerland. Founded on 4 April 1460, it is Switzerland's oldest university and among the world's oldest univ ...

in 1679 and again in 1685, receiving a doctorate in law in 1686. He also studied at Geneva, Valence,

Montpellier Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...

and

Leiden Leiden ( ; ; in English language, English and Archaism, archaic Dutch language, Dutch also Leyden) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Nethe ...

. Back in Geneva, Fatio established a successful law practice. In 1694 he married Elisabeth Chouet, the daughter of Léonard Chouet, councillor and general treasurer of the Republic of Geneva.

Political career

The Republic of Geneva was nominally a representative democracy ruled by an elected parliament, the Council of Two Hundred, known also as the Grand Council. However, in practice most of the Grand Council's powers were delegated to the Council of Twenty-Five, known also as the Small Council, which selected its own members and was under the control of the patrician families. Fatio was elected to the Grand Council in 1688 and held several positions in government: lord of Saint-Victor and chapter in 1691, auditor in 1696, and '' châtelain'' of Peney in 1700. In 1705, his application for the Small Council was rejected in favor of his brother, Jacques-Francois Fatio, who did not have his experience in public affairs. This reflected the ruling Genevan aristocracy's distrust of Pierre Fatio's independent and non-conformist spirit.

Activism and execution

After his rejection by the Small Council, Fatio became a spokesman for the Genevan

bourgeoisie The bourgeoisie ( , ) are a class of business owners, merchants and wealthy people, in general, which emerged in the Late Middle Ages, originally as a "middle class" between the peasantry and aristocracy. They are traditionally contrasted wi ...

in its struggle against the dominance of the patricians. Fatio declared that the political reality in the Republic of Geneva made a mockery of the notion that the democratically elected Grand Council was sovereign, since "a sovereign that never performs an act of sovereignty is an imaginary being". During the political troubles of 1707, Fatio proposed several democratizing reforms, including requiring that the General Council (the electoral body) meet annually. However, this was rejected by the dominant faction of his own party, which regarded Fatio's positions as too extreme. Alleging his participation in a conspiracy to overthrow the government, the Small Council condemned Fatio to death. He was shot on 6 September 1707 at the courtyard of Evêché Prison, in Geneva.

Influence

Among Fatio's bourgeois supporters was

Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Republic of Geneva, Genevan philosopher (''philosophes, philosophe''), writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment through ...

's grandfather, David Rousseau, who thereby lost his government employment. Fatio has been described by some historians as the "Swiss Gracchus". A commemorative plaque declaring him a "defender of citizens' rights" now marks the entrance to the ''Rue Jean Calvin'', in the historical center of Geneva.

References

External links