Pierre Villiers
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Pierre Antoine Jean-Baptiste Villiers (10 March 1760 – 21 July 1849 in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
) became a French playwright, journalist and poet. Already a chevalier of the
Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
, he was made chevalier of the
Order of Saint Louis The Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis () is a dynastic order of chivalry founded 5 April 1693 by King Louis XIV, named after Saint Louis (King Louis IX of France). It was intended as a reward for exceptional officers, notable as the fi ...
on 18 August 1822.


Biography

In 1790, by his own testimony in ''Souvenirs d'un déporté'', a collection of anecdotes published in 1802, for seven months he served as secretary to
Maximilien de Robespierre Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (; ; 6 May 1758 – 28 July 1794) was a French lawyer and statesman, widely recognised as one of the most influential and controversial figures of the French Revolution. Robespierre fer ...
, then living in
Le Marais The Marais (Le Marais ; "the marsh") is a historic district in Paris, France. It spreads across parts of the 3rd arrondissement of Paris, 3rd and 4th arrondissement of Paris, 4th Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements on the Rive Droit ...
in Paris, copying several of his speeches and adjusting his spending or cohabited with him. Also the ''Mémoires'' by
Charlotte de Robespierre Marie Marguerite Charlotte de Robespierre (5 February 1760, Arras – 1 August 1834, Paris) was a French writer and revolutionary. A Jacobin during the French Revolution, she is best known for the memoirs she dictated about the lives of her brot ...
mention Villiers.Gérard Walter, ''Maximilien de Robespierre'', Gallimard, 1989, (pp. 1370–138). A royalist, as a captain of
dragoons Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat wi ...
he was injured on 10 August 1792 while defending the
Palais des Tuileries The Tuileries Palace (, ) was a palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the Seine, directly in the west-front of the Louvre Palace. It was the Parisian residence of most French monarchs, from Henri IV to Napoleon III, until it was ...
. Similarly, following the
Coup of 18 Fructidor The Coup of 18 Fructidor, Year V (4 September 1797 in the French Republican Calendar), was a seizure of power in France by members of the French Directory, Directory, then forming the government of the First French Republic, with support from th ...
an V, he was condemned to deportation but escaped proscription.''Actes du colloque Robespierre : XIIe congrès international des sciences historiques, Vienne, 3 septembre 1965'' (avant-propos d'Albert Soboul), Paris, Société des études robespierristes, 1967, 330 pages, (p. 32) Reappearing in public after the coup, Villiers devoted himself to literary work as an author of comedies, dramas and plays in verse. He also published newspapers such as ''Les Rapsodistes au salon, ou les Tableaux en vaudevilles'' (1795–1796), in which he wrote criticisms of the
Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...
, ''Rapsodies du jour, ou Séances des deux conseils en vaudevilles'' (1796–1800), ''Le Chant du coq, ou le Nouveau Réveil du peuple'', ''Le Chiffonnier, ou le Panier aux épigrammes'' (which is a sequel to ''Rapsodies''), ''La Lyre d'Anacréon'' (1810–1811) and ''La Macédoine à la Rumfort, journal de littérature et de bienfaisance''.


Works

*1795: ''Quelques idées sur l'éducation publique'' *1795: ''Discours prononcé par le citoyen Villiers, capitaine au troisième régiment de dragons et rapporteur du quatrième conseil militaire, séant au Palais de justice, établi pour juger le chef des Chouans, Cormatin et co-accusés, à la séance publique du 21 frimaire, an quatrième de la République française'' *1796: ''Portefeuille d'un chouan'' (with F.-M. Mayeur de Saint-Paul) *1796: ''L'Ombre de Malesherbes à Isnard, Cadroi et Durand-Maillane'' *1799: ''La Constitution en vaudeville, œuvre posthume d'un homme qui n'est pas mort, publiée par lui-même, et dédiée à Madame Buonaparte'' *1802: ''Souvenirs d'un déporté : pour servir aux historiens, aus romanciers, aux compilateurs d'ana, aux folliculaires, aux journalistes, aux feseurs de tragédies, des comédies, de vaudevilles, de drames, de mélodrames et de pantomimes dialoguées'' *1802: ''Manuel du voyageur à Paris, ou Paris ancien et moderne, contenant la description historique et géographique de cette capitale, de ses monuments, palais, édifices publics, jardins, spectacles, etc., de tout ce qui peut intéresser les étrangers ; suivie de la liste des banquiers'', (numerous reprints) *1804: ''Petites rapsodies'' *1806: ''Les Braves anciens et modernes, galerie comparée des maréchaux d'Empire et de quelques maréchaux de France, connétables et grands capitaines des derniers siècles de la monarchie française'' *1811: ''Scène lyrique en l'honneur de leurs Majestés impériales et royales, et du roi de Rome'' *1814: ''Le Rodeur, ou Choix historique, dramatique, anecdotique, critique et pas du tout politique d'odes, de chansons, de couplets, de bons mots'' *1824: ''La France militaire, ou Abrégé de l'histoire de la monarchie française, à l'usage des militaires'', 2 vol. *1829: ''Douze Fables dédiées à Mgr le duc de Montpensier'' *1835: ''Les Deux Philippe, le premier apôtre et le premier roi des Français, 1er mai 1835'' *1836: ''Minerve, l'aiglon et le hibou, fable'', 1er janvier 1836 *1836: ''L'Enfant à baptiser. Au Roi, 1er mai 1836'' *''Le Hibou et la pie, allégorie à S.A.R. le duc de Montpensier, 1er janvier 1837'' *1837: ''Au Roi'' *''La Richesse, la volupté, la vertu, la santé. Allégorie. À S.A.R. Mme duchesse Hélène d'Orléans, 1er janvier 1839'' *1842: ''Épître à la mort'' *1842: ''Le Religieux de l'abbaye de la Trappe, soliloque''


Theatre

*1793: ''Cange ou le Commissionnaire bienfaisant'', trait historique in one act (with Armand Gouffé) *1794: ''Les Dragons français et les hussards prussiens'', little
one-act play A one-act play is a play that has only one act, as distinct from plays that occur over several acts. One-act plays may consist of one or more scenes. The 20-40 minute play has emerged as a popular subgenre of the one-act play, especially in writi ...
, in prose, mingled with
couplet In poetry, a couplet ( ) or distich ( ) is a pair of successive lines that rhyme and have the same metre. A couplet may be formal (closed) or run-on (open). In a formal (closed) couplet, each of the two lines is end-stopped, implying that there ...
s *1794: '' Les Bustes, ou Arlequin sculpteur'', comedy in one act and in prose (with Armand Gouffé), Variétés, 17
ventôse Ventôse (; also ''Ventose'') was the sixth month in the French Republican Calendar. The month was named after the Latin word ''ventosus'' 'windy'. Ventôse was the third month of the winter quarter (''mois d'hiver''). It started between 19 an ...
an III) *1797: ''Bébée et Jargon'', one-act rapsody, mingled with couplets, imitated from the opéra ''Médée'', Théâtre Montansier, Palais-Royal, 28 March *1800: ''Forioso à Bourges, ou l'Amant funambule'', one-act comédie en vaudeville *1801: ''La Guinguette, ou Réjouissances pour la paix'', one-act comedy, in vaudevilles (with P.-J.-A. Bonel), Théâtre Montansier-Variétés, 29
pluviôse Pluviôse (; also ''Pluviose'') was the fifth month in the French Republican Calendar. The month was named after the Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European langua ...
an IX) *1802: ''Bizarre, ou C'n'est pas l'Pérou'', bizarrerie in one act (with Bonel and Claude-Jean Bédéno fils), Théâtre de la Gaîté *1803: ''Ardres sauvée, ou les Rambures'', mélodrame héroïque et historique in three acts,
extravaganza An extravaganza is a literary or musical work (often musical theatre) usually containing elements of Victorian burlesque, and pantomime, in a spectacular production and characterized by freedom of style and structure. The term is derived from th ...
, in collaboration with J.-G.-A. Cuvelier), la Gaîté, 23
pluviôse Pluviôse (; also ''Pluviose'') was the fifth month in the French Republican Calendar. The month was named after the Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European langua ...
an XI *1804: ''Le Charivari de Charonne'', one-act tintamare, imitated from the ''Désastre de Lisbonne'' (with H. Pessey), la Gaîté, 14
frimaire Frimaire () was the third month in the French Republican calendar. The month was named after the French word ''frimas'' 'frost'. Frimaire was the third month of the autumn quarter (''mois d'automne''). It started between 21 November and 23 Novem ...
an XIII) *1805: ''Les cosaques, ou le jeune Dodiski'' historical melodrama in three acts and in prose, la Gaîté, 13
vendémiaire Vendémiaire () was the first month in the French Republican calendar. The month was named after the Occitan word ''vendemiaire'' 'grape harvester'. Vendémiaire was the first month of the autumn quarter (''mois d'automne''). It started on the d ...
an XIV) *1805: '' Félime et Tangut, ou le Pied de nez'', three-act mélodrame-féerie (with H. Pessey), la Gaîté, 14 May *1805: ''Le Jeune d'Aubigné, ou la Nuit de la St-Barthélémy'', three-act historical drama, in prose *1803: ''Le Médecin turc'', one-act opéra bouffon (with Armand-Gouffé),
Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique () is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular Théâtre de la foire, theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief riva ...
, 27
brumaire Brumaire () was the second month in the French Republican calendar. The month was named after the French 'fog', which occurs frequently in France at that time of the year. Brumaire was the second month of the autumn quarter (''mois d'automne ...
an XII) *1803: ''1 et 1 font onze'', vaudeville épisodique in one act (with H. Chaussier),la Gaîté, 28 July *1804: ''Le Bouffe et le tailleur'', opéra-bouffon in one act (with Armand Gouffé), Théâtre Montansier, 21 June *1805: ''La forteresse de Cotatis ou Zelaïde et Pharès'', three-act melodrama, la Gaîté,
prairial Prairial () was the ninth month A month is a unit of time, used with calendars, that is approximately as long as a natural phase cycle of the Moon; the words ''month'' and ''Moon'' are cognates. The traditional concept of months arose with the ...
an XIII) *1807: ''Rodomont, ou le Petit Don Quichotte'', mélodrame héroï-comique, in three acts (with Braziers fils and Armand Gouffé), la Gaîté, 7 March) *1808: ''La femme impromptu'', opéra bouffon in one act in prose *1810: ''Le Valet sans maître, ou la Comédie sans dénouement'', bluette in less than one act, in prose, mingled with couplets (with Armand Gouffé), Variétés, 28 July *1810: ''L'Auberge allemande'', prologue in vaudevilles for ''L'Enfant et le grenadier'', Salle des Jeux gymniques, 20 October *1810: ''L'Enfant et le grenadier'', fait et tableaux historiques in two acts and à grand spectacle, Salle des Jeux gymniques, 20 October *1811: ''La Petite Nichon ou La petite paysanne de la Moselle'', petits tableaux en une petite action et un petit prologue with Jean Cuvelier, Théâtre de la Porte-Saint-Martin, 23 November *1812: ''L'Enfant et la poupée, ou le Masque d'airain'', tableaux en une action précédée d'un prologue en prose, Salle des Jeux gymniques, 27 February *1817: ''M. Beldam, ou la Femme sans le vouloir'', one-act comedy (with Armand Gouffé),(Variétés, 25 September) *1818: ''Le Maréchal de Lowendal, ou la Prise de Berg-op-Zoom en 1747'', one-act historical fact, Cirque olympique des frères Franconi, 25 April *1818: ''La Ferme des carrières'', historical fact (with H. Franconi), Cirque olympique of the Franconi brothers, 25 November *1819: ''Catherine de Steinberg, ou le Déjeuner du duc d'Albe'', one-act mimo-mélodrame, Cirque olympique of the Franconi brothers, 3 November *1819: ''Poniatowski, ou le Passage de l'Elster'', three-act military mimodrama (with Franconi jeune), Cirque olympique, 11 December *1820: ''Ugolin, ou la Tour de la faim'', three-act mimodrama (with Caigniez), Cirque olympique, 14 December *1821: ''Rosalba d'Arandês'', three-act play, extravaganza (with Caigniez), Théâtre du Panorama dramatique, 23 November *1822: '' Le Passage des Thermopyles'', two-act mi-modrame, Théâtre du Cirque olympique, 26 December *1824: ''Le Pied de nez, ou Félime et Tangut'', six-act vaudeville féerie (with Désaugiers), Théâtre du Vaudeville, 5 April


Sources

*
Joseph-Marie Quérard Joseph Marie Quérard (25 December 1797 – 3 December 1865) was a French bibliographer. He was born at Rennes, where he was apprenticed to a bookseller. Sent abroad on business, he remained in Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital cit ...
, Félix Bourquelot, Charles Louandre, Louis-Ferdinand-Alfred Maury, ''La littérature française contemporaine. XIXe siècle : Le tout accompagné de notes biographiques et littéraires'', Paris, Daguin frères, 1857, tome VI
p. 570
* François Xavier de Feller, Charles Weiss, Claude Ignace Busson, ''Biographie universelle ou Dictionnaire historique des hommes qui se sont fait un nom par leur génie, leurs talents, leurs vertus, leurs erreurs ou leurs crimes'', Paris, J. Leroux, Jouby et Ce, Libraires, 1850, tome VIII
p. 147
* Ernest Hamel, ''Histoire de Robespierre d'après des papiers de famille, les sources originales et des documents entièrement inédits: d'après des papiers de famille, les sources originales et des documents entièrement inédits'', Paris, Librairie internationale, 1865, tome 1
p. 180–182


References


External links

*
Manuel du voyageur à Paris, ou Paris ancien et moderne
', 1811 edition {{DEFAULTSORT:Villiers, Pierre Place of birth missing 1760 births 1843 deaths 18th-century French dramatists and playwrights 18th-century French journalists 18th-century French male writers 18th-century French military personnel 18th-century French newspaper publishers (people) 18th-century French poets 19th-century French dramatists and playwrights 19th-century French journalists 19th-century French male writers 19th-century French military personnel 19th-century French newspaper publishers (people) 19th-century French poets Comedy writers French counter-revolutionaries French critics French male dramatists and playwrights French male journalists French male poets French opera librettists Knights of the Legion of Honour Knights of the Order of Saint Louis Maximilien Robespierre Writers from Paris