Pauline de Lézardière

Marie-Charlotte-Pauline Robert de Lézardière, commonly known as Pauline de Lézardière, was a French historian who was born on 25 March 1754 at the Château de la Vérie (Challans) and died on 8 February 1835 at the Château de la Proustière (Poiroux). She remains best known for her multivolume history of French law.

Biography Pauline was born in Challans, in France's Loire valley. Her father was Baron Louis-Jacques-Gilbert Robert de Lézardière and her mother was Charlotte Babaud de la Chaussade (who, in turn, was the daughter of Jean Babaud). Pauline's brothers included the Marquis Jacques Paul Toussaint Robert de Lézardière, Charles de La Lézardière, Joseph-Alexis Robert de La Lézardière and Jacques-Augustin Robert de Lézardière.

Inspiration After she learned about the famous failure of Maupeou's Reform in 1771 at the age of 17, she was inspired to begin documenting the evolution of French constitutional laws from ancient times. She had planned a fourth section describing the evolution of laws through the French Revolution but never finished it.

French Revolution With the French Revolution's Reign of Terror sweeping the country, the Lézardières suffered greatly. One brother, clergyman Jacques-Augustin was executed, and the family fled France seeking safety. The family's chateau, notably the Baron's library containing 20 years of Pauline's research, manuscripts and notes, was set on fire in 1791. Two more brothers were executed before the end of the Terror. But even during her exile, Lézardière continued to study history by visiting the library in Brussels to read works by Machiavelli.

Historical notes

According to Armenteros, "throughout her life, though, Lézardière remained loyal to the Bourbons." In a discussion of Lézardière's work by Fauré, she says the volumes defended the monarchy because [Lézardière] saw it as a "moderating institution formed around a prince responsible for ensuring harmony between different parts of the French nation." In one of her own writings, published only in 1927, Lézardière wrote, "The independence of the parlement with regard to the arbitrary power of kings is, of all prerogatives, the most precious to citizens. The security and stability of the Nation's judges are those of the Nation itself."

Selected works de Lézardière, Marie Charlotte Pauline Robert. Théorie des lois politiques de la monarchie française. Au comptoir des Imprimeurs-unis, 1844. Lézardière, Marie-Pauline, and Elie Carcassonne. Ecrits inedits de Mlle de Lézardière (Unpublished writings of Mlle Lézardière). Presses universitaires de France, 1927.