LANJUINAIS, JEAN DENIS, COMIC de, 1753-1827; b. Rennes,' France; named by the Parisians "iron head and lion heart." He made an early.success at the bar of Rennes; in 1775 became professor of ecclesiastical law and wrote treatises on the canonical legis lation of France. In 1789 he was deputy from Rennes to the slates-general, which soon after became the revolutionary national assembly. He entered with ardor into the reforms inaugurated by that body to lift the common people and to destroy the special privileges of classes, hut his opinions did not go much beyond a constitutional monarchy similar to that of England, to idea he maintained a theoretical adherence, though in the stormy history in which he took part he combated nearly every separate feature of the English system. Ile pronounced with energy against the l'rench nobility as ruseless para sites, nuisances to society, and demanded the suppression of all feudal rights and privi leges. He helped to start the Club Breton, which afterwards became 'the Jacobin club. in the assembly he demanded that the impertinent forrnulas—je vela., et ordonne whichLoins XVI. had continued to use in his messages to the assembly, should be diScon filmed. He was a member of the committee on ecclesiastical legislation, and was always considered a stout adherent of the Christian faith of the Jansenist shade. He supported the tithe to king ainrehurch as a divine right, and protested energetically against the seizure of the property of the clergy, yet denounced the nobility of Bretague, Dauphine, and Languedoc for their opposition to liberty, which " liberty" was then proceeding to confiscate their estates. He opposed and defeated Mirabean's motion to give the minis ters a consultative voice in the assembly. On June 10, 1790, Lanjuinais demanded the abolition of all titles; in May, 1791, the admission of colored men to all the rights of citi zenship; in Aug. that the king and prince should not continue to assume their titles, nor wear the insignia of rank. During that memorable session of the national assembly he took an energetic part in all its reformatory legislation, contributing especially to that affecting ecclesiastical establishments, and cherished the illusion that the church might be brought back to the early democracy of its faith and doctrines and become a coadju tor in national reforms. Lanjuinais was returned a member of the legislative assembly
which succeeded the national assembly Oct. 1, 1791; but the radical reform movement of which he had been a leader was now getting beyond his convictions, which gave the color of reaction to his part in the new assembly. The monarchy, crushed by his aid, he seemed to wish preserved. Energetic, brave, and obstinate, he attempted with curious contradictions of opinions to make head against the logic of events which was leading to a democratic republic. He joined with the eloquent Louvet and Barbaroux to denounce and oppose Robespierre, but sustained the motion to exile the Orleans family. He rose with courageous vehemence against the act of accusation of the king, against the right of the assembly to judge him, and against the forms employed, yet at last voted the king guilty under the accusation. He then voted for his banishment as the last means to save his life. In Feb., 1783, in the climax of Robespierre's power, he supported the decree against the participants in the massacre of the previous Sept, combated the establishment of a. revolutionary tribunal, attacked the commune of Paris, and faced the orators of the Jacobins in the assembly in the fiercest parliamentary battles of the memorable session which brought the Girondists to the guillotine. Often in per sonal danger, he clung to the-tribune by'main force, facdd all, answered all, and yielded nothing. When the brutal Legendre, who was by trade a butcher, threatened to hurl him from the tribune, he retorted—" Yes, obtain a decree that I am an ox, that you may club me." He was placed under arrest by the Jacobins, but escaped and concealed him self until the fall of Robespierre. He was returned to the assembly in 17t5, renewed the battle against the Jacobins, aided to remove the disabilities of exiled priests and emigres, and took part in the formation of the new constitution. During the prolonged despotism of Napoleon, Lanjuinais took a subordinate part in polities: but lie had little sympathy with the reactionary policy of the Bourbon restorations which followed. All these years till his death in Paris, he was unceasingly industrious in literary work, mostly on pamphlets, covering a wide range of subjects, legal, legislative, and historic.