January 1, 1789
With the start of the new year, I have made a resolution to
write a diary. To start our relationship properly, I should introduce
myself. My name is Francois de Bettigner; I am a nobleman of a
highly-esteemed family and thus a member of the Second Estate.
My older brother Claude is a Roman Catholic priest and a member
of the First Estate. I am 17 year old Parisian and will turn 18
in three months. My father is the respected General Jacques de
Bettigner and my mother's name is Marie. We live on a large plot
of land in southern Paris. My father is helping to secure a commission
for me in the military once I reach the age of 18. I look forward
to this honorable occupation.
The present situation in France is quite disturbing. Members
of the Third Estate, all those who are not clergy or nobles, are
spewing the same words of "no taxation without representation"
that the British colonists in America used to start their revolution.1
The Third Estate wants rights equal to equal to nobles and clergy
and demand lower taille (taxes). The talk in Paris salons is
all about The Enlightenment. What rubbish when our monarchy has
worked so well! To think that these people want the same rights
as my grandfather earned as a military hero for France is preposterous.
My family has earned its exemption from taxation and preferred
positions in the military, government and the courts. What have
the commoners done to deserve similar rewards? Nothing. King
Louis XVI is no King George of England who let the upstart American
colonists rebel against the monarchy. We French will not let the
commoners rule us.
May 1, 1789
Today is my 18th birthday and my father was able secure me
a position in the military as an officer. I will dedicate my services
to the wishes of our King, Louis XVI. The King's challenges are
growing daily as some of my fellow aristocrats and members of
the bourgeoisie (wealthy Third Estate) are becoming supporters
of the Enlightenment and complaining about the monarchy. In fact,
the bourgeoisie simply do not want to pay more taxes to help out
our King meet the costs of his government. My first military
assignment is to command troops which keep the numerous demonstrations
of the commoners in check. I am pleased to have the opportunity
to show the uncivilized brutes where the true power lies. Since
my last entry, much has happened here. The rebellion of the Third
Estate has gained momentum. My valet tells me that the talk in
the street is filled with complaints about the cruelty and injustice
of the current system. Commoners say that the nobles and clergy
should also pay taxes. Imagine that! Meanwhile, the government
finances have nearly collapsed due to large expenditures of the
court on what some call luxuries such as Versailles and foreign
wars. So the common people are being taxed more and they claim
that they cannot pay these taxes and still feed their families.
June 25,1789
On May 5th, the King was forced to call a meeting of the Estates-General
at Versailles. Such a meeting has not been held since 1614. I
have been elected to be one of the 300 delegates representing
the Second Estate at the meeting. Our goal is to increase our
power by decreasing some of the privileges of the King and to
keep the Third Estate from gaining any rights. As each of the
three estates has one vote, we have teamed up with the clergy
and have been successful in outvoting the Third Estate 2 to 1.
The Third Estate wants "one man, one vote" to reflect
the wishes of such a large part of the population. They have even
called a National Assembly to create a new French constitution
for adoption. Upon my advice, and that of some of the other high
ranking members of the royal troops, the King has ordered the
use of force against these actions of the Third Estate.
October 8, 1789
We are all lost! The King's power has been crippled. On
July 14th, a mob of commoners took over the Hotel des Invalides
Armory1 and used its weapons to storm the Bastille, tearing it
down brick by brick despite our efforts to stop it. The royal
troops were no longer able to control the people and uprisings
occurred all over France. Without the fear of the troops attacking
them, and fearing that foreign allies of the King will bring in
troops to support his cause, the Third Estate has started to take
even more drastic steps. Seeing the power of the Third Estate,
many of my fellow officers and clergy joined them. I left the
streets and sought refuge on our family estate. The National Assembly
met again and proclaimed that the rights of landlords and the
fiscal privileges of nobles and clergy have been abolished. According
to their "Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen",
all men are equal and all can take part in the creation of laws.
It is official: the title of noble is no longer worth anything!
Even women are playing a part in this destruction of organized
French society. Armed with various weapons, many women marched
to Versailles and forced the King to accept the new decrees and
then brought him back to Paris where he is kept confined. Oh dear
god, my grandfather who earned nobility for our family must be
turning over in his grave! I feel as though I have been lifted
to the top of Notre Dame and then dropped, and I am still falling.
April 25, 1791
I am sorry I have not written in such a long time, but I have suffered greatly since I was expelled by the mob from our family estate. I am now staying with old friends outside of Paris. I am often hungry and depressed in the face of my loss of power and status. Where I was once respected, I am now shunned and where I was once feared I am laughed at. This is what has happened as a result of the Revolution. The National Assembly has now made their laws official by completing a new constitution. This constitution sets up a limited monarchy. What this means is that the King still retains his title, yet he has no real power. A Legislative Assembly will make the laws for France. The Third Estate has certainly made its mark. It seems to me that the commoners have definitely gotten the best of this whole arrangement. However, I still contend that they are not entitled to rights equal to those of nobles. This Revolution disgusts me!. My money is slowly running out as I continue to try to live in style, yet my income is drastically reduced.
July 1, 1794
I am now in hiding as a result of a chain of events that King
Louis XVI set into motion with his frantic escape attempt in June
of 1791. He was caught. Leaders of Prussia and Austria threatened
to use force to bring the King back to power. Offended by these
threats, the Legislative Assembly declared war on Austria in the
spring of 1792. The French fared horribly in the fighting and
frantically searched for a scapegoat. The blame fell mostly on
the imprisoned King. Seizing their opportunity, the newly elected
National Convention abolished the monarchy by executing the King
and establishing a republic. This execution enraged surrounding
countries and an informal coalition of Austria, Prussia, Spain,
Portugal, Britain, the Dutch Republic, and Russia declared war
against France. In order to meet these crises, the National Convention
gave great power to the Committee of Public Safety which was dominated
by Maximilien Robespierre. He was able to raise a huge army of
1,169,000 men by 1794 as a result of the overwhelming sense of
patriotism that the revolution had brought out in the common man.
After pushing the European coalition back, Robespierre turned
on the people he thought were traitors to the Revolution within
France. He has killed at least 25,000 men and women, many of whom
have been close friends of mine. Afraid that I would be next,
I have gone into hiding in the town of Le Mans, where I have not
yet been found. It is truly amazing that one man, Robespierre,
can get away with the cruel murder of thousands of men who did
nothing but believe in inherited rights of nobility. I am appalled!
If our King were still in power, he would have these slaughterers
killed, for that is what they deserve. My beloved royal France
is no more!
December 25, 1799
I have been living on meager portions of bread and water in
a cramped hut for the past 5 years. I have no source of income.
My land has been lost and my family has been killed by Robespierre.
Just yesterday, I spent my last coins. The few friends I have
in the town tell me that another change of leadership has taken
place. The new leader is named First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte
and as an admirer of the ideas of the Enlightenment which fueled
the Revolution, he supported the new equality of citizens by affirming
that "social distinctions may be based only upon general
usefulness."1 In these past few years, I have come to realize
that I will never see the day when the nobleman's rights are returned.
As a result, I have decided to volunteer to join Napoleon's army.
I expect to be given an officer's commission as a result of my
previous experience in the military. On my way there I will have
to beg for food. Imagine, a nobleman begging for food. What a
reversal! What injustice! What a tragedy!
January 12, 1800
I am now back in Paris. It is good to be back, yet it is so
different because I am not looked at with the same respect, nor
do I run into friends. I enlisted in Napoleon's army and I was
initially given the menial position of sergeant. I could not believe
that they would give a man with my experience such a low rank,
so I repeated my qualifications and upon hearing them, they downgraded
me to corporal. They must really dislike people of noble heritage.
However, I need the money and a roof over my head so I bear the
humiliation. The only special treatment that I received was a
brief, personal meeting with Colonel Appelier, an old friend of
my brother and a member of Napoleon's staff. He made it clear
to me that nobles are not given special privileges now in the
military, nor, indeed, anywhere in France. Napoleon has made it
clear not to expect to be automatically promoted because of former
noble status. In fact, in Napoleon's army, promotion is only based
on talent. Colonel Appelier characterized Napoleon as someone
who talks rather quickly and, though very short, is an imposing
character. He is a man with a mission which no one can keep him
from completing. He is a great man to have on one's side, but
a horrible foe.
January 1, 1812
I have not written in so long because I have been busy fighting
in many battles all across Europe in the name of France. I have
been shunned by my fellow soldiers for once being a noble, yet
I endure it just to receive money enough to maintain my pitiful
existence. Napoleon's army has changed the face of Europe. I must
admit that Napoleon is a great leader of men. He seems intelligent
and his strategies are sound. I have much respect for him, yet
this respect is lessened because he still contends that all men
are equal. Two major countries that France does not control in
Europe are Russia and England. England is an island nation and
its strong navy makes it nearly invincible. Therefore, Napoleon
has decreed his Continental System whereby England will not be
allowed to trade with continental Europe. A major flaw with this
plan is that he does not control trade with Russia. In order to
do so, Napoleon is considering invading Russia. Wherever he commands,
I will have to go.
January 24, 1813
For much of the past year, I have been trudging across the
vast expanses of Russia under the command of Napoleon. Russia
defied Napoleon's edict not to trade with England and Napoleon
was not to be defied. We marched through Russia, hoping to wipe
out the opponents with our shear numbers (600,000). The Russians
would not give battle and retreated through the countryside burning
villages to prevent us from looting them for food and supplies.
We saw our first real action at Borodino, and we won the battle,
but the victory was empty as the prize of the victory, Moscow,
was also burned and deserted by the Russians. We had conquered
an empty capital and were forced to retreat to France. This retreat
was the worst months of my life. We walked through temperatures
well below freezing. We had not come prepared for winter conditions
as we had expected a victory within twenty days. Our mouths froze
shut, our breath froze when we talked, our toes stuck together,
and our hair took on the appearance of icicles. More than 500,000
men died in this horrific return from frostbite, starvation as
well as illness. I was lucky to survive. Frostbite was detected
in my toes at an early enough stage so that I could live if they
were amputated. So, I had to make the rest of the already difficult
journey back without my right toes by use of a makeshift wooden
crutch. We paid a terrible price for Napoleon's ambition. He was
so focused on complete domination that he did not remember that
he already had complete control over almost all of Europe. Now
this overzealousness may cost him his whole empire. For my part,
I hope he is overthrown by a coalition of European powers that
will reinstate a French monarch who will bring back the deserved
rights of the nobles.
January 31, 1816
These words come from me on my deathbed. I am dictating this
to my caring nurse because I am too weak to write myself. My amputated
toes have become infected and the infection has spread up my leg.
The doctor has told me I am to die soon. First, I should inform
you of our present political situation. Seeing that Napoleon's
army was weakened by the failed invasion of Russia, many European
states revolted and captured Paris in March of 1814. They exiled
Napoleon to the island of Elba however he returned to take power
for 100 days. He was then defeated at Waterloo by the Duke of
Wellington and his troops and sent to live on the small and forsaken
island of St. Helena in the south Atlantic. Louis XVIII, the brother
of the executed Louis XVI, has assumed the throne.
There is much I want to tell you for a man sees things differently
when he knows he is about to die. In my lifetime, I have been
a member of the noble class and lived as a peasant as well. My
life as a nobleman was luxurious but now I realize it was at the
expense of the peasants. When I lived like a peasant I spent
my time following another's commands or simply surviving. I have
come to understand the true motivation of the Revolution - the
inherent equality of all men. This, upon reflection, is a right
which no government should deny. If I had not been so haughty
and spoiled at the beginning of this movement, I would have realized
the true meaning behind the Revolution's slogan "liberty,
equality and fraternity."2 If I had embraced the concepts
behind the Revolution earlier, I could have played a more positive
role in the history of France. Instead of antagonizing the Third
Estate, I could have risen among their ranks by truly earning
respect, not simply by relying on my family name. Every life
is valuable and no life should be sacrificed at the discretion
of the powerful. Therefore, I now believe that the Revolution
has been a worthy event in the history of France. It will leave
this country a better place. And so now as I am about to die,
I hope to be remembered not by my nobleman's delusions, but rather
by the words I have dictated when I was more enlightened.
Bibliography
1. Berberi, Daliver. Traveler's French Dictionary. Wilton,
CT : Cortina Learning International, Inc, 1993
2. "France, history of : The Causes of the French Revolution" Dated Nov. 2000. Viewed 19 Nov. 2000 <http://www.eb.com:180/bol>
3. Grove, Noel. Atlas of World History. Washington, D.C. : National Geographic Society, 1997
4. "Western Civilization: Prejudice and Pride, Peace and War" Dated Oct. 2000. Viewed 19 Nov. 2000 <http://www.omnibusol.com/westernciv.html>