Fouquier-TENVIL Kentin Antoine (Antoine-Quentin Fouquier-Tinville)

Antoine Kentin Fouquier-Tenvil (1746-1795) was born in a village near Eruel g. Saint-Quentin in Picardy in the family of small landowners. Early lost his father, but managed to get a good education, then entered the service of a scribe to the known at the time to judicial activist Kornyule. In 1774, Mr.. received permission to independently conduct business, and for 32400 livres bought as a prosecutor in Chatelet - one of the courts of Paris. Position prosecutor was considered honorable and would bring considerable income. According to the memoirs of one of his contemporaries, a young lawyer, was especially fond of ballet dancers, generously gave them money and not just because of them acknowledge the bitter fruits of debauchery ". After serving nine years, the prosecutor, Fouquier-Tenvil sold the position and started a private practice of law.

July 14, 1789, Mr.. (according to him, was not confirmed from other sources) Fouquier-Tenvil took part in the storming of the Bastille. After the fall of the monarchy July 10, 1792, when he was a distant relative of Camille Desmoulins was appointed General Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, he turned to him with an application for any position. The petition Fouquier-Tenvil is emphasized by their poverty and the need to include seven children. By patronage Desmoulins Fouquier-Tenvil was appointed clerk of criminal court established to deal with cases related to the coup of August 10. The courts did not last long - almost all of the defendants died during the "September's killings" in 1792, Mr.. In March 1793, Mr.. at a meeting of the Convention Fouquier-Tenvil was elected public prosecutor of the revolutionary tribunal (with a salary of 8000 livres per year).

Later Fouquier-Tenvil claimed that during the existence of a revolutionary tribunal passed through his hands on more than 2400 defendants. These include Marie Antoinette, the Girondins, his cousin, Camille Desmoulins, and Dantonists Hebertists. The vast majority of them were sentenced to death.

Five days after the overthrow of Robespierre, 14 Thermidor, 1794, Mr.. on the proposal Freron Convent a decree for the arrest Fouquier-Tenvilya. The public prosecutor, he was suddenly in the role of the accused, he was in jail Conciergerie. A few months later the trial. At trial, a former public prosecutor stayed confident and claimed that he only scrupulously observe the law, adopted by the convention. Despite the apparent perfection of this position, he was sentenced to death. The execution took place on May 7, 1795, Mr.. The crowd accompanied Fouquier-Tenvilya to the scaffold shouting, swearing and insults.
Bribes Fouquier-Tenvil not take, and left his family in poverty.