Jean-Marie Calès (; 13 October 1757 – 13 April 1834) was a French medical doctor and left-wing politician amid the French Revolution. He was born in Cessales, Haute-Garonne and died in Liège, Belgium.
Biography Jean-Marie Calès was a deputy of Haute-Garonne at the two first republican assemblies in French history, the National Convention from 1792 to 1795 and the Council of Five Hundred from 1795 to 1798, and a member as well of the Committee of General Security in 1795.Biography of Jean-Marie Calès on the Website of the French National Assembly: http://www2.assemblee-nationale.fr/sycomore/fiche/(num_dept)/12960 He was also appointed Representative on mission by the Convention between 1793 and 1795 and sent to the départements of Ardennes, of Côte D'Or and of Doubs. He retired from political life in 1798, before being banned from the French territory as regicide under the Restoration of monarchy in 1816.
Although having voted for the death of King Louis XVI, the representative of the Mountain Calès was however a moderate revolutionary. Nourished by the renovating ideas characterizing the pre-revolutionary Age of Enlightenment, he did not support any of the radical measures taken during the Reign of Terror and even pronounced himself against Robespierre during the events of the 9 Thermidor. His parliamentary activity was particularly characterized by his reforming vision of society and of the institutions, which was particularly reflected in his innovative proposals on the future constitutions (Constitution of Year I and Constitution of Year III), on public education and on the place of women in the new society. As a Representative on mission, he was also very effective in the administrative work of organization, logistics, law enforcement and industrial development in the regions. Until his last hours,See below his letter to his nephew sent in 1733 from exile in Liège, only one year before his death. he never betrayed his republican and humanist ideals and maintained a constant hostility towards the scornful nobility and the obscurantist clergy, as well as a fine understanding of the difficulties of the people.« Le Conventionnel Jean-Marie Calès (1757–1834): du Lauragais à Liège. » by Pierre Arches, Actes des 115e et 116e Congrès nationaux des Soc. savantes, Avignon, 1990 et Chambéry, 1991, Section d'H. moderne et cont., T. II, (1992), pp. 225–232. His republican heritage will be preserved throughout the whole 19th century in Haute-Garonne through the political work of his nephew Godefroy Calès, then of his grand-nephew Jean-Jules-Godefroy Calès, both Republicans representatives at the National Assemblies of 1848 and from 1885.
He married, in October 1793, Marie-Sylphide Anne Poupardin (widow of Gabriel-Étienne Poupardin du Rivage d'Orléans), born Chardron, in Sedan in 1768 and deceased in 1828 in Liège, in exile alongside her husband Calès, with whom she had no children.
Calès died also in Liège in exile, six years later, on 13 April 1834, at the age of 76.
Youth Jean-Marie Calès, « son of Jean Calès, alderman of Caraman, and of damsel Jeanne Rochas » was born on 13 October 1757 in Cessales, a small village in the region of Lauragais near Toulouse. Jean-Marie was the eldest son of 10 siblings,The Calès siblings consisted of:
1) Jean-Marie (16/10/1757-Cessales; † 13/04/1834-Liège), Physician and Deputy. Without descendants.
2) Jean (08/11/1764-Caraman; † 11/10/1840-Mazamet), Physician and Inspector General of Military Hospitals, married to Marianne Louise Victorine Fournier (?; † 09/02/1744-Villefranche). Father of Godefroy Calès (1799–1868) and Louis Denis Godefroy Calès (1800–?)
3) Jean-Louis, known as Figeac (19/12/1766-?; † 14/01/1850-Cessales), Physician, married (in 1839, at 73 years old) to Paule Bonnet (16/05/1783-Renneville, †?). Without descendants.
4) Jean-Chrysostôme (27/01/1769-Caraman; † 21/08/1853-Cessales), Colonel and Baron of the Empire. Without descendants.
5) Jean Joseph Etienne Victorin (26/04/1772-?; † 16/06/1853-Cessales), Military Officer. Without descendants.
6) Jean Joseph
7) Etienne, known as Petit (21/08/1773-?; † 22/01/1855-Cessales), Unmarried, without profession. Without descendants.
8) Jean
9) Marie Etiennette (? -Caraman; † 08/01/1849-Villefranche), married to Jean-Paul Pujol, Notary in Villefranche († 01/02/1840-Villefranche). Mother of Constantine Pujol († 1861) and Marie Justine Pujol (1796–1894).
10) Marie Justine (? -Toulouse; † 05/09/1873-Villefranche), married to Constantin Pujol († 10/06/1844-Villefranche). Without descendants. and had two sisters and seven younger brothers. Several of his siblings were also prominent, including the second oldest brother, Jean Calès (1764–1840), who became Inspector-General of military hospitals, Jean-Chrysostôme Calès (1769–1853), the fourth oldest, who became colonel in the Great Army and baron of the 1st Empire (and also representative at the ephemeral Chamber of Representatives created by Napoleon during the period of the Hundred Days in 1815), and Jean Joseph Etienne Victorin Calès (1772–1853), the fifth oldest, who became a military officer. Their parents were landowners of Lauragais, from old Protestant families rooted in the region and forced to convert to Catholicism after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes issued by King Louis XIV in 1685.« Le Conventionnel Jean-Marie Calés (1757–1834): du Lauragais à Liège. » by Pierre Arches, Actes des 115e et 116e Congrès nationaux des Soc. savantes, Avignon, 1990 et Chambéry, 1991, Section d'H. moderne et cont., T. II, (1992), pp. 225–232. In French.
On the death of his father in 1785, Jean-Marie enrolled at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Toulouse. As a doctor, he settled down and practiced medicine in the small town of Revel (Haute-Garonne). He quickly became one of the correspondents of the Academy of Arras and wrote an « Art of Healing ».Departmental Archives of Haute-Garonne, L 4157, meeting of 27 October 1791. in Pierre Arches (1992), cit. op. He became at that time a fervent supporter of the Revolution, and was charged with performing administrative duties, including that of Procureur-syndic (magistrate who appeared during the French Revolution) of Revel, before being elected, on 9 September 1791, Administrator of the department of Haute-Garonne.Departmental Archives of Haute-Garonne, L 4157 and 1 L 551, p. 15. in Pierre Arches (1992), cit. op. But he refused this last position and, in his place, the electors chose his younger brother Jean Calès (1764–1840). Jean-Marie was also a member of the Society of the Friends of the Constitution (commonly known as the Jacobin Club) of Revel between 1791 and 1792.Departmental Archives of Haute-Garonne, 2 E 686. in Pierre Arches (1992), cit. op.
Under the National Convention
Installation of the Republic Jean-Marie Calès ran in the legislative elections of 6 September 1792 and was elected deputyelected with 348 votes over 690. at the National Convention by the department of Haute-Garonne. At the age of 34, he was the youngest of the 12 elected representatives of the departement.The results of this election: in J. Godechot « La Révolution française dans le Midi toulousain », Toulouse, 1986, p. 160-163; in Pierre Arches (1992), Cit. op. These legislative elections, the first experience of universal suffrage in French History, were held in an extremely tense national context, less than a month only after the Insurrection of 10 August 1792 (attack and take of the Royal Palace of the Tuileries by the armed Parisians, or the «Second Revolution») and under the imminent threat of the Austrian and Prussian troops led by the Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, which were marching on Paris to «free» King Louis XVI (who had been arrested and suspended during the journée of August 10), and to restore the absolute monarchy.
During its first session held in the Salle du Manège (the indoor riding academy hall, seat of deliberations during most of the French Revolution since 1789) on 21 September 1792 (the day following the victory of the French troops at the battle of Valmy), the National Convention proclaimed the Abolition of Royalty. The next day, 22 September 1792, it proclaimed the French First Republic by decree. Hence from this day, all public bills will be dated from « Year I » of the Republic.
Calès joined the political group of the « Mountain » (French: La Montagne, whose members sat on the highest benches of the Assembly), which was considered as the most radical group of the assembly and was led by personalities such as Georges Danton, Jean-Paul Marat, and Maximilien Robespierre. This group was notably opposing the group of the Girondist representatives.
Trials of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie-Antoinette
When the Convention organised the Trial of Louis XVI, held between 10 and 26 December 1792, Calès published his « Opinion on the judgment of the king »,See « Opinion du citoyen Jean-Marie Calès, député du département de la Haute-Garonne, sur le jugement de Louis XVI. Imprimée par ordre de la Convention Nationale » (1792). In French. and then voted on 15 January 1793 « yes »Details of the vote of the Citizen Jean-Marie Calès available on the french Wikipédia page: Votes sur la mort de Louis XVI. Answers: 1° "YES" to « Is Louis Capet guilty of conspiracy against public liberty and guilty of attacks against the general security of the State, yes or no? » 2° "NO" to « Will the judgment of the National Convention against Louis Capet be submitted to People's ratification, yes or no? » 3° "DEATH" to « What punishment will be inflicted on Louis ? » 4° "NO" to « Will there be a stay to the execution of the judgment of Louis Capet ? » to the immediate Death of the King, without suspension nor ratification by the people. He notably declared solemnly to the Assembly: .at the 3rd roll call, to the question: "What punishment will be inflicted on Louis?" " This vote of Calès will be later reported in « Ninety-Three », the last novel written by Victor Hugo:
The king will be sentenced to death by an extremely narrow majority: 365 votes against 356, and then, after recounting the votes the next day: 361 against 360. He would be guillotined a few days later, on 21 January 1793, on Revolution's Square.