Pierre Paul Royer-Collard

Pierre Paul Royer-Collard (1763–1845) was a prominent French statesman and philosopher, notable for his leadership of the Doctrinaires group during the Bourbon Restoration. Born in Sompuis, Champagne, he was the son of Anthony Royer and Angélique Perpétue Collard. His brother, Antoine-Athanase Royer-Collard, was a physician and pioneer in psychiatry. Royer-Collard studied mathematics at Saint-Omer College. At the outbreak of the French Revolution, he was a practicing lawyer in Paris and served as secretary of the Commune from 1790 to 1792. His sympathies lay with the Girondins, and he narrowly escaped arrest after the insurrection of May 31, 1793. In 1797, he was elected to the Council of the Five Hundred. Following the Coup of 18 Fructidor, he retreated from public life and devoted himself to philosophy, opposing Condillac's philosophy and drawing inspiration from Descartes and the fathers of Port-Royal. He developed his legitimist opinions during this period. From 1811 to 1814, he lectured at the Sorbonne and was influenced by Scottish philosopher Thomas Reid. He became a close associate of François Guizot. During the Bourbon Restoration, he served as supervisor of the press and, from 1815, as a deputy for Marne. As president of the commission of public instruction (1815-1820), he opposed clerical influence. Royer-Collard was a central figure in the Doctrinaires, a political group that included Guizot and others. He was excluded from the Council of State in 1820 but was later elected to the Chamber of Deputies multiple times. He served as president of the chamber in 1828 and played a role in opposing the reactionary policies that led to the Revolution of July. Although he accepted the legitimist principle, he advocated for the preservation of the social revolution of 1789 and opposed laws of exception. He maintained a respectful attitude towards the Church and commented positively on the institution of the Jesuits. Royer-Collard married Augustine Marie Rosalie de Forges de Chãtaeubrun in 1800 and had four children. He died at his estate of Châteauvieux.