Jean-Denis, comte Lanjuinais
Date of Birth
March 12, 1753
Date of Death
January 13, 1827
About
A professor of ecclesiastical law from Rennes, Jean-Denis Lanjuinais represented the Third Estate in 1789 and helped draft the Civil Constitution of the Clergy, which aligned dioceses with departments and made bishops and parish priests elective. Elected to the Convention for Ille-et-Vilaine, he defended the Commission of Twelve and on 2 June 1793 opposed demands for the arrest of named deputies before being arrested himself. He escaped and remained hidden in Rennes until after 9 Thermidor. Restored to the Convention on 8 March 1795, he later served in the Council of Ancients, the Senate and the Chamber of Peers.