Antoine-Christophe Merlin de Thionville
Date of Birth
September 13, 1762
Date of Death
September 14, 1833
About
An advocate from Thionville, Merlin was elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1791 and the Convention in 1792. Sent to the Rhine as a representative on mission, he urged Louis XVI’s execution in a letter from Mainz and took an active part in the city’s defence during the Prussian siege. After its capitulation, he accompanied the released garrison to the Vendée and joined its campaign there. On 9 Thermidor he helped organise action against Robespierre and the Paris Commune. He later sat on the Committee of General Security and the Council of Five Hundred, became director-general of posts in 1798 and left public office in 1799.