Malesherbes

1721 - 1794

Malesherbes was a leading Ancien Régime politician and friend of leading Enlightenment figures, and his protection was instrumental in the publication of the Encyclopédie.

Caught up in the turbulence of the French Revolution, he defended the king before the Convention, and was guillotined two years later by the revolutionaries. He had his origins at the Château de Malesherbes near Pithiviers - a fine example of an Ancien Régime aristocratic residence.