François-René de Chateaubriand
François-René, vicomte de Chateaubriand (4 September 1768 – 4 July 1848) was a French writer, politician, diplomat and historian who influenced French literature of the nineteenth century. Descended from an old aristocratic family from Brittany, Chateaubriand was a royalist by political disposition. In an age when large numbers of intellectuals turned against the Church, he authored the Génie du christianisme in defense of the Catholic faith. His works include the autobiography Mémoires d'Outre-Tombe ("Memoirs from Beyond the Grave"), published posthumously in 1849–1850.
François-René de Chateaubriand | |
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Chateaubriand Meditating on the Ruins of Rome (ca.1810s) by Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson. Oil on canvas. | |
| French Ambassador to the Papal States | |
| In office 4 January 1828 – 8 August 1829 | |
| Appointed by | Jean-Baptiste de Martignac |
| Preceded by | Adrien-Pierre de Montmorency-Laval |
| Succeeded by | Auguste de La Ferronays |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 28 December 1822 – 4 August 1824 | |
| Prime Minister | Jean-Baptiste de Villèle |
| Preceded by | Mathieu de Montmorency |
| Succeeded by | Hyacinthe Maxence de Damas |
| French Ambassador to the United Kingdom | |
| In office 22 December 1822 – 28 December 1822 | |
| Appointed by | Jean-Baptiste de Villèle |
| Preceded by | Antoine de Gramont |
| Succeeded by | Jules de Polignac |
| French Ambassador to Prussia | |
| In office 14 December 1821 – 22 December 1822 | |
| Appointed by | Jean-Baptiste de Villèle |
| Preceded by | Charles-François de Bonnay |
| Succeeded by | Maximilien Gérard de Rayneval |
| French Ambassador to Sweden | |
| In office 3 April 1814 – 26 September 1815 | |
| Appointed by | Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand |
| Member of the Académie française | |
| In office 1811–1848 | |
| Preceded by | Marie-Joseph Chénier |
| Succeeded by | Paul de Noailles |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 September 1768 Saint-Malo, Brittany, France |
| Died | 4 July 1848 (aged 79) Paris, France |
| Spouse |
Céleste Buisson de la Vigne
(m. 1792; died 1847) |
| Relations |
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| Profession | Writer, translator, diplomat |
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| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Kingdom of France |
| Branch/service | Armée des Émigrés |
| Years of service | 1792 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Battles/wars |
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| Writing career | |
| Period | 19th century |
| Genre | Novel, memoir, essay |
| Subject | Religion, exoticism, existentialism |
| Literary movement | Romanticism Conservatism |
| Years active | 1793–1848 |
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| Signature | |
| This article is part of a series on |
| Conservatism in France |
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Historian Peter Gay says that Chateaubriand saw himself as the greatest lover, the greatest writer, and the greatest philosopher of his age. Gay states that Chateaubriand "dominated the literary scene in France in the first half of the nineteenth century".