Renaud de Cartelège ("Le Préfet")
French politician, writer and Cordelier ideologist
Date of Birth: December 29th, 1748 (42 years old)
Estate: Third
Religion: Catholic
Culture: Parisian
Bio: Renaud de Cartelège was born and raised in the Cordeliers district in Paris. Although highly educated, he chose to join the Parisian police force, eventually becoming chief of the Cordelier praefecture. In this capacity, Prefect De Cartelège was confronted with not only the impoverished neighbourhood, but also with revolutionary thinkers who would later style themselves, the “Cordeliers”. Impressed, he wrote several novels under the pseudonym “Le Préfet” (the Prefect), inspired by the inequity and harsh treatment he witnessed every day.
Prefect De Cartelège was often seen on the streets of his neighbourhood, and generally liked by its inhabitants. Although he was feared for his merciless handling of criminals and - some say - political opponents, the Prefect often turned a blind eye to those who criticised his superiors. In July 1789, this became all too apparent: he was fired for standing by and doing nothing while hundreds of Cordeliers stormed the Bastille.
Left without a job, Renaud de Cartelège turned to what he had always done best. He joined politics as a member of the Cordeliers.
French politician, writer and Cordelier ideologist
Date of Birth: December 29th, 1748 (42 years old)
Estate: Third
Religion: Catholic
Culture: Parisian
Bio: Renaud de Cartelège was born and raised in the Cordeliers district in Paris. Although highly educated, he chose to join the Parisian police force, eventually becoming chief of the Cordelier praefecture. In this capacity, Prefect De Cartelège was confronted with not only the impoverished neighbourhood, but also with revolutionary thinkers who would later style themselves, the “Cordeliers”. Impressed, he wrote several novels under the pseudonym “Le Préfet” (the Prefect), inspired by the inequity and harsh treatment he witnessed every day.
Prefect De Cartelège was often seen on the streets of his neighbourhood, and generally liked by its inhabitants. Although he was feared for his merciless handling of criminals and - some say - political opponents, the Prefect often turned a blind eye to those who criticised his superiors. In July 1789, this became all too apparent: he was fired for standing by and doing nothing while hundreds of Cordeliers stormed the Bastille.
Left without a job, Renaud de Cartelège turned to what he had always done best. He joined politics as a member of the Cordeliers.