Vies du comte de Plélo. Infortune d’un héros breton

Charles Louis de La Vieuville et Victor Riquetti de Mirabeau, Vies du comte de Plélo. Infortune d’un héros breton, edition presented by Catherine Hémon-Fabre and Pierre-Eugène Leroy, preface by John Rogister, August 2023, 514 p., 16.5 × 24 cm, €30 (ISBN: 978-2-7535-9210- 0).

Abstract

Suicide, heroism or madness, treason: the death of Louis R. H. de Bréhan de Plélo, on 27 May 1734 at the siege of Danzig sparked much debate. To gain greater insight, a number of historians have since studied his career with the aid of family papers and documents conserved at the Archives, particularly in the Foreign Affairs section. But the two texts “Vie de Plélo” written by Charles L. M. de La Vieuville and Victor Riquetti de Mirabeau, remained unpublished since the 18^th century. These texts offering two contrasting views of the life and death of the same figure – entangling memories and reconstruction post mortem – from the accounts of close friends of the count and his wife Louise Fr. de La Vrillière, are contained in this edition and supplemented by extensive original documents.

Catherine Hémon-Fabre studies 17^th-18^th century correspondence, memoires and travel writings. She published L’enchantement des chagrins, poésies complètes de Mme Deshoulières (Bartillat, 2005) and La Vieuville, Mémoires et œuvres diverses (Champion, 2007) with Pierre Leroy.

Pierre-Eugène Leroy has published several exchanges of correspondence (Rivet/Sarrau/Saumaise, Mme de Maintenon, Boileau/Racine); the Chronicle by Nicolas Pithou (1998-2000); a publication on sculpture in the Champagne region in the 16^th century (2009).

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