Benjamin Constant

Henri-Benjamin Constant de Rebecque, or simply Benjamin Constant, was a Swiss-French political thinker, activist and writer on political theory and religion.

A committed republican from 1795, he backed the coup d'état of 18 Fructidor, and the following one on 18 brumaire,. During the Consulat, in 1800 he became the leader of the Liberal Opposition. Having upset Napoleon and left France to go to Switzerland then to the Kingdom of Saxony, he nonetheless sided with Napoleon during the Hundred Days and became politically active again during the French Restoration. He was elected Député in 1818 and remained in post until his death in 1830. Head of the Liberal opposition, known as Indépendants, he was one of the most notable orators of the Chamber of Deputies of France, as a proponent of the parliamentary system. During the July Revolution, he was a supporter of Louis Philippe I ascending the throne.