Joseph de Maistre was a Savoyard lawyer and diplomat whose career spanned the tumult of the French Revolution and the subsequent restoration of European monarchies. Born in 1753 in Chambéry, he served the Kingdom of Sardinia in various capacities, ultimately becoming a central figure in the Counter-Enlightenment by advocating for absolute papal and monarchical authority.
Early Career and Education
Educated at the University of Turin, where he completed his law degree in 1774, Maistre initially followed a traditional path within the Savoyard aristocracy. He became a senator in 1787, serving in the Savoy Senate until 1792. During these early years, he was associated with the progressive Scottish Rite Masonic lodge and expressed sympathy for the American Revolution before the political landscape of Europe shifted drastically.
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The French invasion of Chambéry in 1792 forced Maistre into exile, marking a definitive shift in his political outlook. Residing in Lausanne, he began his work as a counter-revolutionary writer. In texts like the 1796 Considerations on France, he characterized the revolution as a divine retribution for Enlightenment skepticism. He rejected human-made constitutions, viewing them as mere scraps of paper compared to structures ordained by God.
Diplomatic Service and Later Life
In 1802, Maistre began a long tenure as an ambassador to the Russian Empire, representing the King of Piedmont-Sardinia at the court of Tsar Alexander I. He remained in Saint Petersburg until 1817, at which point he returned to Turin to serve as a minister of state. He held this position until his death on 26 February 1821, and he remains buried in the Jesuit Church of the Holy Martyrs.
Fast facts
- Born: 1753, Chambéry
- Died: 26 February 1821, Turin
- Education: University of Turin
- Primary citizenship: Kingdom of Sardinia
- Diplomatic posting: Saint Petersburg (1803–1817)
- Positions: Ambassador, minister of state, senator
- Religion: Catholicism
Questions readers ask
What was Joseph de Maistre’s view on the French Revolution?
He believed the revolution was a form of divine punishment for the rejection of Christianity and argued that it led directly to the chaos of the Reign of Terror.
Did Maistre support written constitutions?
No, he argued that political institutions were not the product of human reason and that written constitutions were ineffective compared to those developed through historical and divine maturity.
Achievements
- ambassador
- Educated at University of Turin
