Germaine de Staël

1766–1817

Nationality: Swiss

Historical Period: The 19th Century

Madame Germaine de Staël (née Necker) (1766-1817) was the daughter of the last Controller-General of France before the Revolution and was famous for her novels, social analysis, and history writing. She played an active role in French politics during the 1790s until she ran afoul of Napoleon. Her salon at the family estate on Lake Geneva, “Coppet”, was a center for liberal opposition to Napoleon and included Benjamin Constant. She wrote one of the first histories of the French Revolution, defending the principles of 1789 and limited constitutional government.

• Author: Des circonstances actuelles qui peuvent terminer la Révolution et des principes qui doivent fonder la république en France
• Author: Considerations on the Principal Events of the French Revolution (LF ed.)
• Author: Considérations sur les principaux événemens de la Révolution française, 3 vols.