Thomas de Treil de Pardailhan

The French Revolution marks a rupture with his milieu: in support of deep social reform, he was elected député for Paris in 1791 to the Legislative Assembly, but always remained attached to the idea of a constitutional monarchy and was imprisoned as a suspect during the Reign of Terror.

Ruined by bad business dealings under the Directory and by sources of income he had lost in the Revolution, he ended his life at his château at Pardailhan in 1822.

The King had to cut his expenditures as a national bankruptcy threatened, tax reforms were enforced and the gendarme de la garde was dissolved.

As early as the first events of 1789 Thomas-François engaged with passion in political life – he was made a delegate in March that year by the representatives of the Three Estates of Saint-Pons, to support the writing of a constitution.

In 1800, ruined, he rallied to Napoleon's new regime but, pursued by his creditors, in 1806 he went into self-imposed exile in Milan in Italy, from where he learnt of the expropriation of domaine of Pardailhan by his own brother Alexandre.