Paul-Louis Courier (1772–1825)

Paul-Louis Courier (1772–1825), after being a comparatively discreet critic of Napoleon in his letters, became a scourge of the Restoration Establishment, both secular and clerical, in pamphlets which he published from 1816 onwards. His writings were incendiary enough to attract death threats, two prosecutions, and one term of imprisonment. Unlike other pamphleteers, he was concerned with defending the rights and material security of the humble, particularly the smallholders who had bought land