Notable people from Metz
editNotable people born in or near Metz (sorted by category):
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Notable people linked to the city of Metz
editNotable people linked to Metz (sorted by chronology):
- Hermann von Münster (ca. 1330–1392), Westphalian master glassmaker who realized the western windows of the Saint-Stephen cathedral and was honoured, buried into the cathedral for his artworks.
- François Rabelais (ca. 1494–1553), French Renaissance writer, doctor and Renaissance humanist, came in 1546 to Metz, then a free imperial city and a republic, to escape the condemnation for heresy by the University of Paris.
- Ambroise Paré (ca. 1510–1590), French surgeon, participated to the defense of Metz during the siege of 1552-1553. The journal of the siege of Metz in 1552 reports: "Although born in Laval in the province of Maine, he is regarded as belonging to our pays because of his participation in this memorable action."
- Francis of Lorraine, Duke of Guise (1519–1563), French statesman. Appointed governor of Metz by King Henri II, he successfully defended the city from the forces of Emperor Charles V during the siege of 1552-1553.
- Cardinal Mazarin (1602–1661), French-Italian cardinal, diplomat, and politician, Bishop of Metz between 1652 and 1658.
- Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet (1627–1704), French bishop and theologian, nominated archdeacon in Metz in 1654.
- Charles Louis Auguste Fouquet, duc de Belle-Isle (1684–1761), French general and statesman, governor of the Three Bishoprics and benefactor of the city of Metz. He participated to the edification of the Petit-Saulcy island's buildings including the opera house and the prefecture palace, and the buildings of the town square. Just before his death, he stated: "The city of Metz is my mistress."
- Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette (1757–1834), French aristocrat and military officer, general in the American Revolutionary War, and leader of the Garde Nationale during the French Revolution, garrison's officer in Metz in 1775.
- Pierre François Joseph Durutte (1767–1827), French divisional general during the Napoleonic Wars, in charge of the defense of Metz against the Sixth Coalition. As rumor was spreading that Metz surrendered during the siege, Emperor Napoleon asked who was in charge of its defense. When Napoleon knew that General Durutte was in command, he claimed: "Then, Metz is still ours." Indeed, Metz did resist until the abdication of the emperor.
- Michel Ney (1769–1815), Marshal of France, received his military education in the hussar's regiment of Metz.
- Alexis de Tocqueville (1805–1859), French political thinker and historian, lived and studied in Metz between 1817 and 1823.
- François Achille Bazaine (1811–1888), French general who surrendered the city during the Franco-Prussian War, condemned afterward for treachery in negotiating with and capitulating to the enemy.
- Heinrich Göring (1838–1913), German jurist and diplomat, lived in Metz between 1873 and 1885.
- Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900), German philosopher who participated to the siege of Metz during the Franco-Prussian War.
- Günther von Kluge (1882–1944), German Generalfeldmarschall, committed suicide near Metz.
- George Smith Patton, Jr. (1885–1945), American general who victoriously led the US Army during the Battle of Metz of the Second World War.
- Robert Schuman (1886–1963), Luxembourgish-born French statesman regarded as one of the founders of the European Union, the Council of Europe, and NATO, member of the municipal council of Metz during the interwar period.
- Joachim von Ribbentrop (1893–1946), Foreign Minister of Germany, lived and studied in Metz between 1904 and 1908.
- Adrienne Thomas (pseudonym for Hertha Adrienne Strauch) (1897–1980), German writer, major representative of humanism and pacifism perspectives in Europe during the interwar period. Born in annexed Moselle, she grew up in Metz and remained attached to the city and her native land, despite the vicissitudes of her life due to the first and second world wars, and the Nazi persecution.[1]
- Jean Moulin (1899–1943), French resistant, died in Metz while on a train in transit towards Germany.
- Valentín González (1904–1983), Spanish Republican military commander during the Spanish Civil War who lived in exil in Metz between 1963 and 1978.
- Jean-Marie Pelt (1933), French botanist, founder of the European Institute for Ecology in Metz and member of the municipal council of Metz from 1971 to 1983.
- Robert Pires (1973), 1998 FIFA World Cup and 2000 UEFA European champion footballer, who played for the FC Metz between 1992 and 1998.
- Aurélie Filippetti (1973), French novelist and politician, elected at the French National Assembly by the constituency of Metz.
References
edit- ^ Adrienne Thomas, le fantôme oublié de la gare de Metz. Jacques Gandebeuf. Ed Serpenoise 2009.