Armand de Kersaint (29 July 1742-4 December 1793) was a Vice Admiral of the French Navy and a Girondin politician during the French Revolution.
Biography[]
Armand de Kersaint was born in Paris, France in 1742, the son of Guy Francois Coetnempren de Kersaint. He joined the French Navy in 1755 and distinguished himself during the Seven Years' War before becoming a captain in 1779 and fighting in the Caribbean theatre of the American Revolutionary War. He embraced reform on the outbreak of the French Revolution and published a pamphlet inspired by Thomas Paine. Kersaint served in the Legislative Assembly as a deputy for Seine and supported naval reform, and he supported The Mountain in deposing Louis XVI before being sent to inspect the Armee du Centre at the start of the French Revolutionary Wars. He later represented Seine-et-Oise in the National Convention and was promoted to Vice Admiral in 1793. He defected to the Girondins and resigned after Louis XVI's death penalty was not allowed to be appealed by the people. His attacks on Jean-Paul Marat led to his arrest and execution during the Reign of Terror.