Isidore Plaisant was born on 23 september 1795 in Brussels and died there on 10 may 1836. He is the son of the merchant Jean Joseph Plaisant and Marie Rose Buchet.
After starting studies in Brussels, he left to continue his training in law in Bologna in 1815 thanks to a grant awarded by the Jean Jacobs Foundation. He finished his studies at the Archigymnasio della Sapienza in Rome, where he also became principal-regent at the Saint-Julien des Flamands hospice. He obtained his doctorate in law with distinction.. In 1816, he presents a dissertation to the Royal Academy of the Netherlands entitled Memory of famous men from Belgium who visited Italy, on the monuments and memories they left there.
Back in Brussels, he began his career as a lawyer. However, government decrees which make the use of Dutch compulsory in courts and tribunals no longer allow him to plead and he is thus prohibited from entering the bar. In 1829, he embarked on the project of founding a Higher School of Commerce and Industry in Brussels. This comes into existence in January 1830 and Plaisant teaches commercial law there.
During the Belgian revolution, Plaisant takes an active part in events by getting involved from August 1830 in the Bourgeois Guard in Brussels. He is one of Baron d'Hoogvorst's aides-de-camp and is responsible for the security of the city.. The 30 september 1830, Plaisant joins the ranks of the judiciary as advocate general at the Superior Court of Justice in Brussels. However, he was granted leave so that he could devote himself entirely to his task as administrator of Public Security. ; function to which the provisional government called him 16 october 1830 as a reward for the zeal and sagacity he demonstrated during this troubled period. He remains in this function until 1is april 1831.
By order of 4 october 1832, he is appointed advocate general at the newly created Court of Cassation. Alexandre Gendebien was called to the function of attorney general of this same court but, following his refusal, Plaisant held this position ad interim from 13 october 1832, becoming de facto the first prosecutor general of the Court of Cassation of Belgium. Pleasant must wait until 30 may 1834 to see his situation at the head of the cassation prosecutor's office regularized.
During the founding of the Free University of Belgium in Brussels, he is in charge of the national and international public law course as an extraordinary professor. Plaisant was one of those who wanted from September 1831 see the creation of a free university in Brussels.
Isidore Plaisant also participates in the development of numerous works. Among others, we can quote From the study of the positive law of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (1828), The Belgian Constitution annotated (1832), or even the Dictionary of usual legislation (1835). He is also the founder of the Pasinomie in 1834 considered a “heroicum opus”.
His numerous works damaged his health and he died of apoplexy in Brussels on 10 may 1836.
Liberal leaning, Isidore Plaisant was a Freemason since 1823. During the revolutionary unrest, he formed with Vandermeere in November 1830 the Lodge “The Union of Peoples”, in Brussels, where they receive Charles Rogier and Félix de Mérode.
He is a knight of the Order of the Golden Spur (probably towards 1815) and knight of the Order of Leopold the 12 july 1835. He was also decorated with the Iron Cross in April 1835.
Sources:
- Jules DE LE COURT, “Pleasant Isidore”, in National biography, t. 17, Brussels, Royal Academy of Sciences, of Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium, 1903, col. 706-711.
- Isidore PLAISANT, “Memory on the famous men of Belgium who visited Italy, on the monuments and memories they left there”, in History and archeology review, t. IV, 1864, p. 200-203. [Biographical note on Isidore Plaisant produced by Ch. RUELENS]
- “Funeral speech delivered at the grave of the deceased by Eugène Defacqz”, in Bulletin of judgments of the Court of Cassation, 1835-1836.
- “In memoriam pronounced by the first president Étienne de Gerlache”, in Bulletin of judgments of the Court of Cassation, 1835-1836.
Julien Charlier
Notice written as part of the Seminar on the History of the Contemporary Period of the Catholic University of Louvain (LHIST2280, teacher Emmanuel Debruyne).