Global InformationMaximilien Robespierre information
Maximilien Robespierre | |
|---|---|
 c. 1790, Musée Carnavalet | |
| Member of the Committee of Public Safety | |
| In office 27 July 1793 – 27 July 1794 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas-Augustin de Gasparin |
| Succeeded by | Jacques Nicolas Billaud-Varenne |
| In office 25 March 1793 – 3 April 1793 Member of Committee of General Defence | |
| 24th President of the National Convention | |
| In office 4 June 1794 – 19 June 1794 | |
| Preceded by | Claude-Antoine Prieur-Duvernois |
| Succeeded by | Élie Lacoste |
| In office 22 August 1793 – 7 September 1793 | |
| Preceded by | Marie-Jean Hérault de Séchelles |
| Succeeded by | Jacques-Nicolas Billaud-Varenne |
| Deputy of the National Convention | |
| In office 20 September 1792 – 27 July 1794 | |
| Constituency | Paris |
| Deputy of the National Constituent Assembly | |
| In office 9 July 1789 – 30 September 1791 | |
| Constituency | Artois |
| Deputy of the National Assembly | |
| In office 17 June 1789 – 9 July 1789 | |
| Constituency | Artois |
| Deputy to the Estates General for the Third Estate | |
| In office 6 May 1789 – 16 June 1789 | |
| Constituency | Artois |
| President of the Jacobin Club | |
| In office 31 March – 3 June 1790 | |
| In office 7 August – 28 August 1793 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre 6 May 1758 Arras, Artois, Kingdom of France |
| Died | 10 Thermidor, Year II 28 July 1794 (aged 36) Place de la Révolution, Paris |
| Cause of death | Execution by guillotine |
| Political party | The Mountain (1792–1794) |
| Other political affiliations | Jacobin Club (1789–1794) |
| Domestic partner | Éléonore Duplay (rumored) |
| Alma mater | University of Paris |
| Profession | Lawyer, politician |
| Signature |  |
Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (French: [maksimiljɛ̃ ʁɔbɛspjɛʁ]; 6 May 1758 – 10 Thermidor, Year II 28 July 1794) was a French lawyer and statesman, widely recognized as one of the most influential and controversial figures of the French Revolution. Robespierre fervently campaigned for the voting rights of all men and their unimpeded admission to the National Guard.[1][2][3] Additionally he advocated for the right to petition, the right to bear arms in self-defence, and the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade.[4][5][6]
As one of the prominent members within the Paris Commune, Robespierre was elected as a deputy to the National Convention in early September 1792. He joined the radical Montagnards, a left-wing faction. However, he faced criticism for purportedly trying to establish either a triumvirate or a dictatorship.[7] In April 1793, Robespierre advocated at the Jacobin Club for the mobilization of a sans-culotte army aiming at enforcing revolutionary laws and eliminating any counter-revolutionary elements. This call led to the armed Insurrection of 31 May – 2 June 1793. The Montagnards now had unchallenged control of the Convention. On 27 July he was appointed as a member of the influential Committee of Public Safety, which subsequently enacted the Reign of Terror. This appointment empowered him to effectively spearhead the reorganization of the Revolutionary Tribunal and establish a war cabinet in October 1793.[8]
Robespierre faced growing disillusionment among others due to the politically motivated violence advocated by the Montagnards. Increasingly, members of the Convention felt in danger and turned against him and accusations piled up on 9 Thermidor. Robespierre was arrested and taken to a prison, but the jailers refused to comply with the order. Undeterred, Robespierre insisted on being incarcerated and was eventually persuaded by a delegation to join the Commune movement, which had mobilized a crowd in front of the Paris town hall that evening. Subsequently, a decree was issued, declaring anyone leading an 'armed force' against the Convention as an outlaw. Robespierre sustained a jaw injury, though historical records remain unclear whether it was self-inflicted or a result of the ensuing skirmish. Approximately 90 individuals, including Robespierre, were executed in the following days, marking the onset of an era recognized as the Thermidorian Reaction.[9]
A figure deeply divisive during his lifetime, Robespierre's views and policies continue to evoke controversy.[10][11][12] Academic and popular discourse persistently engage in debates surrounding his legacy and reputation.[13][14][15]
- ^ Moore 2007, pp. 24, 53, 217.
- ^ "Maximilien Robespierre | Biography, French Revolution, Reign of Terror, Facts, & Death | Britannica". 2 May 2023. Archived from the original on 28 November 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
- ^ Bosc, Y. (2013). Robespierre libéral. Annales historiques de la Révolution française, 371, 95–114. https://doi.org/10.4000/ahrf.12688 Archived 30 December 2023 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ O'Brien, James Bronterre (1837). The Life and Character of Maximilian Robespierre. Proving ... thaourt that Much Calumniated Person was One of the Greatest Men ... pp. 415–421. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
- ^ "Maximilien Robespierre". Encyclopædia Britannica. 2 May 2023. Archived from the original on 28 November 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
- ^ Jordan 2013.
- ^ Doyle, William. The Oxford History of the French Revolution. Oxford University Press.
- ^ "Executions, the Guillotine and the French Revolution". The Ultimate History Project. Archived from the original on 17 September 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
- ^ Serna 2005, p. 370.
- ^ Mylonas, Nikos A., Is revolutionary violence justified? A re-examination of the Robespierre case, archived from the original on 7 April 2023, retrieved 21 January 2021
- ^ "Maximilien Robespierre, Master of the Terror by Scott McLetchie". Archived from the original on 5 December 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- ^ Gauchet, Marcel (2023). Robespierre – The man who divides us the most. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-23495-3. Archived from the original on 18 November 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
- ^ Mathiez 1927, pp. 63, 70.
- ^ Martin 2006, p. 224.
- ^ Peter McPhee, "The Robespierre Problem: An Introduction," H-France Salon, Vol 7 no, 14, 2015, page 9. online Archived 24 July 2020 at the Wayback Machine