Sieyes biography
Sieyes was a clergyman devoted to the third estate
Sieyes portrait by Jacques-Louis David (1817)
Sieyes early life
Sieyes was born in Frejus, in southern France, on May 3rd, 1748. He became a priest in 1774 and was called
Abbé Sieyes. However, Sieyes did not believe. He was actually found of Enlightenment ideas which he spread
widely.
Sieyes role during the French Revolution
Abbé Sieyes became very famous when he published the pamphlet: “What is the Third Estate? Everything.
What has it been until now in the political order? Nothing. What does it want to be ? Something.” in
January 1789. This essay was considered a foundation of the French Revolution of 1789.
Sieyes was elected representative of the Third Estate during the Estates General meeting of May 1789. He
proposed the transformation of the Third Estate chamber to a National Assembly. He participated to the Tennis
Court Oath, worked on the Constitution and drafted the Declaration of the rights of man and citizen.
Sieyes was a member of the Jacobins Club but stayed in the shadow of Robespierre. He promoted the creation
of the French "departements". During the Terror, he voted for the execution of Louis XVI and abandoned his
position in the Church.
After the Revolution
He played an important role in the French policy until his death on June 20th, 1836 in Paris. On November 9th,
1799 Sieyes participated in the "Coup d'Etat du 18 Brumaine" which brought Napoleon Bonaparte to power.
Robespierre biography
Robespierre (1758-1794) was one of the most interesting people of his time.
Robespierre Portrait by Anonymous (1790)
Robespierre early life
Robespierre was born at Arras, in the north of France and was soon
respected for his high academics rates. He studied the law and became
a lawyer at 21 years old. His main goal was to defend people's rights,
especially the more modest people's ones.
In 1783, Robespierre decided to go to Paris to defend his favorite
cause. He volunteered to represent the poorest congregation of the
"Third Estate" during the Estates General in March 1789.
One of his main requests was the right for everyone to vote. He was in admiration before the big ideas of
freedom and equality brought by the "Lumieres" or enlightment, a movement of French philosophers (Voltaire,
Rousseau, etc) who wanted to change the world. His virtues made him earn the nickname of the incorruptible,
as he never gave up against the huge task of reforming France's policy.
The Estates General meeting and the beginning of the French
Revolution
Robespierre appearances in front of the court were numerous. He began to be one of the most imminent
speakers for the poorest people. He had a real talent in debates and succeeded in captivating his audience with a
very elegant touch. He became very popular and the mob considered him as one of its main power to overcome
the King's hegemony.
In 1791, he participated in the writing of the Declaration of the rights of man and citizen, of the most important
civil text never wrote in France, a foundation of the French constitution. He was opposed to the death penalty
and to slavery, which he considered barbaric. Pretty amazing knowing that death penalty was abolished only in
1981.
He chose to be part of the Jacobins group, one of the more radical movements of the new assembly, and beame
rapidly one of their most respected members. France was at the time a constitutional monarchy, and the King
was forced to agree with other parties, especially the third estate and was forced to sign laws that diminish his
power consistently.
Few days after Louis XVI tried to escape and was arrested in Varennes, Robespierre stood up in front of the
Assembly and declared that he opposed the death penalty against the traitor.
The day after, a huge mob rallied to the "Champ de Mars" to call for the implementation of the "Republique".
The martial law was on at that time and La Fayatte ordonned the mob be torn apart by firing at it. Robespierre
was accused by La Fayette of organizing this riot. He resigned from his position but gained a huge recognition
from the French population.
After few weeks, the Constituent Assembly was dissolute and he was named Public Prosecutor of Paris. But a
lot had changed already. New deputies, the Girondists had joined the group and were imposing their ideas. They
were way more radical than Robespierre and wanted to destroy any trace of the previous regime.
Robespierre opposed a lot of decisions, like the entry of France in the war against Austria, that he considered
being way too expensive and out of focus at the time. France was a raging country, in a terrible economic crisis
and still shaking from the past year's events. He thought the war was an excuse for La Fayette to restore some
kind of military power in his weak country.
Robespierre and the Commune de Paris
So, he decided to act strongly by resigning from his position and joined the strongmen of the "Commune" in
August 1792. He presented the petition of the "Commune de Paris" where he demanded that La Fayette should
be dismissed and declared a traitor, the people of France should come together and ask for a collective
convention. Robespierre joined Danton and Marat at the national assembly or "Convention Nationale". Their
political battle turned quickly to a physical offensive against the Girondist. In October 1792, rioters from the
Commune de Paris arrested 32 Girondin deputies in the Convention and accused them of counter-revolutionary
activities.
The dark days of Robespierre started there. After the elimination of the Girondists, new enemies were
threatening Robespierre plans of funding the free and equal nation he always dreamed of. The Austrian
monarchy was the border, ready to invade this weak country with no king and then, no real army. In the
Communes itself, signs of discords were emerging. Danton was in favor of a war when Robespierre opposed it.
Robespierre and the Terror
The Terror began in September 1793, a cruel period when France was killing its people by hundreds in a
frightening movement of rage and decadence. People were arrested and executed without trial if they were
accused of being enemies of the revolution. It is estimated that about 40,000 people died during this 15 months
period.
These events led to the termination of the newly build constitution. Robespierre was then pictured by many as a
despot who was capable of the worst actions to support his ideas of the revolution. He became a supporter of
the death penalty even though he fought against it during the early stage of the revolution. Censorship was
reinstalled in the press and Robespierre launched a dechristianisation campaign all around the country. One of
the symbols of this act was the adoption of the Revolutionary Calendar (also known as the Republican
Calendar) with epoch starting on September 22nd, 1792 the day the first Republic was proclaimed.
Danton himself was considered too moderate and then, was arrested and executed.
After the terror and the elimination of the most radical members of his group, Robespierre tried once again to
impose his ideas of a democracy, where all the people had a right to possess their land and everybody was free
and considered equal.
Robespierre death
In July 1794, Robespierre was evicted from the Convention and accused of dictatorship and tyranny. The
members voted his eviction and his death at the same time, without allowing him to defend himself. The same
day, he was decapitated under the ovation of the people of Paris. His death was the symbol of the end of the
Terror and the end of the democratic movement at the same time
Necker biography
Necker was Louis XVI's very popular finance minister. He supported the Third estate in their request for more
egality. However, Necker quickly lost his popularity when he failed to convince the revolutionaries.
Necker by Duplessis (1793)
Necker Early Life
Necker was born on September 30th, 1732 in Geneva, Switzerland. He came
to Paris in 1747 to work in a bank. He had a very successful career and soon
became very wealthy. Few years later, in 1765, he founded his own bank
named “Thellusson, Necker & Cie”.
Necker Political career - 1st mandate
In 1772, Necker started to focus on his political career. He was named
Finance Minister by Louis XVI in October 1776.
He was a good politician and allowed the country to curb its debt. He used
loans to help fund the American war of independence and made some very popular reforms like the abolishment
of serfdom.
In 1781, Necker criticized the royal pension system and the royal family expenditures in an open letter called
“Compte rendu au roi”. For the first time ever, the people of France could have a look on the royal family
expenses. The content of this letter shocked the people and this could be considered as one of the causes of the
French Revolution. As a consequence, Louis XVI fired Necker.
Necker Political career - 2nd mandate
However, Louis XVI had to rehire the very popular Necker on August 25th, 1788 when France was stuck in a
financial turmoil.
Necker urged the king to call for the Estates General meeting and obtained to double the number of the Third
Estate representatives. But Necker was not able to change the voting process. There was still one vote by Estate
instead of a vote by head.
Necker position was controversial. Upset by his declarations during the meeting, Louis XVI fired him again on
July 11th, 1789. But the king had to face the people of Paris rage during the Storming of the Bastille on July
14th, 1789. So he recalled Necker 5 days later, on July 16th, 1789.
Necker retirement
Necker was then considered a hero by the French citizen. But he was not able to control the mob's anger against
the Monarchy.
Necker wanted to work alone and refused to collaborate with Mirabeau or Lafayette. But his job was quite
inefficient and his reputation started to fade. Necker finally exiled to Switzerland in 1790 with his daughter
Madame de Staël. He died in Coppet, Switzerland on April 9th, 1804.
Mirabeau biography
Mirabeau supported the French revolution, but wanted to protect Louis XVI
Mirabeau Portrait by Boze (Versailles museum)
Mirabeau early life
Mirabeau was born on March 9th, 1749 in Le Bignon, a small village south
of Paris.
His family belonged to the French aristocracy of Provence, but it often
struggled with financial problems.
Mirabeau was kind of ugly with a huge face, bad teeth and a damage skin. However, he was known for his life
of debauchery.
His life was tumultuous, he contracted many debts all over the country and had a strong addiction to gambling.
Mirabeau revolutionary ideas
Mirabeau was found of enlightenment ideas. He was opposed to the Ancien Regime system and wrote some
essaies against the "royal despotism". Those publications sent his to prison from 177 to 1780.
Mirabeau role during the French Revolution
Mirabeau was the editor of a newspaper called "le courrier de Provence". He wanted to publish news about the
Estates General meeting that was about to start in Versailles but his newspaper was shut down 3 days before, on
May 2nd, 1789.
But this censorship didn't stop Mirabeau from publishing his paper which was read by many citizen.
Mirabeau tried to be elected representative in the Estates General meeting but the Nobility rejected his
application. He then decided to join the Third Estates group and he was elected representative of the poorest in
the the Estates General meeting.He was a great speaker at the Assembly and became very famous within the
French people.
He worked with Abbé Sieyes on the transformation of the Estates General to a National Assembly and on the
Declaration of the rights of man and citizen.
On June 23rd, 1789 he refused the decision of the king to dissolute the newly formed assembly. His answer to
Louis XVI representatives remains famous:“ Tell those who sent you here that we stand here by the will of
the people and we will leave only by the force of the bayonets ”.
On July 9th, 1789 Mirabeau wrote a letter to Louis XVI asking him to remove his troops from Paris gates.
Mirabeau late life
Mirabeau was one of the most eloquent speaker at the National Assembly. However, he was in favor of the
creation of the Constitutional Monarchy when the revolutionaries wanted the creation of a Republic.
He moved closer to the king and even became his personal advisor in 1790.
In May 1790, he became president of the National Assembly but not for long. Mirabeau died on April 2nd,
1791. The cause of his death remains unclear. It might be poisoning or a failure.
The people of Paris moved his remains to the renowned Pantheon. But when the scandal of his secret alliance
with the king spread, his remains were removed from the Pantheon. And Marat's remains replaced them
instead.
Marie Antoinette Biography
Marie Antoinette, Archduchess of Austria and Queen of France and Navarre.
Portrait of Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette Early life (1755-1770)
Marie Antoinette was born in Vienna (Austria) on November 2nd,
1755. She was the fourth daughter of the Emperor Francis 1st of
Lorraine and Maria Theresa of Austria, at the head of the Habsburg
dynasty.
Francis 1st died in August 1765, leaving his wife and his elder son to
co-rule his empire. To promote diplomatic relationships with France,
Marie Antoinette was asked to marry Louis Auguste, the Dauphin
of France.
The celebration was held on May 16th, 1770 in the palace of Versailles.
Fireworks were shot for the occasion and a huge crowd gathered in
front of the palace, so many people that 32 of them died in a mob move.
Marie Antoinette Life at the French court
Marie Antoinette was quickly appreciated and even admired at the court. She was a beautiful young lady who
enjoyed the party-filled life of Versailles. However, her relationship with her husband was the subject of much
sarcasm. The couple didn't have any children and the people of Paris found this suspicious.
They actually had to wait 8 years for the first royal baby to be born. Marie Antoinette had the bad reputation of
partying a lot, spending huge amount of money in casino games and having affairs with other men. These
rumors spread all over the country and even came to her mother who wrote some very concerned letters to her
daughter.
Marie Antoinette, Queen of France (1774-1789)
On May 10th, 1774 Louis XV died. On June 11th, 1775 Louis Auguste was crown king Louis XVI of France
and Marie Antoinette was named Queen of France and Navarre at the cathedral of Reims. The weakness of
Louis XVI permitted Marie Antoinette to take a part in French political power. She nominated some of her
closest advisers to strategic positions. In 1784, Marie Antoinette supported her brother, Joseph 2nd, in his feud
with Netherlands. However Louis XVI refused to support Austria and Marie Antoinette was strongly criticized
by the French who ironically called her "L'Autrichienne" ("the Austrian"). In 1785, the "Marie Antoinette
diamond necklace" affaire spread all over the country. Marie Antoinette was victim of a scam. Jeanne De La
Motte Valois pretended to be the queen and by stealing her identity, she stole a huge amount of money from the
Cardinal de Rohan. The queen was not directly involved in that scandal but her image was discredited. Marie
Antoinette was then nicknamed "Madame Deficit" by the people of France. She tried to clear her bad reputation
by promoting the image of a caring mother, which she obviously was, but this wasn't enough to calm the angry
protesters.
Marie Antoinette and The French Revolution (1789-1793)
From the beginning of the revolution, Marie Antoinette always refused to negotiate with the revolutionaries. On
October 5th, 1789 a mob of Parisian women stormed Versailles and forced the royal family to move to the
Tuileries, under the watch of the National Guards.
On September 4th, 1791 France became a "Monarchie Constitutionnelle" where Louis XVI had to share his
power with the revolutionaries. Marie Antoinette's only hope was to get help from her brother to stop the
revolution and bring her husband back to the throne.
On June 21st, 1791 the royal family decided to escape Paris to join Austria but they were arrested in Varennes
and brought back to Paris a week later.
France declared war against Austria on April 20th, 1792 and Marie Antoinette was pictured as an enemy of the
country. She got the nicknamed "Madame Veto" as she was accused of ordering Louis XVI to oppose every
revolutionary's decisions. On June 20th, 1792 a mob stormed the Tuileries.
The tension was rising and the royal family was moved to the Temple prison and was held captive there under
very poor living conditions. The Jacobin group called for the end of the Monarchy which they obtain on
September 21st, 1792. The National Convention was now leading the country and Louis XVI was executed on
January 21st, 1793. Marie Antoinette fought bravely to stay alive and spare the lives of her children. But her
fate became a big political stake between the different groups of the assembly. Strong partisans of her dead, like
Hebert, gained some credit within the Assembly.
On October 14th, 1793 her trial started and she was accused of very serious crimes. One of the most humiliating
was the accusation of incest towards her son. Marie Antoinette became very emotional because of this unfair
accusation. She defended herself fiercely but her fate had already been decided. Marie Antoinette was executed
on October 16th, 1793.
Marie Antoinette's remains were transported to the Saint Denis Cathedral in 1815, along with Louis XVI's.
Marie Antoinette Arrested
Louis XVI biography
Louis XVI (1754-1792) was Louis XV grandson.
Louis XVI Portrait by Duplessis (1775)
Louis XVI Early life
Louis XVI was born as Louis-August, Duc de Berry: son of Louis,
Dauphin of France and Princess Marie-Josephe of Saxony. He was the
grandson of King Louis XV.
His father died of lung tuberculosis at age 36 before having a chance to become the next King of France. His
mother died shortly from the same illness, leaving Louis August and his siblings orphans. At that time, Louis
August was only 13. He was then raised by his grandmother who died the next year.
As he was the oldest man alive of his 7 brothers and sisters, he was destined to become the next King of France.
Although he was a good student with particular interest in Science, he wasn't prepared to become King. He was
probably a little too shy, too irresponsible and mostly interested in hunting and locks. His grandfather was often
blamed for his lack of commitment into his grandson's political education.
When he turned fifteen, Louis-August married Marie Antoinette. The fourteen-year-old Maria Antonia of
Austria was a Habsburg Archduchess. This gesture was a political agreement between the Bourbons (France,
Spain, Parma, Napoli and Sicily) and the Habsburg (Austrian Empire dynasty: Austria, Bohemia, Hungary,
Toscana), it was a time where alliances were strategic.
The couple was young and didn't commit to their family life quick enough. Rumors spread in Paris and on the
whole region that they were unfertile and unloving. After all, the own essence of the Monarchy is to have an
Offspring. The people voice didn't go through the walls of Versailles very often at that time but the Monarchy
didn't appreciate being mocked this way.
On June 11th, 1775 after his grandfather died, Louis August accessed to the throne and became Louis XVI. He
was 20 and far from thinking how in a bad position he was.
Louis XVI's Reign (May 10th, 1774 - August
10th, 1792)
Louis XVI, Absolute Monarch of France, 1774-1789
Louis XVI giving instructions to La Perouse. Illustration by Nicolas
Andre Monsiau
When he became the King, Louis XVI had to choose its own way to
govern France. He was well aware of France's military inefficiency and
economical turmoil.
He decided to build a strong, efficient, capable of rivalize with the English, maritime arsenal. He sent his forces
to America where the independence war was raging. This act was a key point in the independentist's naval
victory.
On the economic side, France was in a huge crisis. The price of the flour was rising sharply and the price of the
bread followed the trend closely. People were raging and some regions more than others. In the southeast of
France, in the town of Grenoble, a few amounts of representatives of the French bourgeoisie gather in the Castle
of Vizilles with representatives of the tree estates, the Clergy (50 priests), the Nobly (165 people) and the third
estate (276 people) to deliberate about these issues. In July 1788, the assembly called for convocation of the
Estates-General and ruled than the decisions would be taken by a vote but, by one vote per people (instead of
one vote by estate, as this was usually done).
This was a nice gesture but it was as well a way for the French bourgeoisie to express their grief against the
King's attempts to diminish their power.
Following the advice of Turgot and Malesherbes, one of Louis XVI's reforms was to tax all the people of
France on a unique rate. The Nobility and the Clergy were exempted from a lot of them when the third estate,
the majority of French people, were heavily charged.
Louis XVI may have been loved by the French people but wasn't respected by his own 'court'. He wasn't
helping them protect their interests no matter how bad the economic crisis was. They quickly pictured him as a
fool, an unprepared, shy and stupid man with a clear lack of common sense. This was a terrible mistake from
Louis XVI to have underestimated the power of its people.
His tax reform was abandoned and his advisers dismissed. Louis XVI then choose Necker as his new minister
of finance, As the tax chapter seemed very sensitive, Necker's view was to solve the financial crisis by taking
out huge loans from other supportive nations. This was a mistake. Nothing seemed to work for Louis XVI and
his ministers.
In May 1789 he had no other choice but to call for the meeting of the estates general. This assembly, made of
representatives of the tree estates (Clergy, Nobly and the third estate) meet and try to find a solution to a severe
political, military or economical issue.
It was the first time in more than 150 years that the King had to call for such a meeting.
Representatives from the tree estates arrive in Versailles for the meeting. But the arrival was bitter sweet for the
third estate. They realized quickly that the rights of vote they wanting wouldn't be accepted. As an act of revolt
against the centralized power of Clergy and Nobly, the Third Estate left the Assembly and gathered together in
another part of the Castle. During the Tennis Court Oath (June 20th, 1789), they decide to form a new National
Constituent Assembly on 9 July.
The power of the King was severely affected and in a very short time, with the storming of the Bastille, he will
lose it all.
Louis XVI and The Revolutionary Constitutional Reign,
1789-1792
Storming of the Tuileries. Illustration by Jean Duplessis Bertaux
(1793)
When the King arrives in Paris after the storming of the Bastille, he
had no choice but to accept his defeat. He signed a lot of political and economic reforms that automatically
diminish his own powers. French rioters forced him to move out of Versailles and to take residence under their
watch to the Tuileries, in the heart of Paris.
Unwilling to stay prisoner of its own people in Paris, Louis XVI tried to flee to his wife's native country,
Austria. On June 21st, 1791 Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette and their children dressed as bakers and hit the road.
But the rumors of the King escape spread widely in the regions and the royal refugees were recognized and
captured few miles from the German border, in Varennes.
When they were returned to Paris, the population was all but comprehensive towards the traitors. No other ally
Kings went to help the French falling Monarchy. If a country is burning, it is sometimes easier to wait for the
storm to be over and to deal with the new governors than to spend troops to a chaotic outcome.
Lots of tensions from military losses in the East of France pushed the parliament to propose some reforms and
the King used the rest of his powers to veto some of them. On August 10th, 1792 people of Paris (Commune)
Stormed the Tuileries.
Louis XVI Arrest and Execution, 17921793
Louis XVI is executed in 1793
Louis XVI was officially arrested and sent to prison three days
after. France became a republic.
He had a trial in front of the Convention which decided to send him
to the guillotine in January 1793.
He was accused of High Treason and Crimes against the State.
On January 21st, 1793 Louis XVI was executed in front of the people of France who saluted his death as the
beginning of a better era.
Lafayette Biography
Lafayette (1757-1834) was a French officer who played a key role in the American war of independence and
the French revolution.
Lafayette by Joseph Court (1792)
Lafayette early life
Lafayette was born on September 6th, 1757 in Auvergne, in a family of
famous aristocrats. He became an orphan at 13 and was then educated by his
grandmother. He studied in the renowned highschool "College Louis Le
Grand" in Paris.
Lafayette was from the Nobility and could then belong to the court and work
for the king. However, he refused this prestigious career and joined the army
in 1771.
Lafayette and the American War of Independence
Found of enlighted ideas, he traveled secretly to America in 1777 to help the independentists. He became a
general in the army and a close friend to Georges Washington. As a great leader, he won some strategic battles,
notably in Yorktown, that eventually led to the declaration of independance in 1783.
Lafayette's return to France and role in the French revolution
Back to France, he became a hero, welcomed by Louis XVI in Versailles and congratulated on his military
victory. Robespierre was admired all over the country for his ideas on freedom and equality.
Lafayette participated in the meeting of the Estates General and joined the National Assembly when the
negociations failed. He worked on the Declaration of the rights of man and of the citizen which was adopted on
August 26th, 1789 by the National Constituent Assembly. He was named commander in chief of the National
Guard, the military hand of the newly created Assembly. Lafayette used the blue, white and red cockade as their
symbol. On October 5th, 1789 an angry mob stormed Versailles and Lafayette avoided a massacre by taking the
royal family to the Tuileries. But in this very difficult time, Lafayette was in a tough position. Being an
aristocrat, he wanted to support the ideas of the revolution without harming the royal family. With the Varennes
escape, the royal family fail attempt to flee the country, Lafayette gradually lost the support of the
revolutionaries and was even called a "traitor" by Robespierre. On July 17th, 1791 the Champ de Mars massacre
fastened Lafayette's decline as Marat held him responsible for the killings. The attacks against the royal family
and their supporters became even more violent as a mob stormed the Tuileries on August 10th, 1792. The king
was captured and suspended and a National Convention was formed with Robespierre and Danton as
charismatic leaders. Lafayette refused to serve this convention and what declared a traitor on August 19th,
1792.
Lafayette Escape
He had to flee France to avoid being executed by the most radical revolutionaries. After 5 years of escape in
Austria, he came back to his hometown in 1815. He became a parlementarian and tried in vain to access the
presidency of France in 1820. Lafayette died on May 20th, 1834.
Danton Biography
Danton (1759-1794) was a leading figure of the French revolution.
Danton in the first stage of the French Revolution
Danton studied law and became a lawyer in Paris. His political role in the early
stage of the Revolution was important, even if he was not publicly known before 1792. He was involved in the
storming of the Bastille and for the move of the King's court from Versailles to the Tuileries. In 1790, he
became president of the "Cordeliers" club, along with Marat and Camille Desmoulins. This group believed in
popular sovereignty and the need for a radical action to dramatically change the face of the French society.
Danton was a very good orator and this ability allowed him to become more and more famous within the people
of Paris. On July 31st, 1791 he was elected administrator of the "departement" of Paris. After the Champ de
Mars massacre in July 17th, 1791 the people were questioning the constitutional party and Danton had to move
to England. Back in Paris in November, he was elected "Procureur de la communes de Paris".
1792, Danton gained a lot of power
He supported the Parisian insurrections on August 10th, 1792, when the people of Paris stormed the Tuileries
following the King's failed attempt to escape (The Varennes escape). Soon after, be became Minister of Justice.
On September 2nd, 1792 France was close to an Austrian invasion and Danton asked for "De l'audace, encore
de l'audace, toujours de l'audace" ("We need audacity, and yet more audacity, and always audacity!"). He was
elected Deputy of Paris on September 5th, 1792. He resigned from his deputy role and joined the Convention,
side by side with Marat, Robespierre and Camille Desmoulins. He was quickly opposed to Robespierre who he
saw as a competitor within the group.
Danton's role during the Terror
Danton voted for the execution of Louis XVI and participated in the creation of a revolutionary's court in March
1793. He became president of this court. He entered the "Comite de Salut public" in April 1793. He voted for
the exclusion of the Girondist group, which he considered a obstacle to the development of the Convention.
Danton's downfall
He was accused of being too soft by counter revolutionaries. Even his Jacobins friends criticize his thirst for
power and money. He was then fired from the "Comite de Salut public" and Robespierre took his position. In
August 1793, he supported the "sans culottes" and the Terror. In November, he lost power within the
"Cordeliers" group where Hebert, a politician who supported very radical revolutionaries ideas, gained all the
support. Danton was left alone, with no support from his past friends. On March 30th, 1794 15 days after the
execution of the Hebert group, Danton was arrested with Desmoulins. He was accused by the revolutionaries
court of being an enemy of the Republique. He was condemned and killed on April 5th, 1794. His last words
were: "Do not forget to show my head to the people, it is well worth seeing".
Camille Desmoulins biography
Camille Desmoulins was a journalist and a French revolutionary. Despite a huge popularity among the French
citizen, his support of the moderate revolutionaries during the Reign of Terror cost him his life.
Desmoulins early life
Camille Desmoulins was born in Guise, in Picardy on March 2nd 1760. He was an accomplished student and
became a lawyer in 1785 in Paris. He met Mirabeau and the two men became friends, both found of the
philosophical movement of the Enlightment. Desmoulins was a good speaker and he was an important voice of
the French Revolution. When Louis XVI fired his very popular minister of finance, Jacques Necker,
Desmoulins screamed his disappointment to the Parisians crownd gathered in the garden of the Palais Royal.
This event made him famous in Paris as he was suddenly seen as a leader of the Revolution.
Camille Desmoulins, a famous journalist
Demoulins career in journalism started in November 1789. He published a paper called "Les Revolutions de
France et de Brabant" which counted 86 publications. His main subject was the denounciation of the French
aristocracy and the paper became very popular. Desmoulins also joined the Jacobins Club and was opposed to
the Girondists, and more particularly to Jean-Pierre Brisot.
Desmoulins downfall
In 1792, France was at war with Austria. At first, Desmoulins, like his friend Robespierre, opposed this war.
Then he changed his mind and joined the ideas of Danton and Marat. After the downfall of the Monarchy on
August 10th, 1792 Desmoulins became the secretary of Danton, the Justice Minister. On September 8th, 1792
he was elected deputy in the National Convention and belonged to the "Montagnards" group. He was close to
Robespierre, however, he took some distance after the condamnation of the Girondists group in October 1793.
In December 1793, Desmoulins created a new paper called "Le vieux cordeliers" where he denounced the
extrem ideas of the "Enrages" and ask for peace between partisans of the Revolution. Robespierre turned his
back to Desmoulins as his newspaper defended Danton's opinions. Demoulins and Danton were arrested on
March 31st, 1794. Desmoulins was accused by the Revolutionary Tribunal of being a counter revolutionary. But
the reason of this sentence was his support to Danton. Desmoulins was beheaded, along side with Danton, on
April 5th, 1794.
Jean Paul Marat
Marat was born in Boudry, Switzerland but had the French nationality.
Portrait of Marat by Joseph Boze (1793)
Marat's Education
At 16 years old, Marat left his parents to study medicine in France and later,
in England. He was a pretty renowned scientist; he worked on physics and
published some of his works on energy from fire and on electricity.
His work was criticized by the French famous "Academy des Sciences" and
his membership to the famous institution was rejected several times.
Marat became journalist
The political events in France and more particularly the opening of the General Estates, gave Marat the
opportunity to express his disapproval of the regime in another way.
He became a journalist with radical ideas when other newspapers published still very liberal points of views. In
September 1789, he started his own newspaper "L'ami du peuple" ("Friend of the people") where he attacked
the enemies of the Revolution.
The French crowd was found of these articles where the conservatives are criticized at every level of the French
society, even inside the "Tiers-Etats". He was pretty aggressive towards Necker and La Fayette who he thought
didn't disserve their plebiscite.
Marat's Extremism
On July 14th, 1789 at the Storming of the Bastille, Marat declared that five to six hundreds heads should be cut
in order to install a new regime. His goal was to eliminate all the people near or far related to the king.
In 1792, he talked about his wish to see a new dictatorship installed where the true values of the Revolution will
be implemented. His extremist ideas were accused to have led to the massacre of September 1792.
Marat's Political Ascension
That same month, Marat was elected to the National Convention where he sat with the "Montagnards". He
renamed his famous newspaper to "le journal de la republique francaise" (the journal of the French republic).
In 1793, he was elected president of the Jacobins club and asked for the destitution of the Girondins, whom he
believed where enemies of the republicanism. On the other side, the Girondins attacked the dictatorship of the
Montagnards and their famous leaders, Robespierre, Danton and Marat.
The battle between to two parties ended on June 2nd, 1793. The Convention decided to eliminate the Girondins.
This was a very important victory for Marat, who became even more popular.
On July 13th, 1793 Marat was murdered by Charlotte Corday, a Girondin sympathizer.
Jean Paul Marat's dead illustrated by Jacques Louis David (1793)
The Republic gave him a national honor with grandiose funeral. On his tombstone was engraved these words,
"Here sleeps Marat, the friend of the people who was killed by the enemies of the people on July 13th, 1793".
On September 21st, 1794 Marat was officially declared an "Immortal" and exhumed to the Pantheon.