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Georges Danton
Georges Danton was the people’s tribune of the French Revolution. He led the Republic through its bloody birth phase with radical measures, working closely with Robespierre. Yet the two men were fundamentally different. Danton loved life, while Robespierre sought an ideal republic of virtue. Their friendship broke irreparably when Danton demanded an end to the Terror. Robespierre clung to the reign of Terror and sacrificed his former comrade for it. But even on the scaffold, Danton issued commands. Show my head to the people!
he said to the executioner. Sanson obeyed. The onlookers in the Place de la Révolution fell silent as the severed head of their former hero was displayed to them.
1759 - 1794
- October 26, 1759 · Birth in Arcis-sur-Aube.
- 1762 · Death of his father. Danton is two years old. As a child, he suffers two accidents that cause permanent facial injuries. Smallpox also leaves him with noticeable scars.
- 1780 · Danton begins working as a clerk for a lawyer in Paris.
- 1787 · Danton establishes a law practice in Paris and calls himself d'Anton.
- June 14, 1787 · Marriage to Antoinette Gabrielle Charpentier.
- July 1789 · Danton volunteers for the National Guard in the Cordeliers district in Paris.
- July 1791 · Danton, a co-organizer of the petition on the Champ-de-Mars, is pursued after the massacre on July 17. He flees to England.
- August 10, 1792 · After the fall of the king, in which Danton played a significant role, he becomes Minister of Justice.
- September 1792 · In Paris, about a thousand prisoners are massacred during the first week of September. Danton, as Minister of Justice, remains inactive.
- September 21, 1792 · The National Convention convenes. Danton is a deputy for the city of Paris.
- February 10, 1793 · Antoinette Gabrielle Danton dies, leaving Danton with two children.
- March 1793 · Establishment of the Revolutionary Tribunal on Danton’s initiative.
- April 6, 1793 · Establishment of the Committee of Public Safety, also on Danton’s initiative, where he takes a leading role.
- June 17, 1793 · Danton marries 17-year-old Sébastienne-Louise Gély.
- October 1793 · On Danton’s proposal, after he has left the Committee, it is granted extensive powers and becomes an emergency government. Danton retires to the countryside.
- December 1793 · Together with Camille Desmoulins, Danton cautiously begins a campaign to moderate the Revolution.
- January 12, 1794 · Fabre d'Églantine, a friend of Danton, is arrested. Danton’s demand to hear Fabre in the Convention increases Robespierre’s distrust.
- March 30, 1794 · In a joint nighttime meeting, the Committee of Public Safety and the Committee of General Security order Danton’s arrest.
- April 2, 1794 · Start of the trial against Danton, Desmoulins, Phillipeaux, Fabre d'Églantine, Westermann, and others for conspiracy against the Republic. Danton manages to win over the public and demands the summoning of witnesses.
- April 4, 1794 · Saint-Just secures a decree in the Convention allowing the Revolutionary Tribunal to exclude defendants from further hearings if they defy or insult the court. The next day, Judge Herman applies this law in Danton’s trial.
- April 5, 1794 · Death sentence pronounced before empty accusation benches. Danton is executed on the Place de la Révolution in Paris.
Quotes
When justice fails, the people have the duty to make themselves judges.
Danton, immediately before the start of the September Massacres.
How could a man so alien to any thought of morality ever become a champion of freedom?
Robespierre about Danton
You cannot carry your homeland on the soles of your shoes.
Danton, just before his arrest, in response to the question of why he does not want to flee
Le Moniteur
Septidi, 17 Germinal, l'an 2 de la République Française une et indivisible
The condemnation of Danton
· · · Gérald Walter: Actes du Tribunal Révolutionnaire · · ·
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Jan Knupper 2025 | CCXXXIV
