Philippe Lebas
Philippe Lebas was a frequent and welcome guest at the Duplay household, where Robespierre was lodging. There he met his wife Élisabeth, the youngest daughter of the family. A member of the Committee of General Security, Lebas was the only man Robespierre truly trusted – to the very end. On 9 Thermidor, Lebas demanded his own arrest before the Convention in order to clearly distance himself from the conspirators against Robespierre. A few hours later, he took his own life with a pistol shot. He was only 29 years old. Six weeks earlier, his son had been born, who would later become tutor to Napoleon III and president of the Institut de France.
JK
1764 - 1794
- November 4, 1764 · Born in Frévent (Pas-de-Calais).
- April 1789 · Admitted to the bar.
- September 1792 · Elected deputy to the National Convention for the department of Pas-de-Calais.
- August 26, 1793 · Marriage to Élisabeth Duplay (sister of Éléonore Duplay and youngest daughter of the landlord of Robespierre).
- September 1793 · Elected to the Committee of General Security.
- October 1793 · Sent on mission to the Army of the Rhine with Saint-Just (Strasbourg).
- January 1794 · Mission to the Army of the North, again with Saint-Just.
- May 1794 · Mission to the Belgian front, once again with Saint-Just. The two deputies contribute to the decisive victory at Fleurus.
- June 17, 1794 · Birth of his son Philippe Lebas, later president of the Institut de France and tutor to Napoleon III.
- July 27, 1794 · Lebas is arrested during the Convention session of 9 Thermidor.
- July 28, 1794 · Suicide at the Hôtel de Ville in Paris.
Quotes
We have chosen our path. The bridges behind us are broken, and we must move forward, whether we wish to or not. And above all, the watchword is: to live free or to die
Lebas, letter to Robespierre, eve of the king’s execution
The women citizens of Strasbourg are requested to abandon German dress, since their hearts are French
Saint-Just and Lebas, 15 November 1793
I want nothing to do with the disgrace of this decree. I also demand my arrest
Lebas in the Convention, 9 Thermidor (27 July 1794)
Talk to Lebas
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External links
Le Moniteur
Primedi, 11 Thermidor, l'an 2 de la République Française, une et indivisible
(July 29, 1794)
Philippe Lebas shot himself during the night of 9 to 10 Thermidor at the Hôtel de Ville in Paris.
