 |
republique.de
Quintidi 25 Brumaire An CCXXXIV |
 |
Maximilien Robespierre
There was only one great love in the life of Robespierre: Jean-Jacques Rousseau. He knew his works by heart. The outbreak of the Revolution was a chance for the diligent provincial lawyer to realize the dream of an ideal republic, modeled on the teachings of his philosophical master—at any cost. As a deputy in the Convention and a zealous Jacobin, he earned the title of The Incorruptible
. Conscientious, honest, and ascetic, he rented a small room in Paris from a carpenter. But within the powerful Committee of Public Safety, Robespierre shaped the policies of the Reign of Terror. In his elaborate speeches, he sanctified both virtue and terror. He died on the guillotine to the cheers of the people.
1758 - 1794
- May 6, 1758 · Born in Arras as the eldest son of lawyer François Maximilien Barthélémy de Robespierre and Jacqueline Marguerite Carroult.
- July 16, 1764 · His mother dies when he is six years old.
- 1767 · His father abandons the family; Maximilien and his brother Augustin are raised by their maternal grandparents.
- 1777 · His father dies in Munich.
- 1780 · Completes his law studies with distinction and receives a special award.
- 1781 · Admitted as a lawyer in Arras.
- April 1789 · Elected as a deputy of the Third Estate of Artois to the Estates-General.
- July 1791 · Robespierre emménage dans une chambre en tant que sous-locataire chez le menuisier parisien Duplay, où il vivra jusqu'à sa mort.
- September 1792 · Elected to the National Convention as a deputy for the city of Paris.
- July 27, 1793 · Elected to the Committee of Public Safety.
- February 7, 1794 · Justifies the policy of Terror and Virtue before the Convention.
- June 8, 1794 · As president of the National Convention, he presides over the Festival of the Supreme Being in Paris.
- June 10, 1794 · Along with Couthon, introduces a law abolishing the defense for accused persons before the Revolutionary Tribunal. Opposition to him increases.
- July 26, 1794 · Delivers his final speech to the Convention, portraying himself as a victim of conspiracy without naming names.
- July 27, 1794 · Session of 9 Thermidor. Robespierre is prevented from speaking. He is arrested along with his brother Augustin, Saint-Just, Couthon, and Lebas. The Paris Commune launches an uprising against the Convention. The Convention declares Robespierre and his accomplices to be outlaws.
- July 28, 1794 · Shortly after midnight, the uprising of the Commune fails. Robespierre is found with a gunshot wound at the Hôtel de Ville and arrested. That evening, he is guillotined without trial along with 21 other insurgents on the Place de la Révolution.
Quotes
Terror – without it, virtue is powerless. Virtue – without it, terror is corrupt.
Robespierre, February 5, 1794
He who trembles at this moment is guilty. For innocence never trembles before public vigilance.
Robespierre, after the arrest of Danton
He was the scapegoat of the Revolution.
Napoleon on Robespierre
Le Moniteur
Primedi, 11 Thermidor, l'an 2 de la République Française, une et indivisible
Home ⌂ · Babeuf · Barère · Barras · Billaud · Cabarrus · Collot · Corday · Couthon · Danton · David · Desmoulins · Duplay · Fouché · Fouquier · Hébert · Lamballe · Louis XVI · Louis XVII · Marat · Marie Antoinette · Méricourt · Napoleon · Olympe · Renault · Robespierre · Romme · Sade · Saint‑Just · Sanson · Schneider · Tallien · Toussaint ·
Jan Knupper 2025 | CCXXXIV
