Pierre Vergniaud
Pierre Vergniaud mounted the scaffold last on 31 October 1793. All the other Girondins, twenty men in total, were executed before him. Waiting for death – time to reflect. Why had he wanted war when he had always hated violence? Why had he voted for the king’s execution while at the same time calling for a popular referendum? Why had he not taken the last chance to flee Paris, save his life, and join the resistance against the emerging Terror? In his final moments, Vergniaud may have realized that inconsistency had been his greatest weakness. And yet he entered history as one of the greatest orators of the Republic. The Revolution devours its children
– these were his last words. Then the executioner called him.
JK
1753 - 1793
- May 31, 1753 · Born in Limoges, the son of an army supplier.
- 1781 · Admitted to the bar in Bordeaux.
- August 31, 1791 · Elected deputy for the département of Gironde to the Legislative Assembly.
- March 1792 · Vergniaud secures the dismissal of the foreign minister and opponent of war, de Lessart. One month later, France declares war on Austria.
- September 1792 · Elected to the National Convention as a deputy of the Gironde.
- January 17, 1793 · In the trial of the former king Louis XVI, Vergniaud votes for the death penalty with reservations.
- April 1793 · Robespierre turns against Vergniaud. He accuses him of moderation and claims that he had planned a conspiracy against the Revolution and in favor of the king the previous year.
- May 4, 1793 · Vergniaud calls on the inhabitants of Bordeaux to march on Paris in defense of the Girondin deputies.
- June 2, 1793 · Under pressure from the Paris Commune, the Convention orders the arrest of the Girondins. Vergniaud is also placed under house arrest. He refuses to flee.
Flight is an admission of guilt.
- October 24, 1793 · The trial of Vergniaud and twenty other Girondin deputies begins.
- October 31, 1793 · Execution on the Place de la Révolution in Paris.
Quotes
Reason thinks, religions dream.
Pierre Vergniaud
It took courage on 10 August to attack Louis in all his power. Does it take the same courage to send a defeated and disarmed Louis to his death? What courage do you see in committing an act of which a coward would be capable?
Vergniaud, 31 December 1792, on the condemnation of the former king
The Revolution is like Saturn, it devours its own children.
Vergniaud’s last words, 31 October 1793
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External links
Le Moniteur
Dimanche 20 janvier 1793. L'an deuxieme de la République Française
Execution of the Girondins, 31 October 1793
