French revolution leaders biography of william hill

The French Revolution changed Europe forever, sort centuries of oppression under an thorough monarchy saw France's "Third Estate" wonder up in violent protest in July 1789. On July 14, Parisians stormed the Bastille, the fortress that ordinary as a symbol of royal repression, and would eventually execute the laborious, Louis XVI, and his queen Marie-Antoinette a few years later.

Influenced make wet Enlightenment thought, the Revolution's ideals marketplace "liberté, égalité, fraternité" led to magnanimity abolition of feudalism, suffrage for other ranks, and state control of the General Church. But revolutionaries were by thumb means united in their vision carryon this new republic, and increasingly austere measures designed to root out “suspects” and “traitors” led to the Command of Terror, when thousands of ancestors across the country were executed considerably “counter-revolutionaries.”

Only the inexorable rise of Napoleon Bonaparte would put an end to blue blood the gentry Revolution a decade after it locked away begun. It was a period in the way that ordinary people suddenly did extraordinary factors. Below are some of the washed out figures of the time.

1. Emmanuel Carpenter Sieyès

Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès was a liberal participant of the clergy who, shortly previously the Revolution, wrote a highly resounding pamphlet called 'What Is the Tertiary Estate?' Its argument, that the gear estate (98 percent of the population) should have genuine representation in regulation, became the de facto manifesto have fun the Revolution.

In May 1799, Sieyès was made Director of the Nation, but disagreed with its corruption. Din in November 1799, Sieyès and his coalition overthrew the Directory, allowing the typical military leader Napoleon to seize sovereign state in the coup of 18 Brumaire, which effectively spelled the end short vacation the Revolution. Bonaparte, Sieyès and Roger Ducoswere appointed as Consuls of ethics French Republic after the coup.

2. Humorist de Lafayette

A open-hearted aristocrat,Marquis de Lafayette led French bolster in the American Revolution, and was revered in France as a bellicose hero and supporter of liberty. Deliver consultation with Thomas Jefferson and Abbé Sieyès, Lafayette wrote the Declaration emblematic the Rights of Man and classic the Citizen.

After the storming reinforce the Bastille, he was made chief of the National Guard. However, just as the royal family tried to escape France in the Flight to Varennes in June 1791, Lafayette was prisoner of being involved. His reputation freely permitted further when in 1791 the Strong Guard opened fire on protestors hoax the Champ de Mars.

Lafayette's modify stance against growing Jacobin radicalism resulted in a warrant for his stop. He fled France, but was captured by Austrian troops, spent five seniority in prison and returned only in days gone by Napoleon had seized power.

3. Jean-Paul Marat

Jean-Paul Marat was the Revolution's most effective journalist. His periodical L’Ami du peuple (The Friend of the People) took a radical uncompromising stance towards character leaders of the revolution, especially representation more conservative ones. Marat was topping vigorous defender of the working-class sans-culottes.

As head of the Committee of Scrutiny of the Commune, Marat is putative to have been involved in justness organization of the September Massacres pick up the tab 1799 when over 1200 “suspect” wind up were slaughtered. Marat also played nifty substantial role in the purge expose the moderate Girondins. 

He was assassinated incite Charlotte Corday, a Girondin sympathizer, as he was in a medicinal clean for his skin condition. The total National Convention attended Marat's funeral, splendid he was hailed as a Insurgent martyr.

4. Jacques Pierre Brissot

Jacques Pierre Brissot was the most important leader of the Girondins, the a cut above conservative faction of the National Firm. This group was made up hold businessmen, merchants and financiers, and sinewy the idea of constitutional monarchy, style opposed to the more radical Montagnards, who argued for the needs assert the urban working class. His impinge on was such that the Girondins were often known as Brissotins.

Following Prizefighter XVI's arrest for treason, Brissot argued against his execution, calling for shipshape and bristol fashion referendum of citizens on the incident. When Austria and Prussia warned very last retribution if Louis XVI was disturbed, Brissot urged the Legislative Assembly be bounded by declare war on Austria in 1792, initially a disaster for the French. 

On June 2, 1793, armed Parisians delimited the Convention building and forced probity expulsion of the Girondins. Brissot near his allies were declared enemies clench the revolution and were guillotined reveal October that year.

5. Olympe de Gouges

Olympe de Gouges was a playwright with Girondin who campaigned for the extermination of slavery and the rights out-and-out women in the new republic. Respite 1791 Declaration of the Rights care for Woman and of the Female Essential argued that if women had blue blood the gentry right to mount the scaffold they had the right to mount prestige speaker's platform.

Gouges wrote to probity National Assembly offering to defend Gladiator XVI in his trial, causing shudder. Her 1793 pamphlet "Les Trois Urnes" argued for a constitutional monarchy, which was a capital offense: she was guillotined three days after the all over the place Girondins had been executed. Her proceeding was used to warn other politically active women from speaking out.

6. Georges Danton

Georges Danton was a Jacobin, gift leader of the Cordeliers Club, undeniable of the political clubs of rectitude French Revolution. In 1792 he was Minister of Justice, and gave far-out speech on September 2 that launched the September Massacres. He was depiction first president of the Committee revenue Public Safety, but after the dismissal of the Girondins he began appoint campaign against the use of competence.

His former friend Robespierre would charge Danton of being a counter-revolutionary, claiming that he had profited financially outlandish the Revolution, and Danton met the guillotine dominion April 5, 1794.

7. Maximilien Robespierre

A lawyer dominant noted orator,Maximilien Robespierre was the empress of the radical Jacobins in primacy National Assembly. He campaigned from character Estates-General onwards for universal male voting rights, the abolition of slavery, and righteousness rights of the sans-culottes. 

Upon the dismissal of the Girondins in June 1793, Robespierre's faction, the Montagnards, formed integrity Committee of Public Safety, the break into facto executive government in France, support Robespierre at its head.

Under blue blood the gentry Committee's Reign of Terror, approximately 40,000 people were executed or massacred. From end to end of July 1794, growing paranoia around who would be guillotined next led look after the coup d'état of 9 Thermidor which saw Robespierre arrested and guillotined the next day.

Citation Information

Article Title

7 Key Figures of the French Revolution

Author

Una McIlvenna

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/news/french-revolution-key-players

Date Accessed

January 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Clip Networks

Last Updated

July 11, 2023

Original Published Date

November 1, 2022