Maximilien Robespierre was born in Arras on May 6 1758. Though he was a lawyer by trade, it was his involvement and active role in the French Revolution (1789-1799) for which he is remembered.
Robespierre was an outspoken opponent of the monarch and, after King Louis had been deposed, he was elected the First Deputy of Paris to the National Convention. This convention was responsible for abolishing the monarchy, declaring France a republic and executing...
Maximilien Robespierre was born in Arras on May 6 1758. Though he was a lawyer by trade, it was his involvement and active role in the French Revolution (1789-1799) for which he is remembered.
Robespierre was an outspoken opponent of the monarch and, after King Louis had been deposed, he was elected the First Deputy of Paris to the National Convention. This convention was responsible for abolishing the monarchy, declaring France a republic and executing King Louis in 1793 - actions in which Robespierre played a direct role.
In the aftermath of the execution, Robespierre came to power as a leading member of the infamous Jacobin political club. Under the Jacobins, France was subjected to a 'Reign of Terror' which removed any person deemed to be a threat to the Revolution. Robespierre was also instrumental in bringing about religious changes to the new republic: in May 1794, on Robespierre's insistence, France proclaimed a new state religion called the Cult of the Supreme Being - a religion based on the philosophical ideas of Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
The Reign of Terror made Robespierre so hated by the French people that he was arrested on July 27 1794 and executed the next day by guillotine. Robespierre was gone but his tyranny has never been forgotten.
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