Maximilien Robespierre

Guide Note: Maximilien Robespierre was leader of the Jacobin Club during the French Revolution. As a member of the Committee of Public Safety, he and was extensively involved in the bloody Reign of Terror which ended with his beheading in 1794.
Fast Facts:
- Born May 6, 1758 in Arras, France
- Nickname: The Incorruptible
- Participated in trial of Louis XVI
- Disciple of Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Political Background
Robespierre started his career as a lawyer, then a criminal judge. During the early days of the Revolution, Robespierre became known as an eloquent speaker of the Far Left. He became involved in the Jacobin Club, a faction of the new National Assembly established after the Tennis Court Oath. When the Assembly dissolved in 1791, he was named Public Prosecutor of Paris.
Reign of Terror
After the execution of Louis XVI, who had attempted to flee France with his family, the nation faced increasing pressure from abroad as well as frequent food riots.
On July 27, 1793, Robespierre was elected to head the newly-formed Committee for Public Safety, a position he used to root out potential counter-revolutionary agitators. After the executions of tens of thousands by guillotine (16,594 by most counts) as counter-revolutionaries, public sentiment turned against the Committee, which was seen as cruel and tyrannical. Robespierre and 14 followers were executed, without trial, for their involvement on July 28, 1794.
The Mahalo Top 7
- Wikipedia: Maximilien Robespierre
- Marxists Internet Archive: Maximilien Robespierre Archive
- HistoryGuide.org: Maximilien Robespierre, 1758-1794
- BBC History: Maximilien Robespierre
- HyperHistory.net: Maximilien Robespierre
- Age-of-the-Sage.org: Maximilien Robespierre Biography-Reign of Terror
- YouTube: The French Revolution (History Channel) #1 (Time: 8:49)
Maximilien Robespierre Background and Profiles
- VQR: Robespierre: The Meaning of Virtue
- L'Incorruptible: Maximilien de Robespierre 1758 - 1794
Early Life
- Wikipedia: Maximilien Robespierre: Early Life
- L'Incorruptible: Childhood/Early Life
- YouTube: The French Revolution (History Channel) #2 (Time: 9:30)
The National Assembly
- Wikipedia: National Constituent Assembly | Jacobin Club
- L'Incorruptible: Estates General
- YouTube: The French Revolution (History Channel) #3 (Time: 9:34)
- YouTube: The French Revolution (History Channel) #4 (Time: 9:04)
Reign of Terror
- Wikipedia: Maximilien Robespierre: The Great Terror
- Modern History Sourcebook: Justification of the Use of Terror
- YouTube: The French Revolution (History Channel) #6 (Time: 9:55)
- YouTube: The French Revolution (History Channel) #8 (Time: 9:44)
Death
- Wikipedia: Maximilien Robespierre Downfall
- L'Incorruptible: 93/Final Year
- YouTube: The French Revolution (History Channel) #9 (Time: 6:31)
- YouTube: The French Revolution (History Channel) #10 (Time: 8:29)
Maximilien Robespierre Images and Media
- Google Image Search: Maximilien Robespierre
- Yahoo! Image Search: Maximilien Robespierre
- PicSearch: Maximilien Robespierre
- Live Search Images: Maximilien Robespierre
- YouTube: Maximilien Robespierre (Time: 00:55)
Maximilien Robespierre Books and Research
- Loyola University New Orleans: "Maximilien Robespierre, Master of the Terror" (1983)
- Modern History Sourcebook: Robespierre: Terror and Virtue, 1794 | The Cult of the Supreme Being
- Amazon.com: Maximilien Robespierre Books
- Barnes & Noble: Maximilien Robespierre Book Search
- Google Book Search: The Life of Robespierre
- University of Chicago Press: The Revolutionary Career of Maximilien Robespierre
- Cambridge University Press: Robespierre
Maximilien Robespierre Timeline
- May 6, 1758: Born in Arras France
- 1775: Gave speech welcoming Louis XVI to Paris
- 1782: Appointed criminal judge in diocese of Arras
- 1791: Declares himself "ni monarchiste ni républicain" ("neither monarchist nor republican")
- 1793: Elected to Committee of Public Safety
- 1794: Had a decree passed by the Convention that established a Supreme Being
- July 28, 1794: Died by Guillotine
Maximilien Robespierre Pop Culture
- Wikipedia: Maximilien Robespierre Cultural Depictions
- Magellan's Log: Danton's Death
- InterLog.com: The Rose of Versailles
- LeMis.com: Les Miserables
- IMDb: The Scarlet Pimpernel
Related Searches
History of France | French Revolution | Louis XVI of France | Marie Antoinette | Napoleon Bonaparte | Paris | Storming of the Bastille | Reign of Terror
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