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Potrait of Maximilien de Robespierre By Pierre-Roch Vigneron

Top 10 Intriguing Facts about Maximilien De Robespierre

Maximilien de Robespierre was a lawyer and a French statesman who after several years became among the best-known controversial and influential persons of the French Revolution. He served as a member of the Constituent Assembly, Estates- General and the Jacobin club. In all these, his main agenda was to campaign for Universal Manhood suffrage.

Maximilien began his political career in 1789 when he was elected to represent the Third Estate of Artois in the pre- Revolutionary Estates General. His biggest agenda during this time was to promote the interests of the lower classes.

Later, Maximilien and other representatives of the Third Estate joined and formed the National assembly but didn’t last for a long time and it was replaced by the Legislative Assembly and later National Convention. He reached the highest level of his power under the National Convection. He was born on 6th May 1758 in Arras in the old French province of Artois and died on 28th July 1794.

1. Maximilien Associated with Reign of Terror

 During the Reign of Terror which took place between September 5, 1793, and July 27, 1794, he dominated the Committee of Public Safety. The Committee exercised Virtual dictatorial control over the French Government.

Their main aim was so clear. Majorly it was about executing and targeting the perceived enemies of the Revolution. By the end of the war, the committee was able to oversee the execution of 17,000 officials.

2. Maximilien Pushed for the Execution of King Louis XVI

The fate of the former king, Louis XVI after the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution, the case remained open to debate. There was no general agreement on what would have been done with the royal family.

Many hoped that the royal family could be kept on as constitutional monarchs following the lead of Britain. It was noted that the royal family attempted to escape to Varennes but their mission did not succeed.

It was at this time that Robespierre became an outspoken advocate for the removal of the king. He argued and convinced the Jurors to execute Louis and his skills of persuasion won the case. Louis was executed on 21 January 1793.

3. He Played an Important Role in the Abolition of Slavery

Potrait of Maximilien de Robespierre By Pierre-Roch Vigneron

Throughout his political career, he campaigned for Universal Manhood Suffrage, the right to vote for people of all color as they had the same rights as the white people, and the abolition of both Clerical celibacy and slavery in France.

He denounced slavery repeatedly and publicly condemned the practice on French soil and in French territories. In 1794, slavery was banned by decree of the National Convention. However much it is said that it did not reach all parts of the French colonies, it is said to have seen the emancipation of slaves in Saint- Domingue, Guadeloupe, and French Guyane.

4. He was Executed Through his Laws

Robespierre was seen as a liability and a threat to revolution by his friends and allies. They viewed him this way due to his dictatorial attitudes, uncompromising stances, and dogged pursuit of enemies and so they believed he would the same to them if they were not careful.

They organized a coup and arrested Robespierre. He tried to escape and commit suicide but it was in vain since he only shoot his jaw. Together with his 12 ‘Robespierre- ists’ they were tried and condemned to death by the rules of the law of 22 Prairial.

Robespierre was beheaded by the guillotine and it is reported that the crowd cheered for fifteen minutes following his execution.

5. He Served as a Member of the Jacobins

Potrait of Maximilien de Robespierre By Pierre-Roch Vigneron

Robespierre was an associate of the new Society of the Friends of the Constitution which was commonly known as the Jacobin Club. Equality before the law was the keystone of the Jacobins. In 1790, Robespierre was elected as the president of the Jacobins and he was best known for his uncompromising stances on certain issues as well as fiery speeches.

He advocated for a society in which men could be elected to office based on their talents and skills rather than social status. He was also key in broadening the appeal of the revolution to wider groups beyond the white catholic men.

6. Memory of Robespierre

There are over 300 commercial films in French and English that portray Robespierre’s roles. The other way of commemorating Robespierre is, that there are numerous streets, roads, and squares named after him.

There is also a Metro station named after him in the commune of Montreuil which was named during the era of the Popular Front. The Soviet Union built two statues of him, one was placed in Leningrad the other one in Moscow.

7. He was Ideologically Unshakeable

Robespierre believed in serving all people equally, people of all colors, and believed that jobs should be given to people with talent and skills and not the royal class. He is said to have described himself as the ‘defender of the rights of men.

He had a strong opinion and set aside rules on how France would be governed, the rights its people should have, and the laws that should rule. He believed that the Jacobins were the best when it came to serving human rights and that other factions were weak, misguided, or just wrong.

8. Robespierre was Voted into the Estates- General

Potrait of Maximilien de Robespierre By Pierre-Roch Vigneron

In 1788, King Louis XVI announced that he was calling the Estates-General in the summer amidst growing unrest. Robespierre was so optimistic about these and saw an opportunity for reform.

He began to campaign for the need for new methods of election to the Estates-General to be implemented, which were to represent all people. After writing several pamphlets on the subject, in 1789 he was voted in as one of Pas- de- Calais’ 16 deputies to the Estates-General.

9. His Political Inspiration was Provided by the Ancient Rome

While he was still in school, he studied the Roman Republic and the works of some of its greatest orators. It’s from there that he began to idealize and aspire to Roman virtues. He was also inspired by the Figures of the Enlightenment.

Philosopher Jean- Jacques Rousseau talked about concepts of revolutionary virtue and direct democracy. It was from this theory that Robespierre built. He believed in the concept of the will of the people as being a key basis for political legitimacy.

10. Robespierre was a Bright Child

After the death of his mother, together with his siblings moved and were raised by their grandparents. He was a bright student and showed great interest during his studies. He showed a great aptitude for learning and won a scholarship to the college Louis- le – Grand, a prestigious secondary school in Â鶹APP, and won a prize for rhetoric.

He later on went to study law at the Sorbonne and he won prizes for academic success and good conduct.