He also defended patriotic soldiers, such as those of the Châteauvieux regiment, who had been imprisoned after their mutiny at The reverses suffered by the French army after France had declared war on Austria and Prussia had been foreseen by Robespierre, and, when invasion threatened, the people rallied to him. Estates-General Robespierre participated in the Estates-General meeting as a member of the Third Estate.
227, what came to be known as the “Not one step backward” order, in light of German advances into Russian territory. He entered academic competitions, and his “Mémoire sur les peines infamantes” (“Report on Degrading Punishments”) won first prize at the Academy of Metz. By 1788 Robespierre was already well known for his Robespierre was kept out of the committees and from the presidency of the National Assembly; only once, in June 1790, was he elected secretary of the National Assembly. In 1792, he opposed the war proposal of the Girondins–moderate leaders in the Legislative Assembly–and lost some popularity.
By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica.Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. The Directory that followed saw a return to bourgeois values, corruption, and military failure. Maximilien Robespierre, radical Jacobin leader and one of the principal figures in the French Revolution. In the orgy of bloodshed, Robespierre succeeded in purging many of his political opponents.On June 4, 1794, Robespierre was almost unanimously elected president of the National Convention. Maximilien Robespierre was born in Arras, France, in 1758.
May 5, 1789.
Maximilien Robespierre was born in Arras, France, in 1758. After the Third Estate, which represented commoners and the lower clergy, declared itself the National Assembly, Robespierre became a prominent member of the Revolutionary body. A popular phrase at the time was “don’t get shaved by the national razor.” He took a radical, democratic stance and was known as “the Incorruptible” for his dedication to civic morality.
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In December 1792, he successfully argued in favor of Louis XVI’s execution, and in May 1793 he encouraged the people to rise up in insurrection over military defeats and a food shortage. On July 27, 1794, Robespierre and a number of his followers were arrested at the Hôtel de Ville in He was admitted to the Arras Academy in 1783 and soon became its chancellor and later its president. In the latter months of 1793 he came to dominate the Committee of Public Safety, the principal organ of the Revolutionary government during the Reign of Terror, but in 1794 he was overthrown and executed.
Contrary to the long-held belief that Robespierre led an isolated life, he often visited local notables and mingled with the young people of the district.
After the Third Estate, which represented commoners and the lower clergy, declared itself the National Assembly, Robespierre became a prominent member of the Revolutionary body.
The next evening–July 28–Robespierre and 21 others were guillotined without a trial in the Place de la Revolution. Under his leadership, the committee came to exercise virtual dictatorial control over the French government. Six days later, a law was passed that suspended a suspect’s right to public trial and to legal assistance. However, after the people of Paris rose up against the king in August 1792, Robespierre was elected to the insurrectionary Commune of Paris.
He later became well-known and succesful in this position.
When he received word that the National Convention had declared him an outlaw, he shot himself in the head but only succeeded in wounding his jaw.