Who was Maximilien Robespierre and what did he do?
Maximilien Robespierre. Written By: Maximilien Robespierre, in full Maximilien-François-Marie-Isidore de Robespierre, (born May 6, 1758, Arras, France—died July 28, 1794, Paris), radical Jacobin leader and one of the principal figures in the French Revolution.
How old was Robespierre when he was born?
Early Life Maximilien Marie Isidore de Robespierre was born in Arras, France, on May 6, 1758, the oldest of four children. His mother died when he was 6 years old, and his father left the family soon after. The children were raised by their maternal grandparents.
What did Robespierre say about clemency?
“To punish the oppressors of humanity is clemency; to forgive them is cruelty.” “The king must die so that the country can live.” Maximilien de Robespierre was an official during the French Revolution and one of the principal architects of the Reign of Terror.
What happened to Robespierre in 1794?
On July 27, 1794, Robespierre and many of his allies were arrested and taken to prison. He was able to escape with the aid of a sympathetic jailer and hid in the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall) in Paris. When he received word that the National Convention had declared him an outlaw, he tried to commit suicide but succeeded only in wounding his jaw.
What did Robespierre say about the Gironde Pygmies?
On 17 November 1793, Robespierre insulted the people who denied the existence of the French republic, calling them imbeciles, the deputies from the Gironde pygmies. He criticized the former Governor of Saint-Domingue Sonthonax and Étienne Polverel, who had freed slaves on Haïti, but then proposed to arm them.
Was Robespierre involved in the Tuileries Palace attack?
When the insurrection nevertheless broke out on August 10, 1792, Robespierre took no part in the attack on the Tuileries Palace. But that same afternoon his section (an administrative subdivision of Paris), Les Piques, nominated him to the insurrectional Commune.