Jean-Paul Marat
Jean-Paul Marat was one of the most radical leaders of the French Revolution, and as such was instrumental in the events leading up to the bloody period of mass executions known as the Reign of Terror.
By the time the French Revolution erupted in 1789, Marat initially supported the king. However, he soon experienced a change of heart; Marat soon began advocating radical ideas like universal male suffrage, the end of feudal privileges in the old aristocracy, and the balancing of wealth regarding the upper class.
In the September of 1789, Marat began publishing a paper, L'Ami du Peuple, which heralded several conspiracy theories. In 1790, Marat began to advocate the radical idea that mass executions of the Revolution's enemies may be necessary for success. When Louis XIV was caught attempting to flee to the north in 1791, Marat was eager for the king's execution and the appointment of a revolutionary dictator in his place.
In 1793, Marat became the leader of the Montagnards, the most radical group within the National Convention. In this position, he directed his actions to cripple the opposing moderate Girondins. In retaliation, the Girondins had him tried by a revolutionary tribunal, but he was acquitted. This acquittal foreshadowed the prominence that the radicals would have over the moderates in the coming years. Because of the great power that Marat held as leader of the Montagnards during this time, his radical calls for mass executions greatly influenced the course of the revolution, leading to the realization of his ideas during the Reign of Terror under Robespierre. Towards the end of his life, Marat was one of the three most important men in France, alongside Robespierre and Danton; he was assassinated in his bathtub on July 13, 1793 by Charlotte Corday. Said she at her trial, "I killed one man to save 100,000," before being executed at the guillotine.
By the time the French Revolution erupted in 1789, Marat initially supported the king. However, he soon experienced a change of heart; Marat soon began advocating radical ideas like universal male suffrage, the end of feudal privileges in the old aristocracy, and the balancing of wealth regarding the upper class.
In the September of 1789, Marat began publishing a paper, L'Ami du Peuple, which heralded several conspiracy theories. In 1790, Marat began to advocate the radical idea that mass executions of the Revolution's enemies may be necessary for success. When Louis XIV was caught attempting to flee to the north in 1791, Marat was eager for the king's execution and the appointment of a revolutionary dictator in his place.
In 1793, Marat became the leader of the Montagnards, the most radical group within the National Convention. In this position, he directed his actions to cripple the opposing moderate Girondins. In retaliation, the Girondins had him tried by a revolutionary tribunal, but he was acquitted. This acquittal foreshadowed the prominence that the radicals would have over the moderates in the coming years. Because of the great power that Marat held as leader of the Montagnards during this time, his radical calls for mass executions greatly influenced the course of the revolution, leading to the realization of his ideas during the Reign of Terror under Robespierre. Towards the end of his life, Marat was one of the three most important men in France, alongside Robespierre and Danton; he was assassinated in his bathtub on July 13, 1793 by Charlotte Corday. Said she at her trial, "I killed one man to save 100,000," before being executed at the guillotine.