Robespierre, Maximilien

Born: 1758-05-06 Arras, France

Died: 1794-07-28 Paris, France

Flourished: France

Robespierre was a French lawyer and politician who was one of the most prominent figures of the French Revolution. A member of the Constituent Assembly and leader of the Jacobian Club, Robespierre played a pivotal role in the execution of King Louis XVI and the creation of the French Republic. As the dominant member of the Committee on Public Safety, Robespierre was one the architects of the Reign of Terror, which commenced in September 1793. The Reign of Terror came to an end with Robespierre's arrest and execution in July 1794 during the Thermidorian Reaction.

Peter McPhee, Robespierre: A Revolutionary Life (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2012), passim.