Georges Jacques Danton (; 26 October 1759 – 5 April 1794) was a French lawyer and a leading figure in the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
. He became a deputy to the
Paris Commune
The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871.
During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defended ...
, presided in the
Cordeliers district, and visited the
Jacobin club
, logo = JacobinVignette03.jpg
, logo_size = 180px
, logo_caption = Seal of the Jacobin Club (1792–1794)
, motto = "Live free or die"(french: Vivre libre ou mourir)
, successor = Pa ...
. In August 1792 he became
French Minister of Justice
The Minister of Justice (french: Ministre de la Justice), also known as the Minister of Justice, Keeper of the Seals (''Ministre de la Justice, garde des Sceaux''), is a cabinet position in the Government of France. The current Minister of Just ...
and was responsible for inciting the
September Massacres
The September Massacres were a series of killings of prisoners in Paris that occurred in 1792, from Sunday, 2 September until Thursday, 6 September, during the French Revolution. Between 1,176 and 1,614 people were killed by ''fédérés'', gua ...
. In Spring 1793 he supported the foundation of a
Revolutionary Tribunal
The Revolutionary Tribunal (french: Tribunal révolutionnaire; unofficially Popular Tribunal) was a court instituted by the National Convention during the French Revolution for the trial of political offenders. It eventually became one of the ...
and became the first president of the
Committee of Public Safety. After the
Insurrection of 31 May – 2 June 1793
), during the French Revolution, started after the Paris commune demanded that 22 Girondin deputies and members of the Commission of Twelve should be brought before the Revolutionary Tribunal. Jean-Paul Marat led the attack on the representatives in ...
he changed his mind on the use of force and lost his seat in the committee; Danton and Robespierre became rivals. In early October 1793, he left politics but was urged to return to Paris to plead, as a
moderate
Moderate is an ideological category which designates a rejection of radical or extreme views, especially in regard to politics and religion. A moderate is considered someone occupying any mainstream position avoiding extreme views. In American ...
, for an end to the Terror. Danton's continual criticism of the Committee of Public Safety provoked further counter-attacks. At the end of March 1794, Danton made a speech announcing the end of the Terror. Within a week he became embroiled in a scandal concerning the bankruptcy proceedings of the
French East India Company
The French East India Company (french: Compagnie française pour le commerce des Indes orientales) was a colonial commercial enterprise, founded on 1 September 1664 to compete with the English (later British) and Dutch trading companies in the ...
and was guillotined by the advocates of
revolutionary terror
Revolutionary terror, also referred to as revolutionary terrorism or a reign of terror, refers to the institutionalized application of force to counterrevolutionaries, particularly during the French Revolution from the years 1793 to 1795 (see th ...
after accusations of conspiracy,
venality
Venality is a vice associated with being bribeable or willing to sell one's services or power, especially when people are intended to act in a decent way instead. In its most recognizable form, venality causes people to lie and steal for their own ...
and leniency toward the enemies of the Revolution.
Danton's role in the onset of the Revolution has been disputed, especially during
French Third Republic
The French Third Republic (french: Troisième République, sometimes written as ) was the system of government adopted in France from 4 September 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed during the Franco-Prussian War, until 10 July 1940 ...
; many historians describe him as "the chief force in the overthrow of the
French monarchy
France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the Kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions.
Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I () as the firs ...
and the establishment of the
First French Republic
In the history of France, the First Republic (french: Première République), sometimes referred to in historiography as Revolutionary France, and officially the French Republic (french: République française), was founded on 21 September 1792 ...
".
Early life
![Antoinette_Gabrielle_Charpentier_Danton](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Antoinette_Gabrielle_Charpentier_Danton.jpg)
Danton was born in
Arcis-sur-Aube
Arcis-sur-Aube (, literally ''Arcis on Aube'') is a commune in the Aube department in the Grand Est region of north-central France.
The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Arcisiens'' or ''Arcisiennes''.
The commune has been awarded "th ...
(
Champagne
Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...
in northeastern France) to Jacques Danton, a respectable, but not wealthy lawyer, and Mary Camus. As a baby, he was attacked by a bull and run over by pigs, which, along with smallpox, resulted in the disfigurement and scarring of his face. He initially attended the school in
Sézanne
Sézanne () is a commune in the Marne department and Grand Est region in north-eastern France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions an ...
, and at the age of thirteen he left his parents' home to enter the seminary in
Troyes
Troyes () is a commune and the capital of the department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within the Champagne wine region and is near to ...
. While attending school in Troyes, his classmate and friend
Jules-François Paré
Jules François Paré (11 August 1755 in Rieux, Marne – 29 July 1819 in Rieux) was a French politician.
Life
Paré attended the collège in Troyes. When he was to have his hands rapped as punishment, his classmate and friend Georges Jacques ...
was to have his hands rapped as punishment, but Danton defended his friend and spoke out against corporal punishment in class. Danton spoke so persuasively that the head of the school decided to ban the practice. In 1780, he settled in Paris, where he became a clerk. In 1784, he started studying law, and in 1787 he became a member of the
Conseil du Roi. He married
Antoinette Gabrielle Charpentier
Antoinette Gabrielle Danton ( Charpentier; c.1762 – 10 February 1793) was the first wife of the French Revolutionary leader Georges Jacques Danton.
Biography
Antoinette Gabrielle Charpentier was the daughter of Jérôme François Charpent ...
(c. 1762 – 10 February 1793) on 14 June 1787 at the church of
Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois
The Church of Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois is a Roman Catholic church in the First Arrondissement of Paris, situated at 2 Place du Louvre, directly across from the Louvre Palace. It was named for Germanus of Auxerre, the Bishop of Auxerre (378-4 ...
. The couple lived in a six-room apartment in the heart of the Left Bank (near the
Café Procope
The Café Procope in the Rue de l'Ancienne Comédie is a café in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. It was opened in 1686 by the Sicilian chef Procopio Cutò (also known by his Italian name Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli and his French name Fran ...
), and had three sons:
* François, born in May 1788, died in infancy on 24 April 1789.
* Antoine, born on 18 June 1790, died on 14 June 1858.
* François Georges, born on 2 February 1792, died on 18 June 1848.
Revolution
![2018 No](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/2018_No._1_Cours_du_Commerce_Saint-Andre%2C_residence_of_Danton.jpg)
From 14 July 1789, the day of the
storming of the Bastille
The Storming of the Bastille (french: Prise de la Bastille ) occurred in Paris, France, on 14 July 1789, when revolutionary insurgents stormed and seized control of the medieval armoury, fortress, and political prison known as the Bastille. At t ...
, Danton volunteered in the Guards of his district. He and his district opposed the
Marquis de LaFayette
Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revoluti ...
, the commander of the
National Guard
National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards.
Nat ...
, and
Jean Sylvain Bailly
Jean Sylvain Bailly (; 15 September 1736 – 12 November 1793) was a French astronomer, mathematician, freemason, and political leader of the early part of the French Revolution. He presided over the Tennis Court Oath, served as the mayor of Par ...
, the provisional mayor. In early October, he was elected president of his section (around the
Cordeliers Convent) and deputy to the Commune.
His house in the Rue des Cordeliers was open to many people from the neighborhood. Danton,
Desmoulins
Lucie-Simplice-Camille-Benoît Desmoulins (; 2 March 17605 April 1794) was a French journalist and politician who played an important role in the French Revolution. Desmoulins was tried and executed alongside Georges Danton when the Committee of ...
, and
Marat
Marat may refer to:
People
*Marat (given name)
*Marat (surname)
**Jean-Paul Marat (1743-1793), French political theorist, physician and scientist
Arts, entertainment, and media
*''Marat/Sade'', a 1963 play by Peter Weiss
* ''Marat/Sade'' (fil ...
, who lived around the corner, all used the nearby
Cafe Procope as a meeting place. Danton protected Marat, and in March 1790, LaFayette ordered Danton detained. Paris Commune was divided up into 48 sections and allowed to gather separately. Danton was removed from office by a redistricting of Paris, for which he was compensated.
On 27 April 1790, he became president of the
Club de Cordeliers. On 2 August, Bailly became Paris' first elected mayor; Danton had 49 votes, Marat and Louis XVI only one each. In spring 1791, Danton suddenly began investing in property, in or near his birthplace, on a large scale.
Robespierre
Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (; 6 May 1758 – 28 July 1794) was a French lawyer and statesman who became one of the best-known, influential and controversial figures of the French Revolution. As a member of the Esta ...
, Pétion, Danton, and Brissot dominated the Jacobin Club. On 17 July 1791, Danton initiated a petition. Robespierre went to the Jacobin club to cancel the draft of the petition, according to
Albert Mathiez
Albert-Xavier-Émile Mathiez (; 10 January 1874 – 25 February 1932) was a French historian, best known for his Marxist interpretation of the French Revolution. Mathiez emphasized class conflict. He argued that 1789 pitted the bourgeoisie against ...
. Robespierre persuaded the Jacobin clubs not to support the petition by Danton and Brissot. After the
Champ de Mars massacre, Danton escaped from Paris and then lived in London for a few weeks. Since Jean-Paul Marat, Danton, and Robespierre were no longer delegates of the Assembly, politics often took place outside the meeting hall.
On 9 August, Danton returned from Arcis. In the evening before the
storming of the Tuileries, he was visited by Desmoulins, his wife, and Fréron. After dinner, he went to the Cordeliers and preferred to go to bed early. It seems he went to the
Maison-Commune after midnight. The next day, he was appointed minister of justice; he appointed Fabre and Desmoulins as his secretaries. More than a hundred decisions left the department within eight days. On 14 August, Danton invited Robespierre to join the Council of Justice, which Robespierre declined to do.
Danton seems to have dined almost every day at the Rolands. On 28 August, the Assembly ordered a curfew for the next two days. At the behest of Danton, thirty commissioners from the sections were ordered to search in every suspect house for weapons, munition, swords, carriages and horses. By 2 September, between 520 and 1,000 people were taken into custody on the flimsiest of warrants. The exact number of those arrested will never be known.
On Sunday 2 September, at about 13:00, Danton, as a member of the provisional government, delivered a speech in the assembly: "We ask that anyone refusing to give personal service or to furnish arms shall be punished with death". "The
tocsin we are about to ring is not an alarm signal; it sounds the charge on the enemies of our country." He continued after the applause: "To conquer them we must dare, dare again, always dare, and France is saved!". His speech acted as a call for direct action among the citizens, as well as a strike against the external enemy. Many believe this speech was responsible for inciting the
September Massacres
The September Massacres were a series of killings of prisoners in Paris that occurred in 1792, from Sunday, 2 September until Thursday, 6 September, during the French Revolution. Between 1,176 and 1,614 people were killed by ''fédérés'', gua ...
. It is estimated that around 1,100-1,600 people were murdered.
Madame Roland
Marie-Jeanne 'Manon' Roland de la Platière (Paris, March 17, 1754 – Paris, November 8, 1793), born Marie-Jeanne Phlipon, and best known under the name Madame Roland, was a French revolutionary, salonnière and writer.
Initially she led a ...
held Danton responsible for their deaths. Danton was also accused by the
French historians
This is a list of French historians limited to those with a biographical entry in either English or French Wikipedia. Major chroniclers, annalists, philosophers, or other writers are included, if they have important historical output. Names are lis ...
Adolphe Thiers
Marie Joseph Louis Adolphe Thiers ( , ; 15 April 17973 September 1877) was a French statesman and historian. He was the second elected President of France and first President of the French Third Republic.
Thiers was a key figure in the July Rev ...
,
Alphonse de Lamartine
Alphonse Marie Louis de Prat de Lamartine (; 21 October 179028 February 1869), was a French author, poet, and statesman who was instrumental in the foundation of the Second Republic and the continuation of the Tricolore as the flag of France. ...
,
Jules Michelet
Jules Michelet (; 21 August 1798 – 9 February 1874) was a French historian and an author on other topics whose major work was a history of France and its culture. His aphoristic style emphasized his anti-clerical republicanism.
In Michelet's ...
,
Louis Blanc
Louis Jean Joseph Charles Blanc (; ; 29 October 1811 – 6 December 1882) was a French politician and historian. A socialist who favored reforms, he called for the creation of cooperatives in order to guarantee employment for the urban poor. Alt ...
and
Edgar Quinet
Edgar Quinet (; 17 February 180327 March 1875) was a French historian and intellectual.
Biography
Early years
Quinet was born at Bourg-en-Bresse, in the ''département'' of Ain. His father, Jérôme Quinet, had been a commissary in the army, ...
. However, according to
Albert Soboul
Albert Marius Soboul (27 April 1914 – 11 September 1982) was a historian of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic periods. A professor at the University of Paris, Sorbonne, he was chair of the History of the French Revolution and author of ...
, there is no proof that the massacres were organized by Danton or by anyone else, though it is certain that he did nothing to stop them.
On 6 September, he was elected by his section, "
Théâtre Français", to be a deputy for the convention, gathering on 22 September. Danton remained a member of the ministry, although holding both positions simultaneously was illegal. Danton, Robespierre, and Marat were accused of forming a
triumvirate
A triumvirate ( la, triumvirātus) or a triarchy is a political institution ruled or dominated by three individuals, known as triumvirs ( la, triumviri). The arrangement can be formal or informal. Though the three leaders in a triumvirate are ...
. On 26 September, Danton was forced to give up his position in the government; he stepped down on 9 October. At the end of October, he defended Robespierre in the convention on charges of establishing a dictatorship.
![Alfred Loudet - Marat](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Alfred_Loudet_-_Marat.jpg)
On 10 February 1793, while Danton was on a mission in
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
, his wife died while giving birth to their fourth child, who also died. Danton was so affected by their deaths that he recruited the sculptor
Claude André Deseine
Claude-André Deseine (12 April 1740 – 30 December 1823) was a French sculptor and the elder brother of Louis-Pierre Deseine.
Life
Deseine was the son of an artisan and his wife, and was one of many (perhaps more than fifteen) children. Hi ...
and, a week after Charpentier's death, brought him to Sainte-Catherine cemetery to exhume her body and execute a
plaster bust of her appearance.
On 10 March, Danton supported the foundation of a
Revolutionary Tribunal
The Revolutionary Tribunal (french: Tribunal révolutionnaire; unofficially Popular Tribunal) was a court instituted by the National Convention during the French Revolution for the trial of political offenders. It eventually became one of the ...
. He proposed the release of all imprisoned debtors as conscripts in the army. On 6 April, the
Committee of Public Safety, which was then composed of only nine members, was installed on the proposal of
Maximin Isnard
Maximin Isnard (; 16 November 1755 Grasse, Alpes-Maritimes – 12 March 1825 Grasse), French revolutionary, was a dealer in perfumery at Draguignan when he was elected deputy for the ''département'' of the Var to the Legislative Assembly, wher ...
, who was supported by Georges Danton. Danton was appointed a member of the committee. He and other members of the committee, despite its primary charge of defeating invasion and internal rebellions, were advocates of the moderation necessary to minimize popular resistance to military requisitions. Due to military reversals in 1793, many - especially among the ''sans-culottes'' - criticized its conduct, and subsequent committee membership included more radical thinkers who pressed for more extreme measures to ensure victory over enemies of the Revolution internal and external. On 27 April, the Convention decreed (on the proposal of Danton) to send additional military forces to the departments in revolt.
On 1 June
Hanriot
Aéroplanes Hanriot et Cie. or simply 'Hanriot' was a French aircraft manufacturer with roots going back to the beginning of aviation. Founded by René Hanriot in 1910 as ''The Monoplans Hanriot Company Ltd.'' the company survived in differen ...
was ordered to fire a cannon on the
Pont-Neuf
The Pont Neuf (, "New Bridge") is the oldest standing List of crossings of the River Seine, bridge across the river Seine in Paris, France. It stands by the western (downstream) point of the Île de la Cité, the island in the middle of the ri ...
as a sign of alarm. When the Convention assembled Danton rushed to the tribune: "Break up the
Commission of Twelve
{{Use dmy dates, date=July 2020
During the French Revolution, the Extraordinary Commission of Twelve (''Commission extraordinaire des Douze'') was a commission of the French National Convention charged with finding and trying conspirators. It was ...
! You have heard the thunder of the cannon. Girondins protested against the closing of the city gates, against the tocsin and alarm-gun without the approval of the convention; Vergniaud suggested arresting Henriot. That night Paris changed into a military camp according to
Otto Flake
Otto Flake (29 October 1880, Metz – 10 November 1963) was a German writer.
Early life
Flake was born on 29 October 1880 in Metz. He attended high school in Colmar and studied German philology, philosophy and art history at the University of St ...
. On 2 June according to
Louis Madelin
Louis Emile Marie Madelin (8 May 1871 – 18 August 1956) was a French historian (specialising in the French Revolution and First French Empire) and a Republican Federation deputy for Vosges from 1924 to 1928. He is buried at the Cimetière de G ...
and Mignet a large force of armed citizens, some estimated 80,000 or 100,000, but Danton spoke of only 30,000, surrounded the Convention with 48 pieces of artillery. The next day the Interior minister
Garat forced Danton to disavow the events from the evening before.
On 1 July 1793, Danton married Louise Sébastienne Gély, aged 16, daughter of Marc-Antoine Gély, court usher (huissier-audiencier) at the
Parlement de Paris
The Parliament of Paris (french: Parlement de Paris) was the oldest ''parlement'' in the Kingdom of France, formed in the 14th century. It was fixed in Paris by Philip IV of France in 1302. The Parliament of Paris would hold sessions inside the ...
and member of the
Club des Cordeliers. On 10 July, he was not re-elected as a member of the Committee of Public Safety. Seventeen days later, Maximilien Robespierre joined the Committee of Public Safety, nearly two years after Danton had extended an invitation to him to do so. On 5 September, Danton argued for a law to give the
sans-culottes
The (, 'without breeches') were the common people of the lower classes in late 18th-century France, a great many of whom became radical and militant partisans of the French Revolution in response to their poor quality of life under the . The ...
a small compensation for attending the twice-weekly section meetings, and to provide a gun to every citizen.
Reign of Terror
![Georges-Jacques Danton](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/Georges-Jacques_Danton.jpg)
On 6 September, Danton refused to take a seat in the Comité de Salut Public, declaring that he would join no committee, but would be a spur to them all.
[R.R. Palmer (1970) The Twelve who ruled, p. 256] He believed a stable government was needed which could resist the orders of the Comité de Salut Public. On 10 October, Danton, who had been dangerously ill for a few weeks, quit politics, and set off to
Arcis-sur-Aube
Arcis-sur-Aube (, literally ''Arcis on Aube'') is a commune in the Aube department in the Grand Est region of north-central France.
The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Arcisiens'' or ''Arcisiennes''.
The commune has been awarded "th ...
with his 16-year-old wife, who had pitied Queen Marie Antoinette since her trial began. On 18 November, after the arrest of
François Chabot
François Chabot (23 October 1756 – 5 April 1794) was a French politician.
Early life
Born in Saint-Geniez-d'Olt (Aveyron), Chabot became a Capuchin friar in Rodez before the French Revolution, while continuing to be attracted to the works ...
,
Edme-Bonaventure Courtois urged Danton to come back to Paris to again play a role in politics.
On 22 November, Danton attacked religious persecution and demanded frugality with human lives. He tried to weaken the Terror by attacking
Jacques René Hébert
Ancient and noble French family names, Jacques, Jacq, or James are believed to originate from the Middle Ages in the historic northwest Brittany region in France, and have since spread around the world over the centuries. To date, there are over ...
. On 3 December, Robespierre accused Danton in the Jacobin club of feigning an illness with the intention to emigrate to Switzerland, declaring that Danton showed too often his vices and not his virtue.
Robespierre
Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (; 6 May 1758 – 28 July 1794) was a French lawyer and statesman who became one of the best-known, influential and controversial figures of the French Revolution. As a member of the Esta ...
was stopped in his attack. The gathering was closed after thunderous applause for Danton. Danton maintained that he had absolutely no intention of breaking the revolutionary impulse.
On 9 December, Danton became embroiled in a scandal concerning the bankruptcy proceedings of the
French East India Company
The French East India Company (french: Compagnie française pour le commerce des Indes orientales) was a colonial commercial enterprise, founded on 1 September 1664 to compete with the English (later British) and Dutch trading companies in the ...
, when it was discovered that directors of the company had bribed certain government officials to allow the company to liquidate its own assets, rather than the government controlling the process. By December, a Dantonist party had been formed in support of Danton's more moderate views and his insistence on clemency for those who had violated the Committee for Public Safety's increasingly arbitrary and Draconian "counter-revolutionary" measures.
Robespierre replied to Danton's plea for an end to the Terror on 25 December (5
Nivôse
Nivôse (; also ''Nivose'') was the fourth month in the French Republican Calendar. The month was named after the Latin word ''nivosus'', which means ''snowy''.
Nivôse was the first month of the winter quarter (''mois d'hiver''). It started b ...
, year II).
The
French National Convention
The National Convention (french: link=no, Convention nationale) was the parliament of the Kingdom of France for one day and the French First Republic for the rest of its existence during the French Revolution, following the two-year National ...
during the autumn of 1793 began to assert its authority further throughout France, creating the bloodiest period of the French Revolution, during which some historians assert approximately 40,000 people were killed in France. Following the fall of the
Girondins
The Girondins ( , ), or Girondists, were members of a loosely knit political faction during the French Revolution. From 1791 to 1793, the Girondins were active in the Legislative Assembly and the National Convention. Together with the Montagnard ...
, a group known as the
Indulgents would emerge from amongst the
Montagnards
Montagnard (''of the mountain'' or ''mountain dweller'') may refer to:
* Montagnard (French Revolution), members of The Mountain (''La Montagne''), a political group during the French Revolution (1790s)
** Montagnard (1848 revolution), members of t ...
as the legislative right within the convention, with Danton as their most vocal leader. Having long supported the progressive acts of the
Committee of Public Safety, Danton would begin to propose that the Committee retract legislation instituting terror as "the order of the day."
On 26 February 1794, Saint-Just delivered a speech before the Convention in which he directed the assault against Danton, claiming that the Dantonists wanted to slow down the Terror and the Revolution. Self-indulgent over-eating, especially when flaunted in public, was an indication of suspect political loyalties, according to Saint-Just. It seems Danton became exasperated by Robespierre's repeated references to virtue. On 6 March,
Barère attacked the
Hébertists and Dantonists.
While the Committee of Public Safety was concerned with strengthening the centralist policies of the convention and its own grip over that body, Danton was in the process of devising a plan that would effectively move popular sentiment among delegates towards a more moderate stance. This meant adopting values popular among the
sans-culotte
The (, 'without breeches') were the common people of the lower classes in late 18th-century France, a great many of whom became radical and militant partisans of the French Revolution in response to their poor quality of life under the . T ...
, notably the control of bread prices that had seen drastic increase with the famine that was being experienced throughout France. Danton also proposed that the Convention begin taking actions towards peace with foreign powers, as the committee had declared war on the majority of European powers, such as Britain, Spain, and Portugal. Danton made a triumphant speech announcing the end of the Terror. As Robespierre listened, he was convinced that Danton was pushing for leadership in a post-Terror government. If Robespierre did not counter-attack quickly, the Dantonists could seize control of the National Convention and bring an end to his Republic of Virtue.
The
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror (french: link=no, la Terreur) was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the First Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public executions took place in response to revolutionary fervour, ...
was not a policy that could be easily transformed. Indeed, it would eventually continue past the
Thermidorian Reaction
The Thermidorian Reaction (french: Réaction thermidorienne or ''Convention thermidorienne'', "Thermidorian Convention") is the common term, in the historiography of the French Revolution, for the period between the ousting of Maximilien Robespie ...
(27 July 1794), when some members of the Convention rose against the committee, executed its leaders, and placed power in the hands of new men with a new policy- to dissolve Jacobinism (White Terror). However, in
Germinal—that is, in March 1794—the anti-Terror sentiment had not yet reached critical mass. The committees were still too strong to be overthrown, and Danton, heedless, instead of striking with vigor in the convention, waited to be struck. "In these latter days", writes the 1911 ''Britannica'', "a certain discouragement seems to have come over his spirit". His wife, Gabrielle, had died during his absence on one of his expeditions to the armies; he had her body exhumed so as to see her again. Despite genuine grief, Danton quickly married again, and, the ''Britannica'' continues, "the rumour went that he was allowing domestic happiness to tempt him from the keen incessant vigilance proper to the politician in such a crisis."
Ultimately, Danton himself would become a victim of the Terror. In attempting to shift the direction of the revolution by collaborating with
Camille Desmoulins
Lucie-Simplice-Camille-Benoît Desmoulins (; 2 March 17605 April 1794) was a French journalist and politician who played an important role in the French Revolution. Desmoulins was tried and executed alongside Georges Danton when the Committee ...
on the production of ''
Le Vieux Cordelier
''Le Vieux Cordelier'' () was a journal published in France between 5 December 1793 and 3 February 1794. Its radical criticism of ultra-revolutionary fervor and repression in France during the Reign of Terror contributed significantly to the downf ...
''—a newspaper that called for the end of the official Terror and Dechristianization, as well as for launching new peace overtures to France's enemies—Danton had placed himself in a precarious position. Those most closely associated with the Committee of Public Safety, among them key figures such as
Maximilien Robespierre
Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (; 6 May 1758 – 28 July 1794) was a French lawyer and statesman who became one of the best-known, influential and controversial figures of the French Revolution. As a member of the Esta ...
and
Georges Couthon
Georges Auguste Couthon (, 22 December 1755 – 28 July 1794) was a French politician and lawyer known for his service as a deputy in the Legislative Assembly during the French Revolution. Couthon was elected to the Committee of Public Safety o ...
, would eventually indict Danton for counter-revolutionary activities.
Financial corruption and accusations
![Statue of Danton by Edmond Desca in Tarbes (01)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Statue_of_Danton_by_Edmond_Desca_in_Tarbes_%2801%29.jpg)
Toward the end of the Reign of Terror, Danton was accused of various financial misdeeds, as well as using his position within the Revolution for personal gain. Many of his contemporaries commented on Danton's financial success during the Revolution, certain acquisitions of money that he could not adequately explain. Many of the specific accusations directed against him were based on insubstantial or ambiguous evidence. For the
Revolutionary Tribunal
The Revolutionary Tribunal (french: Tribunal révolutionnaire; unofficially Popular Tribunal) was a court instituted by the National Convention during the French Revolution for the trial of political offenders. It eventually became one of the ...
legal evidence was unnecessary, moral conviction by jury was enough to speed up the proceedings.
Between 1791 and 1793, Danton faced many allegations, including taking bribes during the insurrection of August 1792, helping his secretaries to line their pockets, and forging assignats during his mission to Belgium.
[Hampson, Norman, ''The Life and Opinions of Maximilien Robespierre'' (London: Gerald Duckworth & Co., 1974), p. 204.] Perhaps the most compelling evidence of financial corruption was a letter from Mirabeau to Danton in March 1791 that casually referred to 30,000
livres
The (; ; abbreviation: ₶.) was one of numerous currencies used in medieval France, and a unit of account (i.e., a monetary unit used in accounting) used in Early Modern France.
The 1262 monetary reform established the as 20 , or 80.88 gr ...
that Danton had received in payment.
During his tenure on the Committee of Public Safety, Danton organized a peace treaty agreement with Sweden. Although the Swedish government never ratified the treaty, on 28 June 1793, the convention voted to pay 4 million livres to the Swedish Regent for diplomatic negotiations. According to
Bertrand Barère
Bertrand Barère de Vieuzac (, 10 September 175513 January 1841) was a French politician, freemason, journalist, and one of the most prominent members of the National Convention, representing the Plain (a moderate political faction) during the F ...
, a journalist and member of the convention, Danton had taken a portion of this money which was intended for the Swedish Regent. Barère's accusation was never supported by any form of evidence.
The most serious accusation, which haunted him during his arrest and formed a chief ground for his execution, was his alleged involvement with a scheme to appropriate the wealth of the
French East India Company
The French East India Company (french: Compagnie française pour le commerce des Indes orientales) was a colonial commercial enterprise, founded on 1 September 1664 to compete with the English (later British) and Dutch trading companies in the ...
. During the reign of the Old Regime, the original French East India Company went bankrupt. It was later revived in 1785, backed by royal patronage. The Company eventually fell under the notice of the National Convention for profiteering during the war. The company was soon liquidated while certain members of the Convention tried to push through a decree that would cause the share prices to rise before the liquidation. Discovery of the profits from this insider trading led to the blackmailing of the directors of the company to turn over half a million livres to known associates of Danton. While there was no hard evidence that Danton was involved, he was vigorously denounced by
François Chabot
François Chabot (23 October 1756 – 5 April 1794) was a French politician.
Early life
Born in Saint-Geniez-d'Olt (Aveyron), Chabot became a Capuchin friar in Rodez before the French Revolution, while continuing to be attracted to the works ...
, and implicated by the fact that
Fabre d’Eglantine, a Dantonist, was implicated in the scandal. After Chabot was arrested on 17 November,
Courtois urged Danton to return to Paris immediately.
In December 1793, the journalist
Camille Desmoulins
Lucie-Simplice-Camille-Benoît Desmoulins (; 2 March 17605 April 1794) was a French journalist and politician who played an important role in the French Revolution. Desmoulins was tried and executed alongside Georges Danton when the Committee ...
launched a new journal, ''
Le Vieux Cordelier
''Le Vieux Cordelier'' () was a journal published in France between 5 December 1793 and 3 February 1794. Its radical criticism of ultra-revolutionary fervor and repression in France during the Reign of Terror contributed significantly to the downf ...
'', attacking
François Chabot
François Chabot (23 October 1756 – 5 April 1794) was a French politician.
Early life
Born in Saint-Geniez-d'Olt (Aveyron), Chabot became a Capuchin friar in Rodez before the French Revolution, while continuing to be attracted to the works ...
and defending Danton in the first issue. In the second, Desmoulins attacked the use of terror as a governing tactic, comparing Robespierre with
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...
and, in the following issue,arguing that the Revolution should return to its original ideas which were in vogue around 10 August 1792. Robespierre replied to Danton's plea for an end to the Terror on 25 December (5
Nivôse
Nivôse (; also ''Nivose'') was the fourth month in the French Republican Calendar. The month was named after the Latin word ''nivosus'', which means ''snowy''.
Nivôse was the first month of the winter quarter (''mois d'hiver''). It started b ...
, year II). Danton continued to defend Fabre d'Eglantine even after the latter had been exposed and arrested.
By February 1794, Danton was exasperated by Robespierre's repeated references to virtue as the foundation of the revolutionary government. Danton's continual criticism of the Committee of Public Safety provoked further counter-attacks. On 26 February 1794, Saint-Just, the president of the Convention, delivered a speech in which he directed the assault against Danton.
At the end of March 1794, Danton made a triumphant speech announcing the end of the Terror. Some government members were convinced that Danton was pushing for leadership in a post-Terror government. For several months, Robespierre had resisted arresting Danton. According to Linton, Robespierre had to choose between friendship and virtue. His aim was to sow enough doubt in the minds of the deputies regarding Danton's political integrity to make it possible to proceed against him. Robespierre refused to see Desmoulins and rejected a private appeal. Then Robespierre broke with Danton, who had angered many other members of the Committee of Public Safety with his more moderate views on the Terror, but whom Robespierre had, until this point, persisted in defending.
Arrest, trial, and execution
![Procès de Danton, Desmoulins, Chabot](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/Proc%C3%A8s_de_Danton%2C_Desmoulins%2C_Chabot.jpg)
On 30 March, the two committees decided to arrest Danton, Desmoulins,
Marie-Jean Hérault de Séchelles
Marie-Jean Hérault de Séchelles (, 20 September 1759 – 5 April 1794) was a French judge, freemason and politician who took part in the French Revolution.
Origins and early career
Marie-Jean Hérault de Séchelles was born in Paris int ...
, and
Pierre Philippeaux
Pierre Philippeaux, (9 November 1754 – 5 April 1794, Paris) was a French lawyer who was a deputy to the National Convention for Sarthe.
Life
A lawyer then judge at the district tribunal for Le Mans, he created the newspaper ''Le défenseu ...
without giving them a chance to be heard in the convention. On 2 April, the trial began on charges of conspiracy with the
Duke of Orléans
Duke of Orléans (french: Duc d'Orléans) was a French royal title usually granted by the King of France to one of his close relatives (usually a younger brother or son), or otherwise inherited through the male line. First created in 1344 by King ...
and Dumouriez. Theft, corruption, and a financial scandal involving the
French East India Company
The French East India Company (french: Compagnie française pour le commerce des Indes orientales) was a colonial commercial enterprise, founded on 1 September 1664 to compete with the English (later British) and Dutch trading companies in the ...
provided a "convenient pretext" for Danton's downfall. The Dantonists, in Robespierre's eyes, had become false patriots who had preferred personal and foreign interests to the welfare of the nation. Robespierre was sharply critical of
Amar
Amar may refer to:
People
Given name
* Amar (British singer) (born 1982), British Indian singer born Amar Dhanjal
* Amar (Lebanese singer) (born 1986), born Amar Mahmoud Al Tahech
* Amar Bose (1929–2013), Founder of Bose Corporation
* Amar Gup ...
's report, which presented the scandal as purely a matter of fraud. Robespierre insisted that it was a foreign plot, demanded that the report be re-written, and used the scandal as the basis for rhetorical attacks on
William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger (28 May 175923 January 1806) was a British statesman, the youngest and last prime minister of Great Britain (before the Acts of Union 1800) and then first prime minister of the United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Ire ...
who he believed was involved.
Louis Legendre
Louis Legendre (22 May 1752 – 13 December 1797) was a French politician of the Revolution period.
Early activities
Born at Versailles, he was keeping a butcher's shop in Saint Germain, Paris, by 1789. He was an ardent supporter of the ideas ...
suggested hearing Danton in the convention, but Robespierre replied, "It would be violating the laws of impartiality to grant to Danton what was refused to others, who had an equal right to make the same demand." This answer silenced at once all solicitations in his favor. No friend of the Dantonists dared speak up, in case he too should be accused of putting friendship before virtue. The juror Souberbielle asked himself: "Which of the two, Robespierre or Danton, is the more useful to the Republic?" The death of Hébert had rendered Robespierre master of the Paris Commune; the death of Danton would make him master of the convention as well.
The directors of the company were never interrogated at all. At his trial, Danton made such a commotion that Fouquier-Tinville, was unnerved. Saint-Just had a bill rushed through the convention, cutting off further debate at the Tribunal. Saint-Just helped to pass a law that prevented any accused from speaking in his own defense. Fouquier-Tinville asked the tribunal to order the defendants who "confused the hearing" and insulted "National Justice" to the guillotine.
Danton displayed such vehemence before the revolutionary tribunal that his enemies feared he would gain the crowd's favour. The convention, in one of its "worst fits of cowardice", assented to a proposal made by
Louis Antoine de Saint-Just
Louis Antoine Léon de Saint-Just (; 25 August 17679 Thermidor, Year II 8 July 1794, was a French revolutionary, political philosopher, member and president of the French National Convention, a Jacobin club leader, and a major figure of the Fr ...
during the trial that, if a prisoner showed want of respect for justice, the tribunal might exclude the prisoner from further proceeding and pronounce sentence in his absence.
Danton, Desmoulins, and many other actual or accused Dantonist associates were tried from 3–5 April before the Revolutionary Tribunal. The trial was less criminal in nature than political, and as such unfolded in an irregular fashion. The jury had only seven members, despite the law demanding twelve, as it was deemed that only seven jurors could be relied on to return the required verdict. During the trial, Danton made lengthy and violent attacks on the
Committee of Public Safety. Both his accused associates and he demanded the right to have witnesses appear on their behalf; they submitted requests for several, including, in Desmoulins' case. "I leave it all in a frightful welter", Danton said. "Not a man of them has an idea of government. Robespierre will follow me; he is dragged down by me. Ah, better to be a poor fisherman than to meddle with the government of men!".
The Court's president,
M.J.A. Herman, was unable to control the proceedings until the National Convention passed the aforementioned decree, which prevented the accused from further defending themselves. These facts, together with confusing and often incidental denunciations (for instance, a report that Danton, while engaged in political work in Brussels, had appropriated a carriage filled with two or three hundred thousand pounds worth of table linen) and threats made by prosecutor
Antoine Quentin Fouquier-Tinville towards members of the jury, ensured a guilty verdict. The defendants, of whom nine were députés of the convention, were removed from the room before the verdict was delivered and, by cutting their hair, prepared for the guillotine.
Danton was one member of a group of fifteen people beheaded on 5 April 1794, a group that included Marie Jean Hérault de Séchelles, Philippe Fabre d'Églantine and Pierre Philippeaux among others; Desmoulins died third and Danton last. Danton and his guillotined associates were buried in the
Errancis Cemetery, a common place of interment for those executed during the Revolution. In the mid-19th century, their skeletal remains were transferred to the
Catacombs of Paris
The Catacombs of Paris (french: Catacombes de Paris, ) are underground ossuaries in Paris, France, which hold the remains of more than six million people in a small part of a tunnel network built to consolidate Paris's ancient stone quarries. E ...
.
On
9 Thermidor, when
Garnier de l’Aube witnessed Robespierre's inability to respond, he shouted, "The blood of Danton chokes him!" Robespierre then finally regained his voice to reply with his one recorded statement of the morning, a demand to know why he was now being blamed for the other man's death: "Is it Danton you regret? ... Cowards! Why didn't you defend him?"
Character disputes
Danton's influence and character during the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
were, and still are, widely disputed among many historians, with the varied perspectives on him ranging from corrupt and violent to generous and patriotic. Danton did not leave very much in the way of written works, personal or political; therefore most information about his actions and personality has been derived from secondhand sources.
One view of Danton, presented by historians like
Thiers and
Mignet, suggested he was "a gigantic revolutionary" with extravagant passions, a high level of intelligence, and an eagerness for violence in the pursuit of his goals. Another portrait of Danton emerges from the work of
Lamartine
Alphonse Marie Louis de Prat de Lamartine (; 21 October 179028 February 1869), was a French author, poet, and statesman who was instrumental in the foundation of the Second Republic and the continuation of the Tricolore as the flag of France. ...
, who called Danton a man "devoid of honor, principles, and morality" who found only excitement and a chance for distinction during the French Revolution. He was a mere "statesman of materialism" who was bought anew every day. Any revolutionary moments were staged for the prospect of glory and more wealth.
A differing perspective on Danton is presented by
Robinet, whose assessment is more positive and portrays him as a figure worthy of admiration. According to Robinet, Danton was a committed, loving, generous citizen, son, father, and husband. He remained loyal to his friends and the country of France by avoiding "personal ambition" and gave himself wholly to the cause of keeping "the government consolidated" for the Republic. He always had a love for his country and the laboring masses, who he felt deserved "dignity, consolation, and happiness".
The 1911 ''Encyclopaedia Britannica'' wrote that Danton stands out as a master of commanding phrase. One of his fierce sayings has become a proverb. Against
the Duke of Brunswick and the invaders, "''il nous faut de l'audace, et encore de l'audace, et toujours de l'audace''"—"We need daring, and yet more daring, and always daring!". According to the
Georges Lefebvre
Georges Lefebvre (; 6 August 1874 – 28 August 1959) was a French historian, best known for his work on the French Revolution and peasant life. He is considered one of the pioneers of " history from below". He coined the phrase the ...
he was nonchalant and lazy. He is seen as an optimist, a leader full of energy, who liked the pleasures of the life, carefree and
indulgent.
Fictionalized accounts
*Danton, Robespierre, and Marat are characters in
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...
's novel ''
Ninety-Three 93 may refer to:
* 93 (number)
* one of the years 93 BC, AD 93, 1993, 2093, etc.
* 93 Seine-Saint-Denis, French department, Paris, Île-de-France
* Atomic number 93: neptunium
* '' Ninety-Three'', English title of ''Quatrevingt-treize'' (same meani ...
'' (Quatrevingt-treize), set during the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
.
*Danton is a central character in Romanian playwright
Camil Petrescu
Camil Petrescu (; 9/21 April 1894 – 14 May 1957) was a Romanian playwright, novelist, philosopher and poet. He marked the end of the traditional novel era and laid the foundation of the modern novel era in Romania.
Life
Petrescu was born in Bu ...
's play of the same name.
*Danton's last days were made into a play, ''Dantons Tod'' (''
Danton's Death
''Danton's Death'' (''Dantons Tod'') was the first play written by Georg Büchner, set during the French Revolution.
History
Georg Büchner wrote his works in the period between Romanticism and Realism in the so-called Vormärz era in German hi ...
''), by
Georg Büchner
Karl Georg Büchner (17 October 1813 – 19 February 1837) was a German dramatist and writer of poetry and prose, considered part of the Young Germany movement. He was also a revolutionary and the brother of physician and philosopher Ludwig Büchn ...
.
*On the basis of Büchner's play,
Gottfried von Einem
Gottfried von Einem (24 January 1918 – 12 July 1996) was an Austrian composer. He is known chiefly for his operas influenced by the music of Stravinsky and Prokofiev, as well as by jazz. He also composed pieces for piano, violin and organ.
Biog ...
wrote an opera with the same title, on a libretto by himself and
Boris Blacher
Boris Blacher (30 January 1975) was a German composer and librettist.
Life
Blacher was born when his parents (of German-Estonian and Russian backgrounds) were living within a Russian-speaking community in the Manchurian town of Niuzhuang () (he ...
, which premiered on 6 August 1947 at the
Salzburger Festspiele
The Salzburg Festival (german: Salzburger Festspiele) is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer (for five weeks starting in late July) in the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amad ...
.
*Danton appears in the Hungarian play ''
The Tragedy of Man
''The Tragedy of Man'' ( hu, Az ember tragédiája) is a play (theatre), play written by the Hungary, Hungarian author Imre Madách. It was first published in 1861. The play is considered to be one of the major works of Hungarian literature and ...
'' and the animated movie of the same name as one of Adam's incarnations throughout Lucifer's illusion.
*Danton's life from 1791 until his execution was the subject of the 1921 German film ''
Danton
Georges Jacques Danton (; 26 October 1759 – 5 April 1794) was a French lawyer and a leading figure in the French Revolution. He became a deputy to the Paris Commune, presided in the Cordeliers district, and visited the Jacobin club. In August ...
''.
*Danton's and Robespierre's quarrels were turned into a 1983 film, ''
Danton
Georges Jacques Danton (; 26 October 1759 – 5 April 1794) was a French lawyer and a leading figure in the French Revolution. He became a deputy to the Paris Commune, presided in the Cordeliers district, and visited the Jacobin club. In August ...
'', directed by
Andrzej Wajda
Andrzej Witold Wajda (; 6 March 1926 – 9 October 2016) was a Polish film and theatre director. Recipient of an Honorary Oscar, the Palme d'Or, as well as Honorary Golden Lion and Honorary Golden Bear Awards, he was a prominent member of the ...
. The film itself is loosely based on
Stanisława Przybyszewska's 1929 play ''Sprawa Dantona'' ("
The Danton Case").
*Danton's and Robespierre's relations were also the subject of an opera by American composer
John Eaton John Eaton may refer to:
* John Eaton (divine) (born 1575), English divine
* John Eaton (pirate) (fl. 1683–1686), English buccaneer
*Sir John Craig Eaton (1876–1922), Canadian businessman
* John Craig Eaton II (born 1937), Canadian businessman ...
, ''Danton and Robespierre'' (1978).
*Danton is extensively featured in ''
La Révolution française
''La Révolution Française'' is a French rock opera by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Raymond Jeannot, book by Alain Boublil and Jean-Max Rivière, created in 1973. The show premiered at the Palais des Sports de Paris.
Synopsis
With the Frenc ...
'' (1989),.
*In his novel ''Locus Solus'',
Raymond Roussel
Raymond Roussel (; 20 January 1877 – 14 July 1933) was a French poet, novelist, playwright, musician, and chess enthusiast. Through his novels, poems, and plays he exerted a profound influence on certain groups within 20th century French litera ...
tells a story in which Danton makes an arrangement with his executioner for his head to be smuggled into his friend's possession after his execution. The nerves and musculature of the head ultimately end up on display in the private collection of Martial Canterel, reanimated by special electrical currents and showing a deeply entrenched disposition toward oratory.
*The Revolution as experienced by Danton, Robespierre, and Desmoulins is the central focus of
Hilary Mantel
Dame Hilary Mary Mantel ( ; born Thompson; 6 July 1952 – 22 September 2022) was a British writer whose work includes historical fiction, personal memoirs and short stories. Her first published novel, '' Every Day Is Mother's Day'', was relea ...
's novel ''
A Place of Greater Safety
''A Place of Greater Safety'' is a 1992 novel by Hilary Mantel. It concerns the events of the French Revolution, focusing on the lives of Georges Danton, Camille Desmoulins, and Maximilien Robespierre from their childhood through the execution ...
'' (1993).
*Danton and Desmoulins are the main characters of
Tanith Lee
Tanith Lee (19 September 1947 – 24 May 2015) was a British science fiction and fantasy writer. She wrote more than 90 novels and 300 short stories, and was the winner of multiple World Fantasy Society Derleth Awards, the World Fantasy Lifetime ...
's ''The Gods Are Thirsty—A Novel of the French Revolution'' (1996).
*Danton and Robespierre are briefly referred to in the book ''
The Scarlet Pimpernel
''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' is the first novel in a series of historical fiction by Baroness Orczy, published in 1905. It was written after her stage play of the same title (co-authored with Montague Barstow) enjoyed a long run in London, having ...
''. The two men both applaud a guard for his work in catching aristocrats.
*In ''The Tangled Thread'', Volume 10 of ''
The Morland Dynasty
''The Morland Dynasty'' is a series of historical novels by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, in the genre of a family saga. They recount the lives of the Morland family of York, England and their national and international relatives and associates.
There ...
'', a series of historical novels by author
Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
Cynthia Harrod-Eagles (born 13 August 1948) is a British writer of romance and mystery novels. She normally writes under her own name but also uses the pseudonyms Emma Woodhouse and Elizabeth Bennett. Cynthia was born on 13 August 1948 at Shephe ...
, the character Henri-Marie Fitzjames Stuart, bastard offshoot of the fictional Morland family, allies himself with Danton in an attempt to protect his family as the storm clouds of revolution gather over France.
*Danton appears briefly in
Rafael Sabatini
Rafael Sabatini (29 April 1875 – 13 February 1950) was an Italian-born British writer of romance and adventure novels.
He is best known for his worldwide bestsellers: ''The Sea Hawk'' (1915), ''Scaramouche'' (1921), ''Captain Blood'' (a.k.a ...
's adventure novel ''Scaramouche: A tale of romance in the French Revolution''.
*Danton appears in a series of comics entitled "The Last Days of Georges Danton" in ''Step Aside, Pops: A
Hark! A Vagrant
''Hark! A Vagrant'' is a webcomic published by Canadian artist Kate Beaton between 2007 and 2018. It discussed historical and literary topics in a comedic tone and was drawn in black and white.
Recurring themes
''Hark! A Vagrant'' is best k ...
Collection'' by
Kate Beaton
Kathryn Moira Beaton (born 8 September 1983) is a Canadian comics artist best known as the creator of the comic strip ''Hark! A Vagrant'', which ran from 2007 to 2018. Her other major works include the children's books '' The Princess and the Po ...
.
*Danton is one of six point-of-view characters in
Marge Piercy
Marge Piercy (born March 31, 1936) is an American progressive activist and writer. Her work includes ''Woman on the Edge of Time''; ''He, She and It'', which won the 1993 Arthur C. Clarke Award; and ''Gone to Soldiers'', a New York Times Best ...
's novel ''City of Darkness, City of Light'' (1996).
*Danton, along with
Marat
Marat may refer to:
People
*Marat (given name)
*Marat (surname)
**Jean-Paul Marat (1743-1793), French political theorist, physician and scientist
Arts, entertainment, and media
*''Marat/Sade'', a 1963 play by Peter Weiss
* ''Marat/Sade'' (fil ...
and Robespierre, is a secondary character in the 1927 epic ''
Napoléon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
''. His portrayal in the film is somewhat cartoonish, as he is depicted as a decadent fop, albeit dedicated to republicanism and revolution, and it is he that allows
Rouget de Lisle to premiere "
La Marseillaise
"La Marseillaise" is the national anthem of France. The song was written in 1792 by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle in Strasbourg after the declaration of war by France against Austria, and was originally titled "Chant de guerre pour l'Armée du R ...
" at the
Club des Cordeliers. (In reality, no such performance by Rouget de Lisle is known to have taken place.)
References
Sources
*
Further reading
* François Furet and Mona Ozouf (eds.), ''A Critical Dictionary of the French Revolution''. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of
Harvard University Press
Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the retirem ...
, 1989; pp. 213–223.
* Laurence Gronlund
''Ça Ira! or Danton in the French Revolution.''Boston: Lee and Shepard, 1887.
* Norman Hampson, ''Danton.'' New York: Holmes & Meier Publishers, 1978.
David Lawday, ''Danton: The Giant of the French Revolution.''London: Jonathan Cape, 2009.
* Marisa Linton, ''Choosing Terror: Virtue, Friendship and Authenticity in the French Revolution'' (
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
, 2013).
* A Letter from Danton to Marie Antoinette by Carl Becker. In: The American Historical Review, Vol. 27, No. 1 (Oct. 1921), p. 29 Published by: Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Historical Association
VOICES OF REVOLT SPEECHES OF GEORGE JACQUES DANTON (1928) INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHERS CO., INC.*
Hilaire Belloc
Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc (, ; 27 July 187016 July 1953) was a Franco-English writer and historian of the early twentieth century. Belloc was also an orator, poet, sailor, satirist, writer of letters, soldier, and political activist. H ...
, ''Danton: a study,'' Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1899.
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Danton, Georges-Jacques
1759 births
1794 deaths
People from Aube
French Roman Catholics
Politicians from Grand Est
People on the Committee of Public Safety
Deputies to the French National Convention
Regicides of Louis XVI
People of the Reign of Terror
18th-century French lawyers
Executed revolutionaries
French people executed by guillotine during the French Revolution