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May 6, 1758 - Maximilien Robespierre

Few figures illustrate the revolution devouring its own architects as clearly as Robespierre. His ascent through the Committee of Public Safety coincided with the Reign of Terror, a period in which ideological purity became grounds for the guillotine, and thousands were executed in the name of republican virtue. He combined genuine conviction with an institutional authority that made dissent dangerous, and the same logic he applied to enemies of the Revolution was ultimately turned against him.

From Wikipedia

Maximilien Robespierre

Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (; French: [maksimiljɛ̃ ʁɔbɛspjɛʁ]; 6 May 1758 – 28 July 1794) was a French lawyer and statesman, widely recognised as one of the most influential figures of the French Revolution. Robespierre fervently campaigned for the voting rights of all men and their unimpeded admission to the National Guard. Additionally, he advocated the right to petition, the right to bear arms in self-defence, and the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade.

A radical Jacobin leader, Robespierre was elected as a deputy to the National Convention in September 1792, and in July 1793, he was appointed a member of the Committee of Public Safety. Robespierre faced growing disillusionment with other revolutionaries which led him to argue for the harsh measures of the Reign of Terror. Increasingly, members of the Convention turned against him, and accusations of excesses came to a head on 9 Thermidor. Robespierre was arrested with around 90 others—notably Louis Antoine de Saint-Just, Georges Couthon, and Augustin Robespierre—and was executed without trial.

A deeply divisive figure during his lifetime, Robespierre's views and policies continue to evoke controversy.

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