Important People of the French Revolution

Chapter3

Louis XVIMarried to Marie Antoinette of AustriaHe became King on May 10, 1774His Shyness will be his downfallIn June 1789 he and his family were brought back to Paris by protestersCharged with treason in November 1792, he was executed in Jan. 1793

Marie Antoinette (Madame Deficit)

Married to Louis XVI (King of France) Married at the age of 14 and became

queen at 19. Archduchess of Austria and daughter of

Empress Maria Teresa Angry mob of women brought her and

family back to Paris She was executed for treason & theft in

Oct. 1793. She was an extravagant spender, but

received a lot of blame for debt.

Jacques Necker He was named Finance Minister by Louis

XVI in October 1776. He was a good politician and allowed the

country to curb its debt. He used loans to help fund the American

war of independence made some very popular reforms like the

abolishment of serfdom. In 1781, Necker criticized the royal pension

system and the royal family expenditures and special privileges of estates and was fired

Maximillian RobespierreJacobin Lawyer and PoliticianMastermind behind Reign of Terror in

which people were arrested and executed without trial if they were accused of being enemies of the revolution.

In July 1794, He was evicted from the Convention and accused of dictatorship and tyranny and executed.

Abbe Emmanuel Sieyes Became very famous when he published

the pamphlet in January 1789 on 3rd Estate. This essay was considered a foundation of the French Revolution of 1789.

Sieyes was elected representative of the Third Estate during at Estates General in May 1789.

He proposed the transformation of the Third Estate chamber to a National Assembly.

Worked on the Constitution and drafted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen.

Olympe de Gouges Olympe de Gouges, a famous

playwright in France at the time of the Revolution

In 1791 she wrote and published the "Declaration of the Rights of Women and of the Citizen."

The basis that women, as citizens, had the right to free speech, and therefore had the right to reveal the identity of the fathers of their children -- a right which women of the time were not assumed to have.

Jean-Paul Marat Journalist with radical ideas In September 1789, he started his own

newspaper “Friend of the People“ where he attacked the enemies of the Revolution.

His extremist ideas were accused to have led to the massacre of September 1792.

In 1793, he was elected president of the Jacobins club and served on National Assembly

On July 13th, 1793 Marat was murdered by Charlotte Corday, opposition sympathizer.

Georges-Jacques Danton Created and participated in the

revolutionaries court in March 1793. Hired to Committee of Public Safety

in April 1793 and fired in August 1793, and Robespierre took his position

He was accused of being too soft by counter revolutionaries & criticized for desire for power and money.

He was accused by the revolutionaries court of being an enemy of the Republic. He was condemned and killed on April 5th, 1794.

Francois-Noel Babeuf French political agitator and journalist His newspaper “The Tribune of the

People” was best known for his advocacy for the poor and calling for a popular revolt against the Directory (French Legislature/Government).

He was a leading advocate for democracy, the abolition of private property and the equality of results.

executed for conspiracy against the government in May 27, 1797

Napoleon Bonaparte Military general who came to 1st dictator of

France Under his direction Napoleon turned his

reforms to other areas of the country: including its economy, legal system and education

reinstated Roman Catholicism as the state religion.

Instituted the Napoleonic Code, which forbade privileges based on birth, allowed freedom of religion and stated that government jobs must be given to the most qualified.