Title: Maximilien Robespierre
Headings: Maximilien Robespierre
Maximilien Robespierre
Background
At the Estates-General
Radical views and popularity
Disposing of the Girondons
Rapid fall

Content: Obsessed with virtue and incorruptibility, disinterested in material gain and distractions, Robespierre was a man entirely dedicated to the revolution. Background
Robespierre was born in Arras, about 115 miles (180 kilometres) north of Paris, in 1758. His mother died when Robespierre was an infant and his father abandoned the family shortly after, leaving Robespierre and his siblings to be raised by their grandparents. He attended a local school and proved an exceptional student, winning a scholarship to Paris. There he shared classes with Camille Desmoulins, who for much of the revolution was a political ally. As a 16-year-old, Robespierre was chosen to deliver a Latin eulogy to the newly crowned Louis XVI – but the king famously snubbed the young student, remaining in his carriage out of the rain then leaving early. By the early 1780s, Robespierre had graduated with a law degree and returned to Arras where he worked as a defence lawyer. He became one of the region’s best advocates, taking on and winning some high profile cases and frequently working pro bono (‘for the public good’) on behalf of those who could not pay. At the Estates-General
A portrait of the young Robespierre on entering practice as a lawyer
Robespierre’s political life began in 1789 when he was elected to represent the Third Estate of Artois at the Estates-General. Radical in his views, he was one of the first to join the Breton Club (a forerunner to the Jacobin club) and, later, the National Assembly.