Fall of Robespierre

• Robespierre rises to power in the Committee of Public Safety.
• Robespierre implements the Reign of Terror.
• Political dissent rises against Robespierre's leadership.
• The National Convention turns against Robespierre.
• Robespierre is arrested by the National Convention.
• Robespierre attempts to commit suicide but fails.
• Robespierre is executed by guillotine.

The fall of Maximilien Robespierre occurred on 27 July 1794 (9 Thermidor Year II in the French Revolutionary calendar). Robespierre had been a leading figure during the French Revolution, notably associated with the Reign of Terror (a period marked by significant political purges and executions). Before his downfall, Robespierre had effectively dominated the Committee of Public Safety, exercising considerable influence over Revolutionary France.

Tensions had grown between Robespierre and other members of the French National Convention (the revolutionary assembly). Robespierre's insistence on continuing the Terror to purify the revolution increasingly alienated his colleagues. His speech on 26 July 1794, where he denounced unnamed conspirators, exacerbated these tensions. Many feared that his accusations could soon be aimed at them, creating an atmosphere of paranoia.

On the day of his arrest, Saint-Just (a close ally) attempted to speak in defense of Robespierre but was interrupted repeatedly. Members of the Convention, led notably by Jean-Lambert Tallien and others, called for Robespierre's arrest. Alongside Robespierre, his brother Augustin, Saint-Just, Georges Couthon, and several of his supporters were also detained.

The arrest led to a sequence of chaotic events. Robespierre and his allies were initially taken to the Luxembourg prison but found temporary refuge at the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall of Paris) thanks to loyalist officials. However, the National Guard (previously supportive of Robespierre) did not intervene on his behalf, and the Convention declared Robespierre and his associates to be outlaws. This decision meant they could be executed without trial.

In the early hours of 28 July 1794 (10 Thermidor), forces loyal to the Convention stormed the Hôtel de Ville. Robespierre suffered a gunshot wound to the jaw (debates continue over whether it was a suicide attempt or if he was shot by a gendarme). Despite the injury, he, along with other arrested associates, was taken to the Revolutionary Tribunal.

Robespierre and his supporters faced summary execution. That afternoon, Robespierre (still suffering from his jaw wound), Saint-Just, Couthon, and others were guillotined at the Place de la Révolution. The fall of Robespierre marked the end of the Reign of Terror and initiated a reactionary period known as the Thermidorian Reaction, which sought to roll back several of the revolution's most radical measures and return to more moderate governance.

• Maximilien Robespierre, a key figure in the French Revolution, was known for his intense belief in virtue and the use of terror; he famously declared that 'terror is nothing other than justice, prompt, severe, inflexible.'
• On 27 July 1794 (9 Thermidor Year II in the Revolutionary calendar), Robespierre was arrested after a dramatic shift in the political atmosphere, marking the fall of the Committee of Public Safety's most influential leader.
• Robespierre's downfall was in part due to his increasingly paranoid actions; he had previously passed laws that allowed for denial of defense to accused in revolutionary tribunals, leading to widespread fear of censorship and persecution.
• The day after his arrest, Robespierre attempted to commit suicide by shooting himself in the jaw, but he survived; this injury resulted in his horrific appearance during his execution on 28 July 1794.
• The fall of Robespierre led to the end of the Reign of Terror; his demise is often considered the turning point towards the more moderate phase of the Revolution, known as the Thermidorian Reaction.