Jean-Paul Marat

Jean-Paul Marat played a significant role as a journalist and politician during the French Revolution. Born on 24 May 1743 in Switzerland, Marat initially pursued a career in medicine and achieved some recognition for his scientific work. However, his involvement in the revolutionary cause began to overshadow his medical career.

Marat published a radical newspaper, "L'Ami du peuple" (The Friend of the People), beginning in September 1789. This publication was known for its vehement criticism of the moderate factions and the aristocracy. He frequently called for the execution of counter-revolutionaries and became a popular figure among the sans-culottes (the working-class revolutionaries). His inflammatory articles often heightened tensions and contributed to the revolution's more violent phases.

Throughout the Revolution, Marat was a member of the Jacobin Club, a political group that supported the establishment of a republic in France. He found himself increasingly at odds with the Girondins (a more moderate revolutionary faction) and became a vocal advocate for their expulsion from power. This rivalry escalated as Marat's influence grew, particularly after the establishment of the National Convention in 1792.

Marat's health was always fragile. He suffered from a debilitating skin condition, believed to be either dermatitis herpetiformis or eczema, which required him to spend long periods in a medicinal bath. Despite his illness, he maintained his fervent revolutionary activity and kept writing his provocative articles.

On 13 July 1793, Marat was assassinated by Charlotte Corday, a sympathizer of the Girondins. Corday believed that killing Marat would calm the Revolution and prevent further bloodshed. Marat's death instead turned him into a martyr for the revolutionary cause. His image was immortalized in Jacques-Louis David's famous painting, "The Death of Marat," where he is depicted holding a letter from Corday just before his assassination.

After his death, Marat's legacy became a point of great contention. The radical Jacobin faction celebrated him as a hero and champion of the people, transforming his bathtub into a symbol of revolutionary sacrifice. Conversely, his detractors viewed him as a dangerous agitator whose extreme views fueled violence and terror. Marat's life and work remain subjects of intense debate among historians, reflecting the complexities and passions of the French Revolution.

• Jean-Paul Marat was a physician and political theorist who became one of the most radical voices during the French Revolution; he is often referred to as 'the people's friend.'
• His infamous pamphlet 'L'Ami du peuple' (The Friend of the People) advocated for the rights of the common man and frequently called for violent retribution against the enemies of the revolution.
• Marat suffered from a skin condition (possibly a form of eczema), which forced him to spend much of his time in a bath; this is where he wrote many of his influential articles.
• He was assassinated on 13 July 1793 by Charlotte Corday, a Girondin sympathizer who believed killing Marat would save the revolution from his radicalism; after his death, he became a martyr for the Jacobin cause.
• Marat's image was popularized in art, with Jacques-Louis David's iconic painting 'The Death of Marat' (1793) immortalizing him as a heroic figure.