Jacques-Nicolas Billaud-Varenne
French revolutionary leader (1756–1819) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Jacques-Nicolas Billaud-Varenne (French pronunciation: [ʒak nikɔla bijo vaʁɛn]; 23 April 1756 – 3 June 1819), also known as Jean Nicolas or by his nicknames, the Righteous Patriot[1][2] or the Tiger,[2] was a French lawyer and a major figure in the French Revolution. A close associate of Georges Danton and Maximilien Robespierre, he was one of the most militant members of the Committee of Public Safety, and is often considered a key architect of the Reign of Terror.
Jacques-Nicolas Billaud-Varenne | |
---|---|
26th President of the National Convention | |
In office 5 September 1793 – 19 September 1793 | |
Preceded by | Maximilien Robespierre |
Succeeded by | Pierre Joseph Cambon |
Member of the National Convention | |
In office 7 September 1792 – 26 October 1795 | |
Constituency | Seine |
Member of the Committee of Public Safety | |
In office 6 September 1793 – 1 September 1794 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Jacques Nicolas Billaud (1756-04-23)23 April 1756 La Rochelle, Kingdom of France |
Died | 3 June 1819(1819-06-03) (aged 63) Port-au-Prince, Haiti |
Political party | The Mountain |
Spouse | Anne-Angélique Doye |
Alma mater | University of Poitiers |
Occupation | Lawyer, politician |
Nickname | "The Tiger" |
Billaud-Varenne subsequently broke with Robespierre, partly due to their ideological conflicts relating to the centralization of power. Ultimately he played a major role in Robespierre's downfall on 9 Thermidor, an act for which he later expressed remorse.[3][4] After Thermidor, Billaud-Varenne was part of the Crêtois, the last group of deputies from The Mountain. He presided over the persecution of Louis-Marie Turreau and Jean-Baptiste Carrier for their actions during the War in the Vendée.[5][6][7]
Billaud-Varenne was later arrested during the Thermidorian Reaction.[8] Deported to Cayenne without trial, he married a black ex-slave, refused Napoleon's pardon there and finally died in Port-au-Prince in 1819.[9]
Billaud-Varenne was one of the central figures of the first part of the French Revolution, but he remains little studied or little understood.[10]