Important People of the French Revolution Chapter3

Louis XVI Married to Marie Antoinette of Austria He became King on May 10, 1774 His Shyness will be his downfall In June 1789 he and his family were brought back to Paris by protesters Charged 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 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 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 Robespierre Jacobin Lawyer and Politician Mastermind 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 Sieyes was elected representative of the Third Estate during at Estates General in May 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 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 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.