Georges Danton
Georges Danton was the most formidable orator of the French Revolution and went to the guillotine telling the executioner to show his head to the people. Born in Arcis-sur-Aube in 1759 to a modest legal family, he was disfigured in childhood by a bull, a pig and smallpox in succession, and bought a legal office in Paris. He became president of the Cordeliers district, a radical section of the city, and made his reputation on physical presence and a voice that carried across crowds. He was among the organisers of the insurrection of 10 August 1792 that stormed the Tuileries and ended the monarchy, and became minister of justice in the provisional government. With Prussian armies invading and Verdun fallen, he made the speech that is his monument, telling the Assembly that to defeat the enemies of the country they needed audacity, more audacity, always audacity. The September Massacres followed days later, in which some twelve hundred prisoners were killed in the jails. His responsibility is disputed and he did not stop them. He was elected to the Convention, voted for the king's death, and was a founding member of the Committee of Public Safety in April 1793. He was dropped from it in July and moved towards leniency, calling for an end to the Terror and for peace negotiations, and his associates were implicated in financial corruption over the East India Company. Robespierre and Saint-Just had him arrested in March 1794, tried with the defence effectively suppressed, and executed on 5 April. Robespierre followed within four months.
- Lived: 1759 CE – 1794 CE
- Nationality: French
- Roles: revolutionary, lawyer, politician
