by Ruth Scurr
Robespierre, Maximilien de (father)
Robespierre, Maximilien de (grandfather)
Robespierre, Maximilien Marie Isidore de (MR)
academic success of
Academy of Arras and
antiwar arguments of
antiwar position reversed
appearance of
arming people as leaders of Revolution advocated by
Arras grievance list and
arrest and execution of
Artois pamphlet of 1788 and
assassination attempts on
atheism and anticlericalism opposed by
attacks enemies after Law of 22 Prairial
attitude toward in contemporary Arras
awarded prize for essay on bad blood
awarded prize on leaving Louis-le-Grand
baptism of
Bastille storming of 14 July and
battle of Valmy and
biographers and interpretation of
birth of
Breton Club and
Brissot and Roland denounced by
Brissot vs.
brother Augustin and
Buissart family and
calls for end of separation of powers to save republic
Champs de Mars massacre and
Châteauvieux rebels and
childhood of
chronology of, xiii–xvii
civil war in provinces and
clergy and
clothing and vanity of
Committee of Public Safety and
constitution signed by Louis XVI and
counterrevolution feared by
Danton and
Danton and Desmoulins trial and execution and
death of
death of Mirabeau and
death of mother and
death of sister Henriette and
death penalty and
Declaration of Rights and
Delaroche and
Desmoulins and
Desmoulins denounced by
domestic life of, in Paris
Duplay family and
early career of, in Arras
early essay on decapitation
early essay on political honor
early life of
educational reform and
education of
elections of 1792 and
enemies of the people and
enemies within and paranoia of
Estates General and
executive commissions of 1794 and
extraordinary courts advocated by
fall of monarchy and
Festival of Federation and
Feuillants of Arras and
finances and poverty of
food preference of
Fouché denounced by
fraternal banquets criticized by
Freemasons and
friendship with Brissot, Roland, and Pétion
Girondins opposed by
health of
Hébert denounced by
Hérivaux influences
ideal lawgiver and
ideal society and
illnesses of
illnesses of, after denouncing Desmoulins and Danton
illnesses of, after self-defense in National Conventon
instrument of Providence
Insurrectionary Commune and
Insurrection of Paris of 1793 and
integrity and conscience of
Jacobins and attacks on, with outbreak of war
Jacobins formation and
Jacobins of Versailles and
Jacobins schism, and opposition to constitutional monarchy
journal of, Le défenseur de la constitution
journal of, relaunched as Lettres à ses commettans
Lafayette and
Lamoignon Edicts and
Law of 22 Prairial and
life of, as crescendo
Louis XVI and
Louis XVI return to Paris during Revolution and
Louis XVI trial and execution and
Louvet’s accusation of
Marat and
Marat assassination and
Marie Antoinette trial and execution and
Mirabeau and
Mirabeau’s death and
Mirabeau’s letters to Louis XVI and
mistress of
Mme de Staël on
Mme Roland friendship cools
mob violence used by
Mountain and
moves to Paris, with National Assembly
National Assembly and
National Convention and
National Guards and
Necker and
new federalist army and citizen soldier
paintings and
Paris municipal elections abolished by
Paris sixty vs. forty-eight debate and
patriotism concept of
patronage and
personality of
personality of, as embodiment of revolution
personality of, vs. Danton
Pétion and
Police Bureau and
political isolation of, in 1792
political shrewdness of
poor and oppressed defended by
popularity of
portraits of
poverty of
power and
price controls and
principles of
protests of 20
June 1792
and
Proyart on
purity of
reading by, as youth
recordkeeping of
religion and
religion and cult of Supreme Being and
religious faith defended by, to Jacobins
republican constitution and
resigns office as public prosecutor
revolutionary calendar and
revolutionary catechism drafted by
Revolutionary Tribunal reestablished
romance with A. Deshorties
romance with E. Duplay
Rosati society and
Rousseau influences
Saint-Just and
secret list of
September Massacres and
siege of Lyon and
speaking style of
speech of Thermidor leading to downfall
speech of, comparing 1789 to 1792
speech of, Eloge de la Rose to Rosati
speech of, on flight of Louis and enemies within
speech of, on freedom of press and libel
speech of, on National Guard
speech of, on National Guard and democratic war
speech of, on republican principles, religion and morality
speech of, on trial of Louis XVI
speech of, on veto published
speech of, opposing foreign war and decrying enemies
speech of, Report on Principles of Political Morality defends Terror
suspicions and paranoia of
Tallien and Fouché attacked by
Terror and
Théot sect and
trial by character and
vertu concept and
vision of
visits Arras in 1791
visits Carins and Sens in 1783
visits daughter of king, during Terror
voting rights and
war with Austria and
war worries of, and National Guard and
women and
Wordsworth on
work habits of
writings of, A la nation artésienne pamphlet
writings of, early poetry
writings of, Les ennemis de la patrie démasqués pamphlet
writings of, on bad blood, honor, and monarchy
writings of, on enemy within
writings of, on Gresset
writings of, on visit to Carvins and Sens of 1783
Robespierre, Robert de (15th century ancestor)
Robespierre, Robert de (16th century ancestor)
Roederer, Pierre-Louis
Roland, Jean Marie
suicide of
Roland, Manon Phlipon
arrest of
death of
Rome, ancient
Rosati (Arras literary society)
Rousseau, Jean-Jacques
affinity of MR with
citizen militia and
education and
innate goodness and
on Paris
patriotism and
romance and
Social Contract
vertu and
royal council
Royale, Mme (daughter of Louis XVI)
royalists
Russia
Sade, Marquis de
Saint-André, Jean Bon
Saint-Denis tombs smashed
Sainte-Amaranthe family, execution of
Saintes, bishop of
Saint-Firmin massacre
Saint-Germain-des-Près, abbey of
Saint-Germain-des-Près, abbey of, massacres
Saint-Just, Louis Antoine Léon de
arrest and execution of
Dantonists and
fall of MR and
friendship with MR
travels with army
trial of Louis XVI and
Saint-Norbert
Saint-Vaast, abbey of
Salle Episcopale (Bishop’s Court), of Arras
sans-culottes
Sanson, Charles Henri
Sauvage, John
September Massacres
Servan, Joseph
Seven Years War
Sévigné, Marie de Rabutin Chantal, Marquise de
Sidney, Algernon
Sieyès, Emmanuel-Joseph, abbé
Simon, Anthony
Social Contract (Rousseau)
Society of the Friends of the Constitution (later Jacobin Club)
Sommerville, Marie
Souberbielle, Dr.
Spain
war declared on
Staël-Holstien, Anne-Louise-Germaine Necker, Baronne de
Staël-Holstein, Baron de
Stuart, Charles Edward (Young Pretender)
Swiss Guard
Tale of Two Cities, A (Dickens)
Talleyrand-Périgord, Charles Maurice
Tallien, Jean Lambert
Target, Guy-Jean-Baptiste
taxation
progressive
Tennis Court Oath
Terror. See also Committee of Public Safety; Committee of General Security; Revolutionary Tribunals; and specific people and laws
begins
Danton opposes
executions and
hopes embodied in
Law of 22 Prairial and
MR and
Théot, Catherine
third estate
coronation of Louis XVI and
declares National Assembly
Estates General and
as nation
Thompson, J. M.
Tocqueville, Alexis
Toulon
Treilhad, Jean-Baptiste
trial by character
trial by conscience
Tuileries palace
protests of 20 June 1792 and
royal family wishes to leave
storming of 10 August 1792
Vadier, Marc Guillaume Albert
Valazé, Charles Éléonor Dufriche
Valmy, battle of
Varennes, flight to
Vendée, revolt in
Versailles
Jacobin Club of
women’s march to
vertu (virtue)
Ver-Vert (Gresset)
Vieux Cordelier, Le (newspaper)
Vilate, Joachim
Villiers, Pierre
Virolle, Mary Magdalen
Vissery de Bois-Valé, Charles Dominique de
Voltaire
voting rights
Walpole, Horace
War Ministry
war of defense vs. conquest
war of liberty vs. intrigue
war with European powers
conscription for
declared on Holy Roman Empire
execution of Louis XVI and
threat of
Washington, George
welfare assistance
William Tell (play)
Wordsworth, William
Young, Arthur
Metropolitan Books
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Copyright © 2006 by Ruth Scurr
All rights reserved.
Published simultaneously in the United Kingdom by
Chatto & Windus, The Random House Group Limited
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Scurr, Ruth.
Fatal purity: Robespierre and the French Revolution / Ruth Scurr.
p. cm.
ISBN: 978-1-4668-0578-1
1. Robespierre, Maximilien, 1758–1794. 2. Revolutionaries—France—Biography. 3. France—History—Revolution, 1789–1799. 4. France—History—Reign of Terror, 1793–1794. I. Title
DC146.R6S38 2006
944.04092—dc22
[B]
2005057694
Map of Revolutionary Paris drawn by Edward Weller, 1908
Table of Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Epigraph
Contents
Chronology
Map: Revolutionary Paris
Preface
Introduction
Part I. Before the Revolution (1758–1788)
1 Child of Arras
2 The Lawyer-Poet Back Home
Part II. The Revolution Begins (1788–1789)
3 Standing for Election in Arras
4 Representing the Nation at Versailles
Part III. Reconstituting France (1789–1791)
5 The National Assembly in Paris
6 The Constitution
Part IV. The Constitution Fails (1791–1792)
7 War
8 The King’s Trial
Part V. The Terror (1793–1794)
9 The Pact with Violence
10 Robespierre’s Red Summer
Coda
Bibliography
About the Author
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index
Copyright
