Georges Danton

Georges Jacques Danton was a modest, unknown lawyer when the Revolution began in 1789. He became a powerful orator in the Cordeliers Club and was appointed Minister of Justice after the monarchy fell on 10 August 1792, allegedly inciting the September Massacres that followed. In spring 1793 he supported creating the Revolutionary Tribunal and became the first president of the Committee of Public Safety. But during the insurrection of 31 May-2 June 1793, Danton reversed course on using force, lost his committee seat, and found himself at odds with Maximilien Robespierre. By October he'd left politics, only to return and plead - as a moderate - for an end to the Terror. His attacks on the Committee drew retaliation: Robespierre answered his Christmas Day plea with refusal, and when Danton made another speech in late March 1794 calling for the Terror to stop, he was arrested within a week on charges of conspiracy and royalist leanings. He went to the guillotine on 5 April 1794.