Paul Barras

Paul François Jean Nicolas, Vicomte de Barras was born on 30 June 1755 into the minor French nobility. He became a central figure during the French Revolution, rising to power in the chaos that followed the fall of Robespierre. From 1795 to 1799, Barras served as the main executive leader of the Directory, the five-man ruling council that tried to stabilize a country exhausted by terror and war. His tenure ended in 1799 when the regime collapsed. He died on 29 January 1829.