Robespierre (rob'aiz-peer), Maximilen Marie Isidore. A French revolutionist. Born at Arras in 1758. After studying law and gaining some distinction as an advocate, Robespierre entered the States-General in 1789 as one of the representatives of Artois. In that assembly, he soon made his mark as a rabid Democrat, and attached himself to the Jacobin body. In 1792, the city of Paris elected him one of its deputies to the convention, where Robespierre speedily became the leader of the Mountain Party in its struggles with the Girondists. Over the latter, with the help of the Commune of Paris and the mob, he achieved a decisive triumph in June, 1793. After this, he inaugurated the Reign of Terror by constituting himself president of the committee of public safety, and associating along with him Couthon and Saint-Just. In 1794, being by this time in possession of almost unlimited power, Robespierre opened the regime of the guillotine by first sacrificing his Girondist rivals, and then sending indiscriminately to their death thousands of innocent persons of both sexes. The excesses of this monster at last raised against him a strong combination of opponents and, the convention declaring him an outlaw, Robespierre perished under the guillotine in 1794.

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