Promenade - Robespierre

I chose to create a walking tour about Maximilien Robespierre. He was a very influential political figure during the French Revolution. Robespierre acquired many of his political ideals and the idea of direct democracy from Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the famous Genevan writer, philosopher and composer. Montesquieu’s work influenced Robespierre as well. Robespierre studied law like his father and proved to be a very intelligent individual even from a young age. In the town of Arras where he was born and raised, Robespierre was very involved in the local politics. He was appointed criminal judge in the Diocese of Arras in March 1782, and inDecember 1783, he became a member of the academy of Arras. In 1788, he was took part in the discussion concerning how the French provincial government should be elected. He was elected 5th deputy of the Third Estate of Artois to the Estates-General. He became heavily involved in the Society of the Friends of the Constitution, which eventually became known as the Jacobin Club. After the fall of the monarchy, the Committee of General Security was created and managed the internal police of the country. Even though all members were considered equal by definition, Robespierre was often regarded as the de facto dictator of France, which increased his influence during the Reign of Terror that followed. Unfortunately, anyone who was considered an “enemy of the revolution” was unmercifully executed. Robespierre had a way with words and could change the minds of almost any crowd. Famous quotes from Robespierre include “To punish the oppressors of humanity is clemency; to forgive them is barbarity,” “slowness of judgments is equal to impurity,” and “uncertainty of punishment encourages all the guilty.” As part of his revolutionary change, Robespierre established the Cult of the Supreme Being as the official religion, which is heavily based upon the Rousseau’s The Social Contract. In response to the excesses of the Reign of Terror, there was a revolt known as the Thermidorian Reaction in which the Committee of Public Safety voted to have Robespierre executed along with several other political leaders.

My personal connection to Robespierre is that I really admire his passion and drive to pursue what he believed to be true. I find his life extremely interesting life. From a young age he studied hard and wished to radically change the political spectrum of France. I am inspired whenever I read and learn about individuals like Robespierre. Those sorts of individuals went hard after their dreams and aspirations. They are the ones who are in the history books as people who changed the world, and they will forever be remember for their amazing efforts. I do not agree with everything about Robespierre. I believe he had a corrupt viewpoint during the Reign of Terror, which led to many individuals being killed for no real reason, and I do see creating a new religion like “The Cult of the Supreme Being” to be the answer to anyone’s problems, but it is at the heart of his efforts where he sought to stand up for the poor that I find respect and admiration for him. I firmly believe that life is too short for everyone to not live every day to the fullest. If someone has a dream to do this or that, they should not let anything hinder them from pursuing. I see Robespierre and his efforts as someone who did just that.

To begin the walking tour, go to 1 Rue Cujas in the 5^th arrondissement. The quickest way to get there by metro is to take line 10 to Cluny La Sorbonne and walk East down Boulevard Saint-Germain until you reach Rue Saint-Jacques. Take a right onto Rue Saint-Jacques. The first stop for the walking tour, Le Lycée Louis-le-Grand, will be on your right as you approach Rue Cujas. Take a left onto Rue Cujas and you will see a large door to your left with the words “LYCEE LOUIS LE GRAND” in large letters above it. The Parisian walking tour begins here because this school played a crucial role in the early years of Robespierre’s life. Le Lycée Louis-le-Grand is a very demanding public secondary school. It was formerly known as the Collège de Clermont in honor of king Louis XIV. It prepares students who wish to enter the Grandes Écoles that are not obligated to accept all candidates who hold a baccalauréat in France. Founded in 1563, it is located in the Latin Quarter, which is traditionally the area for students in Paris and includes other educational establishments such as the Sorbonne and the Collège de France. The school holds a long list of pupils who went onto to become famous writers, artists, politicians and scientists. Robespierre is included in that list. In October of 1769, Robespierre was able to obtain a scholarship to the Le Lycée Louis-le-Grand thanks to a recommendation from the bishop of Arras. It was at this school that he learned about the Roman Republic and many classical figures such as Cato and Cicero. He was exposed to the works of Rousseau during this time as well. He admired these studies at this school, which were fundamental in his growth as a radical political leader. Fellow pupils of Robespierre include famous names such as Camille Desmoulins and Stanislas Fréron. At the age of 17, Robespierre was chosen out of 500 pupils to give a welcoming speech at the school to the king Louis XVI after the king’s coronation. The young Robespierre and the waiting crowd had to stay in the rain for several hours until the king finally arrived. The royal couple stayed in their comfortably dry coach for the entire ceremony and quickly left once it was over. Ironically, Robespierre would later be instrumental in the execution of the king and the fall of the monarchy. Walk around the building and admire it as you try and fathom the history makers like Robespierre who started their careers here as young pupils.

The next stop on the walking tour is Le Club des Cordeliers. From Le Lycée Louis-le-Grand, walk North-West on Rue Cujas until you reach Boulevard Saint-Michel. Take a right onto Boulevard Saint-Michel and walk until you reach Rue Des Écoles. Take a left onto Rue des Écoles and walk until you reach Rue Hautefeuille. Le Club des Cordeliers will be on your right. There will be a plaque identifying it as well as a sign with a little bit of history about it in French. The club was formally known as the Société des Amis des droits de l’homme et du citoyen or the Society of the Friends of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. Simply put, it was a populist club during the French Revolution. It lies in what was known as the Cordeliers district, which was led by Georges Danton, a man who played a crucial role in the Storming of the Bastille. Camille Desmoulins, a close friend of Robespierre, called it “the only sanctuary where liberty has not been violated.” It was the meeting place of many important figures of the French Revolution like Danton, Desmoulins and Robespierre. In November 1789, the district issued a declaration stating its objective to “oppose, as much as we are able, all that the representatives of the Commune may undertake that is harmful to the general rights of our constituents.” It was in constant conflict with the Parisian government during the winter and spring of 1790 until that summer when the district was abolished during the restructuring of the 60 districts into 48 new sections. Before the restructuring, the leaders of the Cordeliers district started the club in April 1790. Since they met in the Cordeliers Convent, it soon became known as the Club des Cordeliers and soon adopted the popular phrase “Liberté, égalité, fraternité.” The Cordeliers took part in many significant events such as the drafting of the petition to remove the king and the planning and execution of the August 10, 1972, besiege of the Tuileries palace. In short, it was here that Robespierre, among many other French political leaders, met and took part in the major events of the French Revolution. Try and picture the important discussions that took place and the vital decisions that were made that went on to make real history.

The next stop is the Église Saint-Sulpice. From the Club des Cordeliers, walk North-West on Rue des Écoles and take a left onto Rue Dupuytren. Take Rue Dupuytren until you reach Rue Monsieur le Prince. Take a right onto Rue Monsieur le Prince. The road will curve right and turn into Carrefour de L’Odéon, which quickly curves left. Take a left onto Rue de Condé. You will quickly take a right onto Rue Saint-Sulpice. Take Rue Saint-Sulpice until you encounter the church on your left. L’Église Saint-Sulpice is a Roman Catholic church founded in 1646 that is actually the second building built on the site. It was built over the original Romanesque church that was there before. It is 113 meters long, 58 meters wide and 34 meters tall, which makes it the largest church in Paris after Notre-Dame. It was here that Camille Desmoulins married Lucile Duplessis on December 29, 1790, with Robespierre as his best man. Robespierre went on to be the godfather of the Desmoulins’ only child, Horace Camille. Robespierre and Desmoulin were close friends since childhood and both attended Le Lycée Louis-le-Grand together. The closeness of that friendship is evident in Desmoulin choosing Robespierre as his best man and his only child’s godfather. These two men were instrumental in the workings of the French Revolution, and this site gives us a little look into their personal lives that went on outside of the politics they are typically known for. Walk in and around the church and try to imagine the wedding that went on inside this beautifully and historical church and the influential individuals that attended it.

The next stop is the Champ de Mars. From the Église Saint-Sulpice, walk West thru the Place Saint-Sulpice onto Rue du Vieux Colombier. Take Rue du Vieux Colombier until you reach Rue de Sèvres. Take a left and walk South-West on Rue de Sèvres until it you reach a fork. Take the road on the right of the fork. Rue de Sèvres will run into Rue de Babylone. Walk West on Rue de Babylone until you run into Rue d’Estrées. Walk South-West on Rue d’Estrées until you reach Avenue Duquesne. Take a right onto Avenue Duquesne and walk North West until you reach Place Joffre. Take a right onto Place Joffre and walk South-West until you see the large park of Champ de Mars on your right. Walk thru the park and enjoy all there is too see. Among the many events that have taken place at the Champ de Mars, the nationwide “Festival of the Supreme Being” was one that took place on June 8, 1794, in honor of Robespierre’s new faith called the “Cult of the Supreme Being.” The faith was based on Deists beliefs and the ideals outlined in Rousseau’s The Social Contract. June 8 is the day originally set for the Christian holiday of Pentecost. The Champ de Mars was renamed the Champ de la Réunion or the Field of Reunion for that day. The religion was based upon the idea that God created the universe to proclaim His power and that humankind should live harmoniously and reach happiness by way of virtue. Everything for the event went to plan and is considered the most successful event of its type that took place during the Revolution. The best thing to do would be to walk up to the Eiffel Tower and turn around and look at the garden with the tower to your back since it wasn’t built until many decades later. You wouldn’t want it to distract you from imagining the festival that took place to celebrate the new religion of France created by Robespierre that embodied the new principles of liberty, equality and brotherhood.

The next stop is the house of Maurice Duplay. From the Champ de Mars, walk North-East on Place Joffre and continue straight onto Avenue de la Motte-Picquet. Walk North-East on Avenue de la Motte-Picquet until you reach Rue Fabert. Take a slight left onto Rue Fabert and walk North until you reach the Siene river. Take a right onto Quai d’Orsay and walk East until you reach the Pont de la Concorde on your left. Walk across the Pont de la Concorde until you reach Place de la Concorde. Take a right onto Place de la Concorde and walk South-East. Continue to walk on Place de la Concorde as it turns left. Yo

u will soon encounter Rue Saint-Florentin. Walk North-East on Rue Saint-Florentin until you reach Rue Saint-Honoré. Take a right on Rue Saint-Honoré and walk until you see number 398 on your left. There is a plaque designating the location as the place where Robespierre lived in Paris until his death. He moved to this house on July 17th, 1971, after the massacre on the Champ de Mars, so that he could be in closer proximity to his political obligations. The house was owned by a cabinetmaker named Maurice Duplay who greatly admired Robespierre. Some sources say thatRobespie

rre got engaged to Duplay’s oldest daughter, Éléonore Duplay. On July 28th, 1794, Robespierre was guillotined without trial. The cart that carried him to the guillotine made a stop in front of the Duplay house before bringing him to Place de la Concorde for his execution. Stand outside the door of his old house and try and picture the 18th century Paris that he saw on a daily basis. Think about how this house was one of the last things he saw before being executed.

Our next and final stop is at Place de la Concorde. It is a short walk from Maurice Duplay’s house. This is most likely the path that was taken by the cart that carried Robespierre to the Place de la Concorde for his execution, so look around at your surroundings and think about how it was some of the last things that Robespierre saw before being guillotined. Walk North-West on Rue Saint-Honoré until you reach Rue Saint-Florentin. Take a left onto Rue Saint-Florentin and walk South-West until you reach the Place de la Concorde. This is where the guillotine was erected during the French Revolution by the new revolutionary government. The statue of Louis XV that was originally located there was taken away and the area was given the name “Place de la Révolution.” It was here that many significant figures like King Louis XVI, Queen Marie Antoinette and Robespierre were executed. Robespierre was a member of the Assembly, which served as the executive power of the French First Republic, and had once resided as president of it. On July 26^th, 1794, he gave a two-hour speech to the Assembly defending himself against charges of dictatorship and tyranny but it was to no avail. They soon declared him and others with him to be outlaws, which means Robespierre could be executed within 24 hours without trial after being verified. In his attempted flee of the troops that we sent after him, Robespierre tried to commit suicide with a pistol but ended up only shattering his lower jaw. In order to clear Robespierre’s neck, the executioner tore off the bandage that was holding his shattered jaw together. This caused him to give a loud and agonizing scream until the blade cut his head off and silenced him. Look around you and imagine the guillotine, the cheering crowds and all that Robespierre must have seen as he contemplated his impending death and screamed in pain. It’s a horrible picture to imagine.