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Elected to be Representative
He studied law through a scholarship and in 1789 was elected to be a representative of the Arras commoners in the Estates General. -
Became leader of National Assembly
After the Third Estate, which represented commoners and the lower clergy, declared itself the National Assembly, Robespierre became a prominent member of the Revolutionary body. -
Withdrew from National Assembly
He excluded himself from the new Legislative Assembly but continued to be politically active as a member of the Jacobin Club. -
Favored Louis XVI's execution
In December 1792, he successfully argued in favor of Louis XVI’s execution, -
Committee of Public Safety
Robespierre was elected to the Committee of Public Safety, which was formed in April to protect France against its enemies, foreign and domestic, and to oversee the government. -
Reign of Terror
In less than a year, 300,000 suspected enemies of the Revolution were arrested; at least 10,000 died in prison, and 17,000 were officially executed, many by guillotine in the Place de la Revolution. In the orgy of bloodshed, Robespierre succeeded in purging many of his political opponents. -
Robespierre is imprisoned
Robespierre and his allies were placed under arrest by the National Assembly. Robespierre was taken to the Luxembourg prison in Paris, but the warden refused to jail him, and he fled to the Hotel de Ville. -
Robespierre was guillotined