Fall of Maximilien Robespierre
arrest and execution of Robespierre during the French Revolution
During the French Revolution, Maximilien Robespierre addressed the National Convention on 26 July 1794, was arrested the next day, and executed the day after, on 28 July. In his speech on 26 July, Robespierre spoke of the existence of internal enemies, conspirators, and calumniators, within the Convention and the governing Committees. He refused to name them, which alarmed the deputies who feared Robespierre was preparing another purge of the Convention, similar to previous ones during the Reign of Terror.
On the following day, this tension in the Convention allowed Jean-Lambert Tallien, one of the conspirators whom Robespierre had in mind in his denunciation, to turn the Convention against Robespierre and demand his arrest. By the end of 28 July, Robespierre was executed by guillotine on the Place de la Révolution. Robespierre's fall led to the implementation of more moderate policies during the Thermidorian Reaction, which soon followed.
Background
Purge of the Hébertists and Dantonists
On 27 July 1793, Robespierre was elected to the Committee of Public Safety and would remain a member until his death. Between September 1793 and July 1794, the Committee's power increased dramatically through several measures instated during the Reign of Terror, such as the Law of Suspects and the Law of 14th Frimaire, becoming the de facto executive branch of the revolutionary government, under the supervision of the National Convention.
During this time, two different factions rose in opposition to the restructured revolutionary government: the left-wing ultra-revolutionaries and the moderate right-wing citra-revolutionaries. The left (known as Hébertists or exagérés) gathered around Jacques Hébert, as well as leaders of the Paris Commune and the exagérés of the Cordeliers Club.
The public source identifies “Fall of Maximilien Robespierre” as arrest and execution of Robespierre during the French Revolution. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Fall, Maximilien and Robespierre.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Fall of Maximilien Robespierre”, the useful work is to connect “arrest and execution of Robespierre during the French Revolution” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The record creator and administrative purpose are central evidence, because official documentation reflects both action and institutional priorities. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q12989672. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1794 and 1793.
Official terminology may obscure informal participation, dissent or communities documented only indirectly. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Compare institutional narratives with records created by participants and affected communities. Dates and formal titles are useful anchors, but not substitutes for context.
- Event chronology
- Institutional context
- Locating named record creators
Contemporary correspondence, government or organizational records, oral histories and cited historical scholarship.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Fall of Maximilien Robespierre”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Fall of Maximilien Robespierre primary sources, Fall of Maximilien Robespierre archive and Fall research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Fall of Maximilien Robespierre”?
- Which voices are present, absent or mediated by the institution?
- What chronology connects this entry to wider political or social change?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Fall of Maximilien Robespierre” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.