Biography is
the written account of an individual life (Of course, an autobiography
is a biography written by the subject). Biography is as old as recorded
history.
Among the most ancient biographies are the narrative carvings and
hieroglyphic inscriptions on Egyptian tombs and temples (c.1300
B.C.), and the cuneiform inscriptions on Assyrian palace walls (c.720
B.C.) or Persian rock faces (c.520 B.C.). All these records proclaimed
the deeds of kings, although accuracy often gave way to glorification.
Among the first biographies of ordinary men, the Dialogues of Plato
(4th cent. B.C.) and the Gospels of the New Testament (1st and 2d
cent. A.D.) reveal their respective subjects by letting each speak
for himself. Even these early achievements of biography, however,
lack critical balance.
This web site has biographies of women and mem who contributed
to our culture in many different ways. There are writers, educators,
scientists, heads of state, politicians, civil rights crusaders,
artists, entertainers, and others. Some were alive hundreds of years
ago and some are living today.
In this biography web you can scroll down/up or select the first
letter of the name from the list of letters below to quickly find
the last name of who you are looking for in this index.
We presently have biographies on 100 people who have influenced
world in some way. We are adding new biographies all the time.
BIOGRAPHY Here are the biographies of the greatest men of the world
Robespierre,
Maximilien François Marie Isidore de (1758-94),
French lawyer and political leader, who became one of
the most influential figures of the French Revolution
and the principal exponent of the Reign of Terror.
Born on May 6, 1758, in Arras, and educated in Paris
at the College of Louis-le-Grand and at the College
of Law, Robespierre became a fanatical devotee of the
social theories of the French philosopher Jean Jacques
Rousseau. He was elected a deputy of the Estates-General
that convened in May 1789, on the eve of the French
Revolution, and subsequently served in the National
Constituent Assembly, where his earnest and skillful
oratory soon commanded attention. In April 1790 he was
elected president of the Jacobin Club and became increasingly
popular as an enemy of the monarchy and as an advocate
of democratic reforms. He opposed the more moderate
Girondists, the dominant faction in the newly formed
Legislative Assembly.
After the downfall of the monarchy in August 1792, Robespierre
was elected first deputy for Paris to the National Convention,
in which he urged the execution of King Louis XVI. In
May 1793, Robespierre, supported by the people of Paris,
forced the expulsion of the Girondists from the National
Convention. In July he was elected a member of the chief
executive body, the Committee of Public Safety, and
in the absence of any opposition rapidly gained control
of the government. France was in turmoil, and with the
aim of restoring order and reducing the danger of invasion
from abroad, Robespierre, backed by the committee, proceeded
to eliminate all whom he considered to be enemies of
the Revolution, both extremists and moderates. This
policy led to the so-called Reign of Terror and to the
execution, in March and April 1794, of the revolutionary
leaders Jacques René Hébert. and Georges
Jacques Danton. In May, at Robespierre's insistence,
the National Convention proclaimed as an official religion
the cult of the Supreme Being, which was based on Rousseau's
theory of Deism. This decree antagonized both Roman
Catholics and atheists, but Robespierre still had the
powerful backing of the Commune of Paris, and in June
he was elected president of the National Convention.
In the meantime, the Reign of Terror had intensified,
and Robespierre's increasingly aggressive speeches caused
many influential members of the National Convention
and of the Jacobin Club to fear for their own safety.
A series of French military victories then made the
extreme security measures seem less imperative, and
a conspiracy was formed for the overthrow of Robespierre.
On July 27, 1794, he was barred from speaking at the
National Convention and was placed under arrest. An
uprising in his support by soldiers of the Paris Commune
was thwarted, and on July 28 Robespierre died on the
guillotine with his close associates Louis Saint-Just
and Georges Couthon, along with 19 other supporters.
Eighty more followers of Robespierre were executed the
next day.
