Robespierre

American  

[rohbz-peer, -pee-air, raw-bes-pyer] / ˈroʊbz pɪər, -piˌɛər, rɔ bɛsˈpyɛr /

noun

1. Maximilien François Marie Isidore de 1758–94, French lawyer and revolutionary leader.

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Robespierre British  

/ ˈrəʊbzpjɛə, rɔbzpjɛr /

noun

1. Maximilien François Marie Isidore de . (maksimiljɛ̃ frɑ̃swa mari izidɔr də). 1758–94, French revolutionary and Jacobin leader: established the Reign of Terror as a member of the Committee of Public Safety (1793–94): executed in the coup d'état of Thermidor (1794)

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Robespierre Cultural  

1. A French political leader of the eighteenth century. Robespierre, a Jacobin, was one of the most radical leaders of the French Revolution. He was in charge of the government during the Reign of Terror, when thousands of persons were executed without trial. After a public reaction against his extreme policies, he was executed without trial.

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Example Sentences

In a final, unsent letter, addressed to Maximilien Robespierre, she wrote, “speak; it is something to know one’s fate, and with a soul like mine, one is capable of envisaging it.”

From The Wall Street Journal

He began as a Royal Academician, became an ardent revolutionary, barely escaped execution after the fall of Robespierre, went on to be Napoleon’s chief propagandist, and ended life a political exile.

From The Wall Street Journal

None of the figures Mr. Hardman discusses, including Maximilien Robespierre, the provincial lawyer known for his inflexible character and unity of purpose, could break the pattern.

From The Wall Street Journal

Prominent French revolutionary Maximilien Robespierre met the same fate a year later.

From Seattle Times

Robespierre’s execution kicked off the Thermidorian Reaction, in which France returned to more conservative policies.

From Los Angeles Times