On This Day In History: Maximilien Robespierre Sent To The Guillotine – On July 28, 1794

AncientPages.com - On July 28, 1794, Maximilien Robespierre, a leading figure of the French Revolution, was sent to the guillotine in Paris, France.

Robespierre had dominated the Committee of Public Safety during the "Reign of Terror."

The execution of Robespierre and his supporters on 28 July 1794. Note: the beheaded man (6) is not Robespierre, but Couthon: Maximilien Robespierre (10) is shown sitting on the cart, dressed in brown, wearing a hat, and holding a handkerchief to his mouth. His younger brother Augustin (8) is being led up the steps to the scaffold. Image credit: Unknown author - Public Domain

He proclaimed the collective dictatorship of the revolutionary National Convention and attacked factions led by men such as Jacques-René Hébert, which he felt threatened the government's power.

Factions opposed to Robespierre finally got an advantage in the summer of 1794.  An outlaw of the National Convention was declared, and Robespierre and many of his followers were captured

Robespierre and 22 of his supporters were guillotined without trial before the crowds gathered in the Place de la Révolution. He was buried in a common grave at the newly opened Errancis Cemetery with those executed with him.

Later, between 1844 and 1859, the remains of all those buried there were moved to the Catacombs of Paris.

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