Jacobins
Sign in to saveThe Society of the Friends of the Constitution (), renamed the Society of the Jacobins, Friends of Freedom and Equality () after 1792 and commonly known as the Jacobin Club () or simply the Jacobins (; ), was the most influential political club during the French Revolution of 1789. The period of its political ascendancy includes the Reign of Terror, during which well over 10,000 people were put on trial and executed in France, many for "political crimes".
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The Jacobins were the most influential political club during the French Revolution, originally founded as the Society of the Friends of the Constitution. They gained particular prominence during the Reign of Terror, a period in which thousands of people were executed on charges of political crimes, making them a central force in one of history's most violent revolutionary episodes.
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Key facts
- Militant organization.name
- Jacobin Club
- Militant organization.logo
- Seal of Jacobins of Paris (Republican).svg
- Militant organization.native_name
- Club des Jacobins
- Militant organization.native_name_lang
- fr
- Militant organization.other_name
- Society of the Friends of the Constitution
- Militant organization.predecessor
- Club Breton
- Militant organization.successor
- Panthéon Club
- Militant organization.country
- French First Republic
- Militant organization.clans
- Girondins The Plain Montagnards
- Militant organization.headquarters
- Dominican convent, Rue Saint-Honoré, Paris
- Militant organization.position
- Left-wing
Article
23 sectionsContents
- History
- Foundation
- Transfer to Paris
- Growth
- Character
- Polarization between Robespierrists and Girondins
- Opposition between Montagnards and Girondins in the National Convention
- Girondins disbarred from the National Convention
- Montagnard rule and civil war
- Closure
- Reunion of Jacobin adherents
- Influence
- Political influence
- Left-wing politics
- Cultural influence
- List of presidents of the Jacobin Club
- Electoral results
- See also
- References
- Bibliography
- Further reading
- Primary sources
- External links
The Society of the Friends of the Constitution (), renamed the Society of the Jacobins, Friends of Freedom and Equality () after 1792 and commonly known as the Jacobin Club () or simply the Jacobins (; ), was the most influential political club during the French Revolution of 1789. The period of its political ascendancy includes the Reign of Terror, during which well over 10,000 people were put on trial and executed in France, many for "political crimes".
Initially founded in 1789 by anti-royalist deputies from Brittany, the club grew into a nationwide republican movement with a membership estimated at a half million or more. The Jacobin Club was heterogeneous and included both prominent parliamentary factions of the early 1790s: The Mountain and the Girondins. In 1792–93, the Girondins were more prominent in leading France when they declared war on Austria and on Prussia, overthrew King Louis XVI, and set up the French First Republic. In May 1793, the leaders of the Mountain faction, led by Maximilien Robespierre, succeeded in sidelining the Girondin faction and controlled the government until July 1794. Their time in government featured high levels of political violence, and for this reason the period of the Jacobin/Mountain government is identified as the Reign of Terror. In October 1793, 21 prominent Girondins were guillotined. The Mountain-dominated government executed 17,000 opponents nationwide as a way to suppress the Vendée insurrection and the Federalist revolts, and to deter recurrences. In July 1794, the National Convention pushed the administration of Robespierre and his allies out of power and had Robespierre and 21 associates executed. In November 1794, the Jacobin Club closed.