Jacques Nicolas Billaud-Varenne
| Jacques Nicolas Billaud-Varenne | |
|---|---|
Billaud-Varenne portraited by Jean-Baptiste Greuze, c. 1790 (Dallas Museum of Art)
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| 3rd President of the Committee of Public Safety | |
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In office 31 July 1794 – 1 September 1794 |
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| Preceded by | Maximilien Robespierre |
| Succeeded by | Merlin de Douai |
| 27th President of the National Convention | |
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In office 5 September 1793 – 19 September 1793 |
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| Deputy of the National Convention | |
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In office 7 September 1792 – 26 October 1795 |
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| Constituency | Seine |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Jacques Nicolas Billaud 23 April 1756 La Rochelle, Kingdom of France |
| Died | 3 June 1819 (aged 63) Port-au-Prince, Haiti |
| Nationality | French |
| Political party | The Mountain |
| Spouse(s) | Anne-Angélique Doye |
| Alma mater | University of Poitiers |
| Occupation | Lawyer, politician |
| Religion |
Deism (Cult of the Supreme Being) |
| Nickname(s) | "The Tiger" |
Jacques Nicolas Billaud-Varenne (23 April 1756 – 3 June 1819), also known as Jean Nicolas, was a French personality of the Revolutionary period. Though not one of the most well known figures of the French Revolution, Jacques Nicolas Billaud-Varenne was an instrumental figure of the period known as the Reign of Terror. Billaud-Varenne climbed his way up the ladder of power during the period of The Terror, becoming a member of the Committee of Public Safety. He was recognized and worked with French Revolution figures Georges Danton and Maximilien Robespierre, and is often considered one of the key architects of the period known as The Terror. "No, we will not step backward, our zeal will only be smothered in the tomb; either the Revolution will triumph or we will all die."
Billaud-Varenne was born in La Rochelle as the son of a lawyer to the parlement of Paris. Since both his grandfather and father were lawyers, and he was the first son in his direct family, Varenne was guaranteed a solid education and the same profession. Billaud-Varenne was educated at the College of Oratorians of Niort and took Philosophy at La Rochelle. His education at Niort was particularly important in shaping his character because its methods of teaching were uncommon to the revolution. At Niort, modernity and tolerance were emphasized, as opposed to overbearing and possibly obstructive religious instruction present in most other schools of the time. Billaud-Varenne was also sent to Oratory school at Juilly, where he later became a professor when he felt dissatisfied with practicing law. Here he remained for a short while, until his writing of a comédie strained his relationship with those who ran the school and he was obliged to leave in 1785, the Oratorian college where he was Hall prefect of studies. He then went to Paris, married and bought a position as lawyer in the parlement. In early 1789 he published at Amsterdam a three-volume work on the Despotisme des ministres de la France, and he adopted with enthusiasm the principles of the Revolution.
Joining the Jacobin Club, Billaud-Varenne became, from 1790, one of the most violent anti-Royalist orators, closely linked to Jean-Marie Collot d'Herbois. After the flight to Varennes of King Louis XVI, he published a pamphlet, L'Acéphocratie, in which he demanded the establishment of a federal republic.
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