{"id":10768,"date":"2025-02-10T07:41:59","date_gmt":"2025-02-10T05:41:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tacotichelaar.nl\/wordpress\/?page_id=10768"},"modified":"2025-02-12T23:57:05","modified_gmt":"2025-02-12T21:57:05","slug":"insurrection-of-31-may-2-june-1793-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/tacotichelaar.nl\/wordpress\/insurrection-of-31-may-2-june-1793-2\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00a0Insurrection of 31 May \u2013 2 June 1793"},"content":{"rendered":"
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On May 31, the Paris Commune organized an anti-Girondin insurrectionary day, then a second on June 2.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The insurrection of 31 May \u2013 2 June 1793<\/b> (French<\/a>: Journ\u00e9es du 31 mai et du 2 juin 1793<\/i>, lit.<\/abbr>\u2009‘<\/span>Days of 31 May and 2 June 1793<\/span>‘<\/span>), during the French Revolution, started after the Paris commune<\/a> demanded that 22 Girondin<\/a> deputies<\/a> and members of the Commission of Twelve<\/a> should be brought before the Revolutionary Tribunal<\/a>. Jean-Paul Marat<\/a> led the attack on the representatives in the National Convention, who in January had voted against the execution of the King<\/a> and since then had paralyzed the convention. Twice the Convention, which had no troops since the foundation to defend itself, refused. It ended after thousands of armed citizens surrounded the convention to force it to deliver the deputies denounced by the Paris Commune. The insurrection resulted in the fall of 29 Girondins and two ministers under pressure of the Paris commune, (sans-culottes<\/a><\/i>, Jacobins<\/a>, and Montagnards)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Due to its impact and importance, the insurrection stands as one of the three great popular insurrections of the French Revolution, following those of 14 July 1789<\/a> (the storming of the Bastille<\/a>) and 10 August 1792<\/a>.[<\/span>1]<\/span><\/a><\/sup> The principal conspirators were the Enrag\u00e9s<\/a>: Claude-Emmanuel Dobsen and Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Varlet<\/a>. Jean-Nicolas Pache<\/a> and Pierre Gaspard Chaumette<\/a> led the march on the convention.<\/p>\n

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Contents<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
    \n
  • 1 <\/span>Background<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n
  • 2 <\/span>Toward the crisis<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n
  • 3 T<\/span>hursday, 30 May<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n
  • 4 <\/span>Friday, 31 May<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n
  • 5 <\/span>Saturday, 1 June<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n
  • 6 <\/span>Sunday, 2 June<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n
  • 7 <\/span>Aftermath<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n
  • 8 <\/span>Notes<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n
  • 9 <\/span>References<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n
  • 10 <\/span>Sources<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
    \n

    Background<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

    During the government of the Legislative Assembly<\/a> (October 1791\u2013September 1792), the Girondins had dominated French politics.<\/p>\n

    After the insurrection of 10 August<\/a> and the start of the newly elected National Convention in September 1792, the Girondin faction (c. 150) was larger than the Montagnards (c. 120), the other main faction of the convention. Most ministries were in the hands of friends or allies of the Girondins,[<\/span>3]<\/span><\/a><\/sup> and the state bureaucracy and the provinces remained under their control.<\/p>\n

    The convention was expected to deliver a new constitution, as the 10 August insurrection had rejected the Constitution of 1791<\/a>. However, by the spring of 1793, the convention was instead dealing with civil war<\/a>, imminent invasion<\/a>, difficulties, and dangers.[<\/span>4]<\/span><\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

    \n

    Toward the crisis<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

    On 26 May, after a week of silence, Robespierre delivered one of the most decisive speeches of his career.[<\/span>5]<\/span><\/a><\/sup> He openly called at the Jacobin Club “to place themselves in insurrection against corrupt deputies”.[<\/span>6]<\/span><\/a><\/sup> Isnard declared that the convention would not be influenced by any violence and that Paris had to respect the representatives from elsewhere in France.[<\/span>7]<\/span><\/a><\/sup> The Convention decided Robespierre would not be heard. (During the whole debate Robespierre sat on the gallery.) The atmosphere became extremely agitated. Some deputies were willing to kill if Isnard dared to declare civil war in Paris; the president was asked to give up his seat. The Convention caved to pressure and released Varlet and Dobsen on the 27th, only three days after their arrest.[citation needed<\/span><\/a><\/i>]<\/sup> <\/p>\n

    The commission of Twelve was surpressed in the Convention on the 27th, but reinstalled on the next day with a majority of votes. <\/p>\n

    On 28 May a weak Robespierre excused himself twice for his physical condition but attacked in particular Brissot of royalism. He referred to 25 July 1792 where their points of view split.[<\/span>8]<\/span><\/a><\/sup>[<\/span>9]<\/span><\/a><\/sup> Robespierre left the convention after applause from the left side and went to the town hall.[<\/span>10]<\/span><\/a><\/sup> There he called for an armed insurrection against the majority of the convention. “If the Commune does not unite closely with the people, it violates its most sacred duty”, he said.[<\/span>11]<\/span><\/a><\/sup> In the afternoon the Commune demanded the creation of a Revolutionary army of sansculottes in every town of France, including 20,000 men to defend Paris.[<\/span>12]<\/span><\/a><\/sup>[<\/span>6]<\/span><\/a><\/sup>[<\/span>13]<\/span><\/a><\/sup> 29 May was occupied in preparing the public mind, according to historian Fran\u00e7ois Mignet<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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    <\/span>Thursday, 30 May<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
    \n

    \"\"<\/a>
    Fran\u00e7ois Hanriot, chef de la section des Sans-Culottes (Rue Mouffetard); drawing by Gabriel in the Carnavalet Museum<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figure>\n

    Delegates representing 33 of the sections met at the \u00c9v\u00each\u00e9<\/i> (the Bishop’s Palace behind the Notre-Dame de Paris<\/a>) declared themselves in a state of insurrection against the aristocratic factions and the oppression of liberty. A committee of nine, including Varlet and Dobsen, was appointed to lead the revolt.[<\/span>14]<\/span><\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

    On the same day, several new members were added to the Committee of Public Safety: Saint-Just, Couthon<\/a>, and H\u00e9rault de Seychelles<\/a>.[<\/span>15]<\/span><\/a><\/sup> The Department of Paris<\/a> gave its support to the movement, and in name of the sections Fran\u00e7ois Hanriot<\/a> (Henriot) was appointed “Commandant-General<\/i>” of the Parisian National Guard by the vice-president of the convention. At 3 o’clock in the morning, the tocsin in the Notre-Dame was rung, in the streets barriers were erected and the city gates were closed.[<\/span>16]<\/span><\/a><\/sup> The insurrection was directed by the committee at the \u00c9v\u00each\u00e9<\/i> (the Bishop’s Palace Committee).<\/p>\n

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    <\/span>Friday, 31 May<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
    \n

    \"\"<\/a>
    The uprising of the Parisian sans-culottes from 31 May to 2 June 1793. The scene takes place in front of the Deputies Chamber in the Tuileries. The depiction shows Marie-Jean H\u00e9rault de S\u00e9chelles and Pierre Victurnien Vergniaud.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figure>\n

    At six o’clock in the morning, the delegates of the 33 sections, led by Dobsen, fired the alarm-gun,[<\/span>17]<\/span><\/a><\/sup> presented themselves at the H\u00f4tel de Ville<\/a><\/i>, showed the full powers with which the members had invested them, and suppressed the Commune, whose members had retired to the adjourning room. The revolutionary delegates provisionally reinstated the Commune in its functions, dissolved the general council of the Commune, and immediately reconstituted it, requiring members to take a new oath. Jean-Nicolas Pache<\/a>, the mayor was dismissed or refused. They ordered the arrest of LeBrun-Tondu<\/a>, Etienne Clavi\u00e8re<\/a> and Jean-Marie Roland<\/a> (to save them from the fury of the people, as they said).<\/p>\n

    The insurgent committee, which was now sitting at the H\u00f4tel de Ville<\/i>, dictated to the Commune, now reinstated by the people, what measures it was to take. It secured the nomination of Fran\u00e7ois Hanriot, Commandant<\/i> of the battalion of the Jardin des Plantes<\/i>, as sole commander-in-chief of the National Guard of Paris. It was decided that the poorer National Guards who were under arms should receive pay at the rate of 40 sous<\/a><\/i> a day. The assembly of the Parisian authorities, summoned by the departmental assembly, resolved to cooperate with the Commune and the insurrectionary committee, whose numbers were raised to 21 by the addition of delegates from the meeting at the Jacobins.[<\/span>18]<\/span><\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

    The Conseil-General ordered that the tocsin in the Notre-Dame<\/a> should stop ringing.[<\/span>19]<\/span><\/a><\/sup> The sections were very slow in getting under way, as the workers were at their jobs. Hanriot ordered a cannon fired on the Pont-Neuf<\/i> as a sign of alarm. When the Convention assembled, Georges Danton<\/a> rushed to the tribune, allegedly saying,[<\/span>20]<\/span><\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

    Break up the Commission of Twelve! You have heard the thunder of the cannon. Girondins protested against the closing of the city gates, against the tocsin and alarm-gun without the approval of the convention; Vergniaud suggested arresting Henriot. In his turn, Robespierre urged the arrest of the Girondins, who had supported the installation of the Commission of Twelve.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    Before the commission would be judged, a rapport had to be written, followed be a defense, according to Danton.[Journal des d\u00e9bats et des d\u00e9crets, 30 mai 1793, p. 7]<\/span>] Around ten in the morning, 12,000 armed citizens appeared to protect the representatives in the Convention against any attack, the arrest of Girondin deputies?[Gazette nationale ou le Moniteur universel, 1 juin 1793, p. 4]<\/span><\/p>\n