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31 October 1793Reputable source · 2 sourcesWell documented

The Girondins Are Executed

Robespierre's Montagnard faction sends its rival deputies to the guillotine

On the timeline · around 31 October 1793 · Republic and TerrorRepublic and TerrorThermidor to BrumaireThe Girondins Are Executed1794

Quick facts

Location
Paris
Date
Trial from 16 October 1793; executed 31 October 1793
Faction
Girondins
Tried by
Revolutionary Tribunal

What happened

Leading Girondin deputies, the more moderate faction that had dominated the Convention's early months and argued for restraint toward the king and against Parisian mob pressure, were put on trial beginning 16 October 1793, the same day as Marie Antoinette's execution. Convicted by the Revolutionary Tribunal, they were guillotined on 31 October 1793, days after their trial concluded. Their removal followed the Montagnards' expulsion of Girondin deputies from the Convention earlier that summer, backed by an armed rising of the Paris sections.

Why it matters

The execution of a rival elected faction, rather than only royalists or foreign agents, showed that the Terror had turned fully inward against the Revolution's own leadership. It cleared the last significant parliamentary check on the Committee of Public Safety and the Montagnard-dominated Convention.

How we know

The trial's timing alongside Marie Antoinette's, and the 31 October execution date, are documented in World History Encyclopedia's overview of the Reign of Terror's escalating targets through late 1793.

Sources

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