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17 September 1793Reputable source · 2 sourcesWell documented

The Law of Suspects

A vaguely worded decree authorizes the arrest of anyone deemed insufficiently revolutionary

On the timeline · around 17 September 1793 · Republic and TerrorRepublic and TerrorThermidor to BrumaireThe Law of Suspects1794

Quick facts

Location
Paris, National Convention
Date
17 September 1793
Arrests enabled
Estimated 300,000 to 500,000 nationwide
Effect
Legal basis for the Reign of Terror

What happened

The Convention passed the Law of Suspects on 17 September 1793, authorizing the arrest of anyone who, in the law's own words, "by their conduct, their contacts, their words or their writings showed themselves to be supporters of tyranny, or federalism, or to be enemies of liberty." The definition was deliberately broad, and local revolutionary committees used it to imprison an estimated 300,000 to half a million people across France over the following months, on evidence ranging from actual counter-revolutionary activity to a suspicious remark or an aristocratic surname.

Why it matters

The law gave the Terror its legal machinery, turning suspicion itself into grounds for imprisonment and removing any requirement that an accusation be tied to a specific act. It is the clearest single piece of evidence that the Terror was not spontaneous mob violence but a deliberate, government-authorized policy.

How we know

World History Encyclopedia's account of the Reign of Terror quotes the law's own wording directly and cites historian William Doyle's estimate of the resulting arrests.

Sources

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