During the
French Revolution (1789–1799), multiple differing political groups, clubs, organizations, and militias arose, which could often be further subdivided into rival
factions. Every group had its own ideas about what the goals of the Revolution were and which course France (and surrounding countries) should follow. They struggled to carry out these plans at the cost of other groups. Various groups played an important role, such as citizens' clubs, parliamentarians, governmental institutions, and paramilitary movements.
Royalists: the term most commonly given to a wide range of supporters of the
Ancien Régime who sought to reverse most changes of the Revolution and restore the royal
House of Bourbon and the
Catholic Church to its pre-1789 authority. Some armed themselves and formed rebel armies, especially in Western France, under the name of
Catholic and Royal Army (also called
Chouans, see also the
Chouannerie), the most important battleground being the
War in the Vendée (1793–1796). Others fled France as émigrés, some of whom would also arm themselves and form the Armée des Émigrés (1792–1814), who together with the troops of the
First Coalition and
Second Coalition sought to bring down the
French Republic and restore the Bourbon monarchy.
Jacobins (originally the Society of Friends of the Constitution, but better known by their home base in the
old Dominican convent of Saint Jacques, hence the name Jacobins; since 1792 officially Society of Jacobins): revolutionary club originally consisting of
Breton delegates to the
National Constituent Assembly founded in June 1789, which soon grew and branched out across France and welcomed non-parliamentarians as members starting in October. Due to the high membership fee, the club remained
elitist, initially shifting to
the right. In Spring 1790, the
radical leftistCordeliers seceded, and in July 1791, the right-wing
Feuillants also split themselves off. Together with the Cordeliers, the Jacobin
left-wing would eventually come to be known as
The Mountain while the right-wing of the Jacobins would become known as the
Girondins.[1] From 1790 onwards,
Maximilien Robespierre would become increasingly dominant within the Jacobin Club and from July 1793 until July 1794 use it as his powerbase for the
Reign of Terror, arresting and executing the leaders of both Cordelier factions, namely the radical leftist Hébertists (March 1794) as well as the
centre-left Dantonists (April 1794).[2] After the
Fall of Maximilien Robespierre, the
National Convention closed the Jacobin Club on 12 November 1794.[1]
Girondins (named after the
Girondedepartment, where many of its prominent members came from; initially they were also called Brissotins after their leader
Jacques Pierre Brissot): faction of
liberalrepublicans who were primarily supported by the wealthy
bourgeoisie from southern and western France. They consisted of the right-wing of the Jacobins and were staunch defenders of
the rights of man and
popular sovereignty against a
centralized state governed from Paris. The Girondins desired to export the Revolution to the rest of Europe and therefore urged on
war with Austria and Prussia (20 April 1792). They played a central role in the
fall of the monarchy (21 September 1792) and the execution of the deposed
king,
Louis XVI (21 January 1793). Faced with the rise of The Mountain, the Girondins showed increasingly royalist tendencies in the spring of 1793. They were overthrown by the Montagnard
insurrection of 31 May – 2 June 1793 and their leaders were
guillotined.[3]
The Plain (La Plaine), also pejoratively known as The Marsh (Le Marais) or Maraisards (Marsh-dwellers), was a container term for a large group of parliamentarians who held
middle-ground views and inside the National Convention were seated on the lowest benches. Ideologically, they were most closely affiliated with the Girondins, but they barely dared to speak out against the radical Montagnards.[4]
The Mountain (La Montagne, also called the Montagnards, literally Mountain-dwellers, because they were seated on the highest benches in Parliament): grouping of
radical and leftist politicians in the Legislative Assembly and National Convention (1792–1795).[5] Their members came from the clubs of the Cordeliers and the left-wing of the Jacobins[4] and sought to establish a
radical-democraticrepublic centrally governed from Paris. From June 1793 until July 1794, the Montagnards dominated
French politics and the Reign of Terror was conducted under the leadership of Robespierre.[6] Notably after their takeover in June 1793, The Mountain can be thought of as consisting of three rival factions that vied for control, namely the Hébertists (radical leftist Cordeliers), the Dantonists (moderate and more right-wing Cordeliers) and in between them Robespierre and his Jacobin followers (who together are sometimes called Robespierrists).
Dantonists: right-wing of The Mountain. They are named after their leader
Georges Danton, a cofounder of the Cordeliers Club and from April until July 1793 the de factohead of the French government. After Robespierre seized power, Danton (who reconciled with Catholicism) and his allies tried to moderate and stabilize the Revolution. However, this brought them into conflict with the radical leftist Hébertists who wished to push the Revolution even further. Robespierre had the Dantonist leaders (including Danton himself and
Camille Desmoulins) arrested on 30 March 1794 and executed on 5 April 1794.[10]
Cordeliers (officially the Society of the Friends of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, but better known by their home base in the old
FranciscanCordeliers Convent, hence Cordeliers): a radical-leftist club which split from the Jacobins in the spring of 1790 under the leadership of
Georges Danton and
Camille Desmoulins.[11] Together with the radical left Jacobins, they constituted
The Mountain in Parliament.[4] Until his assassination on 13 July 1793, radical
demagogueJean-Paul Marat played an important role as well. Thereafter, the club was taken over by the Hébertists of
Jacques Hébert. Shortly after the execution of the Hébertists leaders by Robespierre on 24 March 1794, the Cordeliers Club was closed down.[11]
Feuillants (official the Society of the Friends of the Constitution): club of centre-right constitutional monarchists who held the majority in
parliament during the
Legislative Assembly era (October 1791–September 1792). They split from the Jacobins on 16 July 1791 and disappeared after the
Storming of the Tuileries (10 August 1792). Although enemies of the Ancien Régime, they also opposed
democracy. They maintained that the establishment of the
constitutional monarchy on 3 September 1791 had meant the French Revolution had achieved its goal and should be finished.[12]
Hébertists: radical left-wing of The Mountain primarily composed of Cordeliers. They are named for their leader Jacques Hébert and were outspoken
atheists, anti-Christians, and republicans. They invented the
Cult of Reason as an alternative
Enlightened worldview to replace all
religions. On 13 March 1794, the Hébertist leaders were arrested and they were executed on 24 March by the order of Robespierre.[13]
Enragés: radical left-wing of the Jacobin Club, which supported the demands of the radical sans-culottes and advocated for an early form of
socialism, guided by
direct democracy. Its leaders were arrested during the Reign of Terror and
Jacques Roux was executed, while the rest were banned from political activity.
Equals: Former members of the Jacobin Club that agitated for the overthrow of the
Directory in the wake of the Thermidorian Reaction. They advocated for an
egalitarian and
socialist republic, denouncing the new wealthy elites of France. Their conspiracy was uncovered and their members arrested, with the leader
François-Noël Babeuf being executed.
Society of the Friends of the Blacks: an
abolitionist pressure group founded in 1788 by
Jacques Pierre Brissot (later also the leader of the Girondins) just before the Revolution broke out. Although early revolutionaries would officially denounce
slavery, this declaration was initially of little practical consequence.[14] Not until the
Haitian Revolution broke out in August 1791 did French politicians begin to seriously consider the factual abolition of slavery, which was eventually legislated on 4 February 1794. The gens de couleur libres (manumitted slaves) had already been granted civil rights on 4 April 1792.
During the
French Revolution (1789–1799), multiple differing political groups, clubs, organizations, and militias arose, which could often be further subdivided into rival
factions. Every group had its own ideas about what the goals of the Revolution were and which course France (and surrounding countries) should follow. They struggled to carry out these plans at the cost of other groups. Various groups played an important role, such as citizens' clubs, parliamentarians, governmental institutions, and paramilitary movements.
Royalists: the term most commonly given to a wide range of supporters of the
Ancien Régime who sought to reverse most changes of the Revolution and restore the royal
House of Bourbon and the
Catholic Church to its pre-1789 authority. Some armed themselves and formed rebel armies, especially in Western France, under the name of
Catholic and Royal Army (also called
Chouans, see also the
Chouannerie), the most important battleground being the
War in the Vendée (1793–1796). Others fled France as émigrés, some of whom would also arm themselves and form the Armée des Émigrés (1792–1814), who together with the troops of the
First Coalition and
Second Coalition sought to bring down the
French Republic and restore the Bourbon monarchy.
Jacobins (originally the Society of Friends of the Constitution, but better known by their home base in the
old Dominican convent of Saint Jacques, hence the name Jacobins; since 1792 officially Society of Jacobins): revolutionary club originally consisting of
Breton delegates to the
National Constituent Assembly founded in June 1789, which soon grew and branched out across France and welcomed non-parliamentarians as members starting in October. Due to the high membership fee, the club remained
elitist, initially shifting to
the right. In Spring 1790, the
radical leftistCordeliers seceded, and in July 1791, the right-wing
Feuillants also split themselves off. Together with the Cordeliers, the Jacobin
left-wing would eventually come to be known as
The Mountain while the right-wing of the Jacobins would become known as the
Girondins.[1] From 1790 onwards,
Maximilien Robespierre would become increasingly dominant within the Jacobin Club and from July 1793 until July 1794 use it as his powerbase for the
Reign of Terror, arresting and executing the leaders of both Cordelier factions, namely the radical leftist Hébertists (March 1794) as well as the
centre-left Dantonists (April 1794).[2] After the
Fall of Maximilien Robespierre, the
National Convention closed the Jacobin Club on 12 November 1794.[1]
Girondins (named after the
Girondedepartment, where many of its prominent members came from; initially they were also called Brissotins after their leader
Jacques Pierre Brissot): faction of
liberalrepublicans who were primarily supported by the wealthy
bourgeoisie from southern and western France. They consisted of the right-wing of the Jacobins and were staunch defenders of
the rights of man and
popular sovereignty against a
centralized state governed from Paris. The Girondins desired to export the Revolution to the rest of Europe and therefore urged on
war with Austria and Prussia (20 April 1792). They played a central role in the
fall of the monarchy (21 September 1792) and the execution of the deposed
king,
Louis XVI (21 January 1793). Faced with the rise of The Mountain, the Girondins showed increasingly royalist tendencies in the spring of 1793. They were overthrown by the Montagnard
insurrection of 31 May – 2 June 1793 and their leaders were
guillotined.[3]
The Plain (La Plaine), also pejoratively known as The Marsh (Le Marais) or Maraisards (Marsh-dwellers), was a container term for a large group of parliamentarians who held
middle-ground views and inside the National Convention were seated on the lowest benches. Ideologically, they were most closely affiliated with the Girondins, but they barely dared to speak out against the radical Montagnards.[4]
The Mountain (La Montagne, also called the Montagnards, literally Mountain-dwellers, because they were seated on the highest benches in Parliament): grouping of
radical and leftist politicians in the Legislative Assembly and National Convention (1792–1795).[5] Their members came from the clubs of the Cordeliers and the left-wing of the Jacobins[4] and sought to establish a
radical-democraticrepublic centrally governed from Paris. From June 1793 until July 1794, the Montagnards dominated
French politics and the Reign of Terror was conducted under the leadership of Robespierre.[6] Notably after their takeover in June 1793, The Mountain can be thought of as consisting of three rival factions that vied for control, namely the Hébertists (radical leftist Cordeliers), the Dantonists (moderate and more right-wing Cordeliers) and in between them Robespierre and his Jacobin followers (who together are sometimes called Robespierrists).
Dantonists: right-wing of The Mountain. They are named after their leader
Georges Danton, a cofounder of the Cordeliers Club and from April until July 1793 the de factohead of the French government. After Robespierre seized power, Danton (who reconciled with Catholicism) and his allies tried to moderate and stabilize the Revolution. However, this brought them into conflict with the radical leftist Hébertists who wished to push the Revolution even further. Robespierre had the Dantonist leaders (including Danton himself and
Camille Desmoulins) arrested on 30 March 1794 and executed on 5 April 1794.[10]
Cordeliers (officially the Society of the Friends of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, but better known by their home base in the old
FranciscanCordeliers Convent, hence Cordeliers): a radical-leftist club which split from the Jacobins in the spring of 1790 under the leadership of
Georges Danton and
Camille Desmoulins.[11] Together with the radical left Jacobins, they constituted
The Mountain in Parliament.[4] Until his assassination on 13 July 1793, radical
demagogueJean-Paul Marat played an important role as well. Thereafter, the club was taken over by the Hébertists of
Jacques Hébert. Shortly after the execution of the Hébertists leaders by Robespierre on 24 March 1794, the Cordeliers Club was closed down.[11]
Feuillants (official the Society of the Friends of the Constitution): club of centre-right constitutional monarchists who held the majority in
parliament during the
Legislative Assembly era (October 1791–September 1792). They split from the Jacobins on 16 July 1791 and disappeared after the
Storming of the Tuileries (10 August 1792). Although enemies of the Ancien Régime, they also opposed
democracy. They maintained that the establishment of the
constitutional monarchy on 3 September 1791 had meant the French Revolution had achieved its goal and should be finished.[12]
Hébertists: radical left-wing of The Mountain primarily composed of Cordeliers. They are named for their leader Jacques Hébert and were outspoken
atheists, anti-Christians, and republicans. They invented the
Cult of Reason as an alternative
Enlightened worldview to replace all
religions. On 13 March 1794, the Hébertist leaders were arrested and they were executed on 24 March by the order of Robespierre.[13]
Enragés: radical left-wing of the Jacobin Club, which supported the demands of the radical sans-culottes and advocated for an early form of
socialism, guided by
direct democracy. Its leaders were arrested during the Reign of Terror and
Jacques Roux was executed, while the rest were banned from political activity.
Equals: Former members of the Jacobin Club that agitated for the overthrow of the
Directory in the wake of the Thermidorian Reaction. They advocated for an
egalitarian and
socialist republic, denouncing the new wealthy elites of France. Their conspiracy was uncovered and their members arrested, with the leader
François-Noël Babeuf being executed.
Society of the Friends of the Blacks: an
abolitionist pressure group founded in 1788 by
Jacques Pierre Brissot (later also the leader of the Girondins) just before the Revolution broke out. Although early revolutionaries would officially denounce
slavery, this declaration was initially of little practical consequence.[14] Not until the
Haitian Revolution broke out in August 1791 did French politicians begin to seriously consider the factual abolition of slavery, which was eventually legislated on 4 February 1794. The gens de couleur libres (manumitted slaves) had already been granted civil rights on 4 April 1792.