Georges Jacques Danton (1759-1794) was a French lawyer who became a prominent leader of the French Revolution (1789-1799). Danton played a major role in the overthrow of the French monarchy and the subsequent establishment of the First French Republic. He eventually took a moderate stance and opposed the Reign of Terror, leading to his execution on 5 April 1794.
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Definition
Timeline
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26 Oct 1759Georges Jacques Danton, French revolutionary leader, is born in Acris-sur-Aube.
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14 Jun 1787Georges Danton marries Antoinette-Gabrielle Charpentier and settles in Paris.
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Oct 1789After the outbreak of the French Revolution, Georges Danton is elected president of the revolutionary Cordeliers district.
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Apr 1790Danton and Camille Desmoulins found the radical Cordeliers Club.
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17 Jul 1791A pro-republican demonstration organized by the Cordeliers Club is fired on by the Paris National Guard, in the Champ de Mars Massacre.
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10 Aug 1792Insurrectionists storm the Tuileries Palace in Paris, massacring the Swiss Guards; King Louis XVI of France is imprisoned in the Temple prison fortress two days later.
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1793 - 1794Danton opposes the Reign of Terror, becomes the leader of the moderate Indulgent faction.
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10 Feb 1793Antoinette-Gabrielle Charpentier, Danton's wife, dies in childbirth while he is in Belgium.
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6 Apr 1793The Committee of Public Safety is set up by the National Convention.
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10 Jul 1793Danton is voted off the Committee of Public Safety after failed attempts to end the war.
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29 Mar 1794 - 30 Mar 1794Danton is arrested alongside other leading Indulgents.
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5 Apr 1794Execution of the Dantonists, including Georges Danton, Camille Desmoulins, Hérault de Séchelles, & Fabre d'Eglantine.
