Jean-Marie Collot d'Herbois
Revolutionary who oversaw mass executions in Lyon.
Jean-Marie Collot d'Herbois (19 June 1749 – 8 June 1796) was a French actor, playwright, essayist, and revolutionary who served on the Committee of Public Safety during the Reign of Terror. He spared Madame Tussaud from the guillotine but oversaw the deaths of more than 2,000 people in Lyon.
Born in Paris on the rue St. Jacques, he left home as a teenager to perform with traveling theater companies across provincial France. His acting career was moderately successful, and he wrote many plays, traveling from Bordeaux to Nantes, Lille, and even into the Dutch Republic, where he met his wife. In 1784 he became director of a theater in Geneva, and in 1787 he took the same role at Lyon’s prestigious playhouse. When the Revolution began in 1789, he abandoned everything to return to Paris, where his strong voice, writing, and skill at organizing large civic festivals made him famous.
Collot was active in revolutionary agitation from the start, but he became a major figure in 1791 after publishing *L'Almanach du Père Gérard*, a popular almanac that advocated for a constitutional monarchy. His reputation grew when he campaigned for the Swiss soldiers of the Château-Vieux Regiment, who had been sentenced to the galleys for mutiny at Nancy. He secured their release, traveled to Brest to meet them, and a civic feast was held in his and their honor, inspiring a poem by André de Chénier. As the Revolution radicalized, so did his views. He joined the Paris Commune during the insurrection of 10 August 1792 and was elected as a deputy for Paris to the National Convention. On the Convention’s first day, 21 September 1792, he was the first to call for the abolition of the monarchy, and he later voted for Louis XVI’s execution without delay.
After the insurrection of 10 August and the formation of the National Convention, Collot became involved in the conflict between the Mountain and the Girondists. Following François Hanriot’s coup on 31 May 1793 and the Girondins’ removal, he led attacks on the defeated party. Alongside his close friend Jacques-Nicolas Billaud-Varenne, he sat on the far left of the Convention, denouncing speculators and proposing egalitarian policies. In June he was elected President of the Convention, and in September he and Billaud-Varenne joined the Committee of Public Safety, where he acted as a general secretary. After missions to Nice, Nevers, and C
- born
- 19 June 1749
- died
- 8 June 1796
- field
- Actor, dramatist, essayist, revolutionary
- nationality
- French
- known_for
- Member of the Committee of Public Safety; administered executions of over 2,000 people in Lyon; saved Madame Tussaud from the guillotine
Lore & Background
Born in Paris, Collot left home in his teens to join travelling theatres in provincial France. His career as an actor and playwright took him from Bordeaux to Nantes, Lille, and into the Dutch Republic, where he met his wife. In 1784 he became director of the theatre in Geneva, and in 1787 at the prestigious playhouse in Lyon. At the outbreak of the Revolution in 1789, he returned to Paris, where his voice, writing, and ability to organize civic feasts made him famous.
Collot contributed to revolutionary agitation from the beginning, but became a figure of importance in 1791 with the publication of L'Almanach du Père Gérard, an almanac advocating a constitutional monarchy. His fame increased through his efforts on behalf of the Swiss of the Château-Vieux Regiment, condemned to the galleys for mutiny at Nancy; his efforts resulted in their freedom, and a civic feast was held in his honor. His opinions grew more radical, and he was a member of the Paris Commune during the insurrection of 10 August 1792, later elected deputy for Paris to the National Convention. On 21 September 1792, he was the first to demand the abolition of the French monarchy, and later voted for the death of Louis XVI without delay.
After the insurrection of August 10, Collot engaged in the struggle between the Mountain and the Girondists. He sat at the extreme left of the Convention, attacking speculators and proposing egalitarian programs. In June 1793 he was made President of the Convention, and in September he was appointed to the Committee of Public Safety. The Convention sent him with Joseph Fouché on 30 October 1793 to punish the revolt of Lyon, where he introduced the Reign of Terror in its most violent form, with mass executions including more than a hundred priests and nuns, and began dismantling the city. His excessive behavior led the Committee to have him returned to Paris as a suspect. After assassination attempts on him and Robespierre in May 1794, Collot opposed Robespierre during the Thermidorian Reaction in July 1794. Despite this, he was accused of complicity with Robespierre but acquitted. Denounced a second time, he was condemned with Bertrand Barère and Billaud-Varenne to transportation to Cayenne, French Guiana, where he died of yellow fever in 1796.
Reader's Guide
Collot d'Herbois is a significant figure of the French Revolution, embodying the radicalization of the period from a moderate playwright to a key member of the Committee of Public Safety. His role in the repression of Lyon, where he oversaw the execution of over 2,000 people, marks him as one of the most violent enforcers of the Reign of Terror. His later opposition to Robespierre during the Thermidorian Reaction did not save him from being condemned and deported to Cayenne, where he died. His legacy is complex: he was both a cultural figure—a dramatist and organizer of civic feasts—and a revolutionary who participated in the most extreme measures of the Terror. His actions in Lyon, including the execution of clergy and the dismantling of the city, remain a stark example of revolutionary violence. His eventual fall and death in exile illustrate the instability of revolutionary leadership and the fate of those who were seen as too extreme even by their peers.
Did You Know?
- Collot d'Herbois saved Madame Tussaud from the guillotine.
- He administered the execution of more than 2,000 people in the city of Lyon.
- He was the first to demand the abolition of the French monarchy on 21 September 1792.
- He was condemned to transportation to Cayenne, French Guiana, and died of yellow fever in 1796.
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