Georges Couthon

Georges Couthon (1755–1794) was a French lawyer and revolutionary who served on the Committee of Public Safety during the Reign of Terror. He helped shape the Law of 22 Prairial and was executed after the fall of Robespierre.

Maximilien Robespierre: A French revolutionary and political leader who became a leading member of the Committee of Public Safety. Couthon was Robespierre’s close political ally and shared his defense of revolutionary government.
Committee of Public Safety: A governing committee of the French National Convention that directed France’s wartime government during the Revolution. Couthon served on this committee and helped direct policy during the Terror.
French Revolution: A period of political and social upheaval in France that began in 1789 and ended with Napoleon’s rise to power. The Revolution created the political institutions and conflicts in which Couthon rose to prominence.
Thermidorian Reaction: The political reaction in France following the overthrow of Robespierre on 9 Thermidor Year II, or 27 July 1794. Couthon’s arrest and execution were immediate consequences of this political reversal.
Louis Antoine de Saint-Just: A French revolutionary and member of the Committee of Public Safety, closely associated with Robespierre. Couthon, Saint-Just, and Robespierre formed a prominent political alliance during the Terror.
Law of 22 Prairial: A 1794 law that streamlined Revolutionary Tribunal proceedings and sharply restricted defendants’ rights. Couthon helped draft the law, which became a defining measure of the Terror’s final phase.
Estates-General of 1789: An assembly of France’s three estates convened in 1789 amid a fiscal and political crisis. Couthon entered national politics as the Revolution began transforming the old political order.
Coup of 9 Thermidor: The parliamentary overthrow of Robespierre and his allies on 9 Thermidor Year II, or 27 July 1794. The coup led directly to Couthon’s arrest alongside Robespierre and Saint-Just.
Bertrand Barère: A French revolutionary politician who served on the Committee of Public Safety during the Reign of Terror. Barère served alongside Couthon on the committee, though their political positions sometimes diverged.
Reign of Terror: A period of emergency government and political repression in France from 1793 to 1794. Couthon’s committee service and legal measures belong to this broader period.

Linked from 3 pages

Augustin RobespierreRelated: Couthon shared the brothers’ political alliance and fate in the Thermidorian Reaction.