Louis Antoine de Saint-Just

Louis Antoine de Saint-Just (1767–1794) was a French revolutionary and Jacobin politician who served on the Committee of Public Safety and helped direct the Reign of Terror.

Maximilien Robespierre: A leading French revolutionary and Jacobin politician who became a central figure in the Committee of Public Safety. Saint-Just became Robespierre’s close political ally and defended his leadership.
Committee of Public Safety: The executive committee that directed France’s wartime government during the French Revolution. Saint-Just served on this body and helped shape its policy.
Blérancourt: A commune in northern France where Saint-Just spent much of his youth and later served in local revolutionary government. His political activity in this town preceded his election to the Convention.
Thermidorian Reaction: The political overthrow of Robespierre and his allies in July 1794, followed by the dismantling of much Terror-era rule. Saint-Just was arrested and executed during the overthrow that ended his political influence.
Georges Couthon: A French revolutionary politician and member of the Committee of Public Safety who allied with Robespierre. Couthon joined Saint-Just and Robespierre in their final political resistance.
Representatives on mission: Convention deputies sent to French regions and armies to enforce revolutionary policies and report to the government. Saint-Just used missions to supervise the army and enforce authority in the field.
Organt: An erotic poem in twelve cantos published by Saint-Just in 1789. This early work contrasts sharply with the austere revolutionary reputation he later acquired.
French Directory: The five-member executive government that ruled France from 1795 to 1799. The Directory emerged after Thermidor dismantled the political order Saint-Just had served.
Bertrand Barère: A French revolutionary politician who served on the Committee of Public Safety during the Terror. Barère sat on the same committee but opposed Saint-Just and Robespierre in Thermidor.
Law of 22 Prairial: A 1794 French law that sharply curtailed defendants’ rights and expanded the Revolutionary Tribunal’s power to impose death sentences. Saint-Just supported the Terror’s judicial machinery, though this law was chiefly associated with other committee members.

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