Robespierre is the Revolution, its epic breath, as well as its dark side[1]. A man burdened with all suffering and covered with all praise, just before his election to the Committee of Public Safety in July 1793. Today many associate him with the terror and massacre of the Vendée; others highlight his fight for universal suffrage, his opposition to capital punishment and slavery, his defense of a country under threat, his dream of a republic that would give equal dignity to all. How to ignore this paradox? Hervé Leuwers set out in the footsteps of the Arras child, who became a legend, as a truthful historian, turning over assumptions, analyzing sources unpublished to this day, rummaging through archives to unexpectedly show a portrait of a lawyer and writer, an orator who has no equal , a principled and selfless politician. Of course, a statesman, such as France has known few in its history, but also a complex personality, restless, and yet often generous. This exemplary biography invites you to rediscover an exceptional man who fascinates people around the world.

Professor at the University of Lille 3, Hervé Leuwers is an expert on the French Revolution and the legal community of the 17th and 18th centuries. In particular, he published "The Lawyer in Politics: Merlin of Douai" (APU, 1996), "The Making of the French Bar" (Iz. l'EHESS, 2006, Limantour Prize) and "The French Revolution and Empire" (PUF, 2011).