Compléter ROBESPIERREVersion en ligne Reading and filling the gaps with key vocabulary. par Alfonso Poza 1 Rights execution Revolution guillotined left poorest Estates nickname died radical Safety executed Terror penalty raised Maximilien de Robespierre was on born May 6 , 1758 , in Arras , France . His mother when he was 6 years old , and his father the family soon after . The children were by their maternal grandparents , educated in Paris and graduated in law . He practiced law in Arras , which provided him with a comfortable income . He was a Jacobin leader and one of the principal figures in the French . Robespierre soon took on a public role , calling for political change in the French monarchy . He gained a reputation for defending the of society and earned the " the incorruptible " for his adherence to strict moral values . At age 30 , Robespierre was elected to the General of the French legislature . He became increasingly popular with the people for his attacks on the French monarchy and his advocacy for democratic reforms . He also opposed the death and slavery . In April 1789 , Robespierre was elected president of the powerful Jacobin political faction . A year later , he participated in writing the Declaration of the of Man and Citizen , the foundation of the French constitution . In December 1792 , he successfully argued for the of the king and continued to encourage the crowds to rise up against the aristocracy . On July 27 , 1793 , Maximilien Robespierre was elected to the Committee of Public , formed to oversee the government with virtual dictatorial control . The Revolutionary government instituted the Reign of in September . In the next 11 months , 300 , 000 suspected enemies of the Revolution were arrested and more than 17 , 000 were , most by guillotine . Robespierre was able to eliminate many of his political opponents . Robespierre called for more purges and executions . By the summer of 1794 , many in the Revolutionary government began to question his motives . Then , he was overthrown and .