Jean-Paul Marat

Lore & Background

Jean-Paul Marat was born in Boudry, in the Prussian Principality of Neuchâtel, on 24 May 1743, the first of five children. His father, a former Mercedarian friar who converted to Calvinism, and his mother, of Huguenot background, provided him with a careful education. Marat left home at 16 to seek education in France, later studying medicine in Paris without formal qualifications. He moved to London in 1765, befriending artist Angelica Kauffman, and pursued medicine alongside philosophical and political writing. In 1774 he published Chains of Slavery, attacking political corruption and arguing that sovereignty belonged to the people, influenced by Jean-Jacques Rousseau. He received an MD from the University of St Andrews in 1775 and returned to France in 1776, becoming physician to the bodyguard of the Comte d'Artois in 1777. Marat also conducted scientific experiments on fire, electricity, and light, publishing several works, though the Academy of Sciences avoided endorsing his conclusions.

Reader's Guide

Marat's significance lies in his role as a radical voice during the French Revolution, using his journalism to defend the sans-culottes and advocate for popular sovereignty. His periodical L'Ami du peuple made him an unofficial link with the radical Jacobin group that came to power after June 1793. Responsibility for the September Massacres has been attributed to him, given his position of renown and a paper trail of decisions, though others argue the collective mentality resulted from circumstances rather than any individual's will. His assassination by Charlotte Corday, a Girondin sympathizer, while taking a medicinal bath for his debilitating skin condition, elevated him to the status of a revolutionary martyr. Jacques-Louis David immortalized him in the painting The Death of Marat. Marat's legacy is contested: he is remembered as a champion of the common people and a symbol of revolutionary zeal, but also as a figure associated with the violence of the Reign of Terror. His uncompromising stance and fierce tone in journalism left a lasting imprint on revolutionary politics.

Did You Know?

• Marat was born in the Prussian Principality of Neuchâtel, now a canton of Switzerland.
• He received an MD from the University of St Andrews in June 1775.
• His periodical L'Ami du peuple made him an unofficial link with the radical Jacobin group.
• He was assassinated by Charlotte Corday while taking a medicinal bath for his skin condition.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"Five or six hundred [aristocratic] heads lopped off would have assured you repose and happiness; a false humanity has restrained your arm and suspended your blows; it will cost the lives of millions of your brothers." — Jean-Paul Marat "Robertspiere [sic], Robertspiere alone in vain raised his voice against the perfidious decree regarding superior conscripts, but his voice was muffled." — Jean-Paul Marat "Note: the misspelling of Maximilien Robespierre's name appears in the original, as many writers in France during this stage of the Revolution were unsure of the correct spelling." — Jean-Paul Marat "Fifty years of anarchy await you, and you will emerge from it only by the power of some dictator who will arise- a true statesman and patriot.

O prating people, if you did but know how to act!" — Jean-Paul Marat