Pierre-Victurnien Vergniaud
Date of Birth
May 31, 1753
Date of Death
October 31, 1793
About
Born in Limoges and established as a lawyer in Bordeaux, Vergniaud was elected for the Gironde in 1791 and became one of the Legislative Assembly’s most influential speakers. He supported war in 1792, challenged the king’s ministers and argued that Louis XVI could be treated as having abdicated if he failed to oppose foreign invasion. In the Convention he worked closely with Brissot, Guadet and other deputies later known as Girondins. During Louis XVI’s trial, Vergniaud supported referring the judgement to a popular vote, then voted for death and against delaying the execution. As president, he announced the Convention’s sentence. On 2 June 1793, after armed Parisian forces surrounded the Assembly, the Convention ordered his arrest with other deputies. Convicted by the Revolutionary Tribunal, he was executed on 31 October 1793.