Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (1758-1794) was one of the best-known leaders of the French Revolution. He was known by his supporters as "the Incorruptible" because of his austere moral devotion to the Revolution. He was an influential member of the Committee of Public Safety, and was an instrumental figure in the period of the Revolution commonly known as the Reign of Terror. His arrest and execution in 1794 put an end to the Terror. Politically he was a disciple of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, among other Enlightenment philosophers, and a capable articulator of the beliefs of the left-wing bourgeoisie. He was described as physically unimposing, immaculate in dress and personal manners.
The First Doctor, Susan Foreman, Barbara Wright and Ian Chesterton encountered him in Paris during the days leading up to his execution in July 1794. (TV: The Reign of Terror).
