Paul Barras
Paul Barras was a deputy of the Convention in 1790s France.
Biography
During the French Revolution, Paul Barras was a deputy of the Convention. He had more influence amongst the members of the Convention than James Stirling was aware of and, in July 1794, became the ring-leader of a plot to depose Maximilien Robespierre, (TV: The Reign of Terror [+]Loading...["The Reign of Terror (TV story)"]) who had made a speech before the Convention and the Jacobin Club about purging the Committee of Public Safety. (PROSE: The Reign of Terror [+]Loading...["The Reign of Terror (novelisation)"])
Barras intended to take control of the governing committee following Robespierre's arrest and to amend the constitution so that France would be led by three consuls, himself among them. Believing that the consuls would need public support, he arranged a meeting with Napoléon Bonaparte at The Sinking Ship and invited him to serve as a consul because of how popular he was in the wake of the Austrian Wars. Napoleon agreed, dependent on Robespierre's downfall. (TV: The Reign of Terror [+]Loading...["The Reign of Terror (TV story)"])
Appearance
Barras had long brown hair which he tied back with a ribbon, a square face and subken eyes which were slightly too close together. He wore a hat with a tricolour cockade, a tricolour sash and a square-cut coat beneath an enormous cloak. He carried a fob watch. (PROSE: The Reign of Terror [+]Loading...["The Reign of Terror (novelisation)"])
