Execution of Olympe de Gouges on November 3, 1793

Marie Gouze, known by her pen name Olympe de Gouges, was executed by guillotine on November 3, 1793, in Paris. Her execution was part of the Reign of Terror, a period during the French Revolution characterized by extreme political repression and mass executions orchestrated by the Revolutionary government.

Background

Born on May 7, 1748, Olympe de Gouges was a prominent playwright and an early political activist. She is best known for her passionate advocacy of women’s rights and her efforts to promote social reform. Her most famous work, “Déclaration des droits de la femme et de la citoyenne” (Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen), published in 1791, challenged the male-centric declarations of the Revolution by asserting that women should have equal rights to men.

Events Leading to Execution

During the Revolution, de Gouges became an outspoken critic of the increasingly violent turn of events. She opposed the Jacobin regime and was vocal in her condemnation of the execution of King Louis XVI. Her criticism extended to the radical excesses of figures like Maximilien Robespierre and the undemocratic actions of the Revolutionary government. Her pamphlets and plays attacked the discrepancy between the Revolution’s ideals and its practices, particularly concerning the rights of women.

Due to her counter-revolutionary writings and connections with the Girondins, a moderate political faction opposed to the Jacobins, de Gouges was arrested in July 1793. Her trial was swift, with the Revolutionary Tribunal condemning her on charges of seditious behavior and conspiracy against the unity of the Republic.

Execution and Legacy

Olympe de Gouges was executed on November 3, 1793. Her last recorded words reportedly expressed her disillusionment, stating, “Children of the Fatherland, you will avenge my death.”

De Gouges left a significant legacy as a precursor to modern feminist thought. Her calls for gender equality resonated in subsequent generations, eventually influencing the women’s rights movements that followed in the 19th and 20th centuries. Though largely ignored by her contemporaries, her works have gained recognition over time, affirming her role as a pioneering advocate for women’s rights during a transformative period in French history.