Jean Paul Marat's Biography

1. JEAN PAUL MARAT
Friend of the People
Jean Paul Marat was a Prussian born political theorist, scientist and physician best known
for his radical movements in the media during the French Revolution. His writing was
known for its fiery character and his dark attitude towards anti revolutionaries. He was one
of the most open and expressive voices ofd the French Revolution and became a known
defender of the sans-culottes, who were the new middle working class. He saw himself as
one of them. Marat expressed himself through passionate public speaking, essay writing
and his newspaper which carried his strong message thought the country. Marat’s
sweeping denunciations of anti-revolutionaries supported and in turn caused much of the
blood shed in the early violent stages of the revolution. During the full force of the
revolution in the early 1790’s he was one of the most powerful men in France alongside
Robespierre and Danton. In 1792 Marat, through his newspaper, called for 200,000 deaths
of traitors, anti-revolutionaries and all enemies of the people. People finally began to
notice how blood thirsty this man really was. One person in particular was Charlotte
Corday who not only blamed Marat for the September massacres but also thought that if
France continued on this current state it would end up in a state of civil war. And so it was
decided. Corday traveled to Paris and goes to Marat pretending to have a list of traitors.
Marat sat in his bathtub and read the list. At that point Corday stabbed him in the chest
killing him. She made no attempt to escape and was proud of her actions. She was
arrested, found guilty and executed 4 days later. And so ended the voice of Marat.
Jean Paul Marat
Birth: 24th of May 1743
Death: 13th of July 1793
Assassinated by Charlotte
Corday
Nationality: Prussian, but
moved to France at the
age of 18