Who was Paul Barras and what role did he play in the French Revolution?
Paul Barras was a French nobleman born on the 30th of June 1755 in Fox-Amphoux, Provence, who became the dominant executive figure of the Directory, the government that ruled France from 1795 to 1799. He was one of five Directors who controlled the executive of the French Republic after the Thermidorian Reaction overthrew Robespierre in July 1794. He also served as a deputy for the Var in the National Convention and voted for the execution of Louis XVI in January 1793.
What was Paul Barras's connection to Napoleon Bonaparte?
Barras first met Bonaparte at the Siege of Toulon and later nominated him to command troops during the 13 Vendemiaire uprising on the 5th of October 1795. As Director, he appointed Bonaparte to lead the Army of Italy early in 1796, a role whose success gave the Directory unprecedented stability. Barras also helped facilitate Bonaparte's marriage to Josephine de Beauharnais, with whom Barras had had an intimate relationship.
Why did Napoleon exile Paul Barras after the 18 Brumaire coup?
After Bonaparte seized power in the coup of November 1799, he set Barras aside when reshaping the government, despite Barras having supported the change. Bonaparte confined Barras to his own property at the Chateau de Grosbois, then exiled him to Brussels and Rome, and in 1810 interned him in Montpellier. Barras was only freed after the fall of the Empire.
Where is Paul Barras buried?
Paul Barras died in Chaillot, now part of Paris, on the 29th of January 1829 and was interred in Pere Lachaise Cemetery.
What happened to Paul Barras's Memoirs after his death?
Barras's Memoirs were censored after his death. Though he had been a partisan of the Second Restoration, he was kept in check during the reigns of Louis XVIII and Charles X, and the suppression of his written account extended beyond his lifetime.
Who has portrayed Paul Barras in film and television?
Richard McCabe played Barras in the Napoleon episode of the BBC series Heroes and Villains in 2007. Tahar Rahim portrayed Barras in the 2023 film Napoleon.