Commission of Twelve
Encyclopedia
During the French Revolution, the Extraordinary Commission of Twelve (Commission extraordinaire des Douze) was a commission of the French National Convention charged with finding and trying conspirators. It was known for short as the Commission of Twelve and its formation led to the revolt of 2 June 1793, the fall of the Girondins and the start of the Reign of Terror
.
on 10 March 1793 and the Committee of Public Safety
on 6 April the same year. Attacked on all sides by a majority of the 48 revolutionary sections of Paris
, by the Paris Commune
and by the Club des Jacobins, the Girondist assembly feared for its safety and on 18 May decreed the creation of an extraordinary committee of twelve men known as the Commission of Twelve to contain the attacks.
This new commission had been requested by Barère
and was put in charge of looking into all decisions taken over the past month by the conseil général of the Commune and sections of Paris and unmasking all plots against liberty within the Republic. The minister of the interior, the minister of foreign affairs, the Committee of Public Safety
and the Committee of General Security
were all to pass on information about plots menacing the national assembly to the Commission of Twelve and the Commission was to take all necessary measures to find proof of these conspiracies and to arrest the conspirators.
, Jean-Paul Rabaut Saint-Étienne, Kervélégan, Charles Saint-Martin-Valogne, Louis-François-Sébastien Viger, Jean-René Gomaire, Bertrand de la Hosdinière, Jacques Boilleau, Étienne Mollevaut, Henry-Larivière, François Bergoeing and Jean-François Martin Gardien. On 23 May it announced it had begun work and the following day Viger reported to the National Convention on the Commission's means of guaranteeing the Convention's safety by foiling the plots which threatened it. It presented a draft decree which was adopted after a very long discussion between the Montagnards and Girondins.
The sections of Paris were already complaining about the behaviour of the Commission's members, however. First on 24 May the section du Contrat-Social rose up against the submission of its minutes, then on 25 May the commune denounced the arbitrary arrest and imprisonment in the Abbaye
of Hébert, proxy for the procureur of the commune. On 27 May, after more arrests, Marat
then Thuriot demanded that the Commission of Twelve be suppressed and Henry Larivière resigned. 16 sections of Paris then came to the Convention with petitions against the Commission. Taking advantage of the late time of day and the absence of several members, the Convention accepted the proposal of Delacroix
and decreed that those arrested by the Commission be released, that the Commission be dissolved and that its members' conduct be examined by the Committee of General Security.
On 28 May Osselin read out the Assembly's decree, decided at night. Violent protests arose against the decree, arguing it had been properly decided upon, badly edited or passed under duress. Lanjuinais demanded he be asked. After several interventions the Convention decided that there would be a vote to determine if the decree should be passed or not.
There were 517 votes cast, with 279 in favour and 238 against. As a result, despite the Girondins' protests, the Convention confirmed the decree breaking up the Commission of Twelve. It also passed a second decree freeing the citizens imprisoned by the commission. Rabaut-Saint-Étienne donna resigned from the Commission.
On 30 May, Bourdon de l'Oise denounced the Commission for having requisitioned an armed force to guard the hôtel de Breteuil, where it was sitting. Then a deputation from the 22 sections of Paris came to demand that the Convention end the Commission and put its members on trial before the revolutionary tribunal.
. Thuriot demanded that the Commission be annihilated and the day also saw the last clash of arms between the Girondins and Montagnards at the Convention. On 1 June a petition from the 48 sections of Paris demanded a decree to arrest and try 22 members of the Convention. The Committee of Public Safety was given the task of making a reply.
On 2 June the members of the sections, under the orders of Hanriot
, provisional commander of the National Guard
, gathered and marched on the Convention. They were armed with pikes and pulled cannons in their wake. Two cannons were pointed at the Tuileries. The Convention descended into the courtyard and its president Hérault de Séchelles proclaimed the representatives' order enjoining the armed force to retire. Going back into the building, the deputies moved a decree to arrest the denounced Girondins – the Montagnards had triumphed.
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror , also known simply as The Terror , was a period of violence that occurred after the onset of the French Revolution, incited by conflict between rival political factions, the Girondins and the Jacobins, and marked by mass executions of "enemies of...
.
Formation
Since the Convention's formation, the Girondists and Montagnards had competed to dominate it. The Montagnards had been able to set up the Extraordinary criminal tribunalRevolutionary Tribunal
The Revolutionary Tribunal was a court which was instituted in Paris by the Convention during the French Revolution for the trial of political offenders, and eventually became one of the most powerful engines of the Reign of Terror....
on 10 March 1793 and the Committee of Public Safety
Committee of Public Safety
The Committee of Public Safety , created in April 1793 by the National Convention and then restructured in July 1793, formed the de facto executive government in France during the Reign of Terror , a stage of the French Revolution...
on 6 April the same year. Attacked on all sides by a majority of the 48 revolutionary sections of Paris
Revolutionary sections of Paris
The revolutionary sections of Paris were subdivisions of Paris during the French Revolution. They first arose in 1790 and were suppressed in 1795.-History:At the time of the Revolution, Paris measured 3440 hectares, compared to the 7800 hectares of today...
, by the Paris Commune
Paris Commune (French Revolution)
The Paris Commune during the French Revolution was the government of Paris from 1789 until 1795. Established in the Hôtel de Ville just after the storming of the Bastille, the Commune became insurrectionary in the summer of 1792, essentially refusing to take orders from the central French...
and by the Club des Jacobins, the Girondist assembly feared for its safety and on 18 May decreed the creation of an extraordinary committee of twelve men known as the Commission of Twelve to contain the attacks.
This new commission had been requested by Barère
Bertrand Barère de Vieuzac
Bertrand Barère de Vieuzac was a French politician and journalist, one of the most notorious members of the National Convention during the French Revolution.-Early career:He was born at Tarbes in Gascony...
and was put in charge of looking into all decisions taken over the past month by the conseil général of the Commune and sections of Paris and unmasking all plots against liberty within the Republic. The minister of the interior, the minister of foreign affairs, the Committee of Public Safety
Committee of Public Safety
The Committee of Public Safety , created in April 1793 by the National Convention and then restructured in July 1793, formed the de facto executive government in France during the Reign of Terror , a stage of the French Revolution...
and the Committee of General Security
Committee of General Security
The Committee of General Security was a French parliamentary committee which acted as police agency during the French Revolution that, along with the Committee of Public Safety, oversaw the Reign of Terror....
were all to pass on information about plots menacing the national assembly to the Commission of Twelve and the Commission was to take all necessary measures to find proof of these conspiracies and to arrest the conspirators.
Course
On 21 May the Commission was elected, with a very strong Girondin majority: Jean-Baptiste Boyer-FonfrèdeJean-Baptiste Boyer-Fonfrède
Jean-Baptiste Boyer-Fonfrède was a French Girondin politician.A deputy to the National Convention from his native city, Bordeaux, he voted for the death of Louis XVI, denounced the September Massacres and accused Jean-Paul Marat...
, Jean-Paul Rabaut Saint-Étienne, Kervélégan, Charles Saint-Martin-Valogne, Louis-François-Sébastien Viger, Jean-René Gomaire, Bertrand de la Hosdinière, Jacques Boilleau, Étienne Mollevaut, Henry-Larivière, François Bergoeing and Jean-François Martin Gardien. On 23 May it announced it had begun work and the following day Viger reported to the National Convention on the Commission's means of guaranteeing the Convention's safety by foiling the plots which threatened it. It presented a draft decree which was adopted after a very long discussion between the Montagnards and Girondins.
The sections of Paris were already complaining about the behaviour of the Commission's members, however. First on 24 May the section du Contrat-Social rose up against the submission of its minutes, then on 25 May the commune denounced the arbitrary arrest and imprisonment in the Abbaye
Prison de l'Abbaye
The prison de l’Abbaye was a Paris prison in use from 1522 to 1854. The final building was built by Gamard in 1631 and made up of three floors, flanked by two turrets and an échauguette...
of Hébert, proxy for the procureur of the commune. On 27 May, after more arrests, Marat
Jean-Paul Marat
Jean-Paul Marat , born in the Principality of Neuchâtel, was a physician, political theorist, and scientist best known for his career in France as a radical journalist and politician during the French Revolution...
then Thuriot demanded that the Commission of Twelve be suppressed and Henry Larivière resigned. 16 sections of Paris then came to the Convention with petitions against the Commission. Taking advantage of the late time of day and the absence of several members, the Convention accepted the proposal of Delacroix
Jean-François Delacroix
Jean-François de Lacroix or Delacroix was a French politician and member of the Committee of Public Safety...
and decreed that those arrested by the Commission be released, that the Commission be dissolved and that its members' conduct be examined by the Committee of General Security.
On 28 May Osselin read out the Assembly's decree, decided at night. Violent protests arose against the decree, arguing it had been properly decided upon, badly edited or passed under duress. Lanjuinais demanded he be asked. After several interventions the Convention decided that there would be a vote to determine if the decree should be passed or not.
There were 517 votes cast, with 279 in favour and 238 against. As a result, despite the Girondins' protests, the Convention confirmed the decree breaking up the Commission of Twelve. It also passed a second decree freeing the citizens imprisoned by the commission. Rabaut-Saint-Étienne donna resigned from the Commission.
On 30 May, Bourdon de l'Oise denounced the Commission for having requisitioned an armed force to guard the hôtel de Breteuil, where it was sitting. Then a deputation from the 22 sections of Paris came to demand that the Convention end the Commission and put its members on trial before the revolutionary tribunal.
End
On 31 May saw the start of a revolt in Paris, the Days of 31 May and 2 June 1793Days of 31 May and 2 June 1793
The Days of 31 May and 2 June 1793 were a series of urban revolts in Paris during the French Revolution. They saw the fall of the Girondists under pressure from the people of Paris....
. Thuriot demanded that the Commission be annihilated and the day also saw the last clash of arms between the Girondins and Montagnards at the Convention. On 1 June a petition from the 48 sections of Paris demanded a decree to arrest and try 22 members of the Convention. The Committee of Public Safety was given the task of making a reply.
On 2 June the members of the sections, under the orders of Hanriot
François Hanriot
François Hanriot was a French leader and street orator of the Revolution. He played a vital role in the Insurrection and subsequently the fall of the Girondins.-Early years:...
, provisional commander of the National Guard
National Guard (France)
The National Guard was the name given at the time of the French Revolution to the militias formed in each city, in imitation of the National Guard created in Paris. It was a military force separate from the regular army...
, gathered and marched on the Convention. They were armed with pikes and pulled cannons in their wake. Two cannons were pointed at the Tuileries. The Convention descended into the courtyard and its president Hérault de Séchelles proclaimed the representatives' order enjoining the armed force to retire. Going back into the building, the deputies moved a decree to arrest the denounced Girondins – the Montagnards had triumphed.