The Rest Is History

Why did Robespierre hold a vast, eccentric festival in 1794 when The Reign of Terror was at its most frenzied? What does it reveal about his psychology and belief in the divine? And, did he really believe that the French Revolution could succeed in supplanting the Christian God?

Join Tom and Dominic as they discuss the extraordinary spectacle of the Festival of the Supreme Being, its sinister reception, and the transformation of France.

Join The Rest Is History Club: Unlock the full experience of the show – with exclusive bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to every series and live show tickets, a members-only newsletter, discounted books from the show, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at the⁠⁠restishistory.com⁠⁠.

To read our new newsletter, sign up at: ⁠⁠therestishistory.com/newsletters⁠⁠

_______

This episode is sponsored by Anthropic, the team behind Claude. Try Claude for free today at http://Claude.ai/restishistory.

_______

Advertise with us: ⁠Partnerships@goalhanger.com⁠

_______

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Video Editors: Jack Meek, Harry Swan + Adam Thornton

Social Producer: Harry Balden

Producers: Tabby Syrett & Aaliyah Akude

Senior Producer: Callum Hill

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How did two of the French Revolution's leading figures, Georges Danton and Maximilien Robespierre, differ in their views on how to further the cause? Which scandalous conspiracy was Danton accused of being involved in that would lead him to the guillotine? And, was it true? Or the betrayal of a former ally?

Join Dominic and Tom as they discuss the terrible destruction of one of the great titans of the Revolution, Georges Danton, and the connotations of his cataclysmic fall for the future of the Terror.

Join The Rest Is History Club: Unlock the full experience of the show – with exclusive bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to every series and live show tickets, a members-only newsletter, discounted books from the show, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at the⁠⁠restishistory.com⁠⁠.

To read our new newsletter, sign up at: ⁠⁠therestishistory.com/newsletters⁠⁠

_______

Advertise with us: ⁠Partnerships@goalhanger.com⁠

_______

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Video Editors: Jack Meek, Harry Swan + Adam Thornton

Social Producer: Harry Balden

Producers: Tabby Syrett & Aaliyah Akude

Senior Producer: Callum Hill

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In what conditions was Marie Antoinette - once the most glamorous woman in Europe - imprisoned for over a year, before and after the execution of King Louis XVI? Why were the French Revolutionaries divided on her own fate? And, how did she finally face the guillotine on October 16th, 1793?

Join Tom and Dominic as they discuss one of the most shocking moments of the French Revolution, and the death knell to the monarchy: The execution of the former Queen of France, Marie Antoinette.

Join The Rest Is History Club: Unlock the full experience of the show – with exclusive bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to every series and live show tickets, a members-only newsletter, discounted books from the show, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at the⁠⁠restishistory.com⁠⁠.

To read our new newsletter, sign up at: ⁠⁠therestishistory.com/newsletters⁠⁠

_______

This episode is sponsored by Anthropic, the team behind Claude. Try Claude for free today at http://Claude.ai/restishistory.

_______

Advertise with us: ⁠Partnerships@goalhanger.com⁠

_______

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Video Editors: Jack Meek, Harry Swan + Adam Thornton

Social Producer: Harry Balden

Producers: Tabby Syrett & Aaliyah Akude

Senior Producer: Callum Hill

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Where did Maximilien Robespierre come from and what led him to rise from provincial obscurity to play a major role in the French Revolution? Why is he considered the central figure in the Reign of Terror? And how did a fastidious man opposed to violence become the chief proponent of bloodshed?

Join Tom and Dominic as they describe how Maximilien Robespierre became one of the most powerful figures of the French Revolution, and his role in initiating the Terror, which saw thousands beheaded in Paris, and butchered throughout France.

Join The Rest Is History Club: Unlock the full experience of the show – with exclusive bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to every series and live show tickets, a members-only newsletter, discounted books from the show, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at the⁠⁠restishistory.com⁠⁠.

To read our new newsletter, sign up at: ⁠⁠therestishistory.com/newsletters⁠⁠

_______

This episode is sponsored by Anthropic, the team behind Claude. Try Claude for free today at http://Claude.ai/restishistory.

_______

Advertise with us: ⁠Partnerships@goalhanger.com⁠

_______

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Video Editors: Jack Meek, Harry Swan + Adam Thornton

Social Producer: Harry Balden

Producers: Tabby Syrett & Aaliyah Akude

Senior Producer: Callum Hill

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

_______

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Video Editors: Jack Meek, Harry Swan + Adam Thornton

Social Producer: Harry Balden

Producers: Tabby Syrett & Aaliyah Akude

Senior Producer: Callum Hill

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How did the infamous murder of Jean-Paul Marat, one of the great firebrands of the French Revolution, unleash the bloody Terror? Why did the clashing political factions of the Revolution escalate the fractious atmosphere in France? And, which other apocalyptic threats saw the French masses clamouring for the blood of their brothers?

Join Dominic and Tom as they launch into one of the most violent events in all world history: The Reign of Terror in Revolutionary France, and the murder of Marat, which served as one of its catalysts.

_______

Join The Rest Is History Club: Unlock the full experience of the show – with exclusive bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to every series and live show tickets, a members-only newsletter, discounted books from the show, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at the⁠⁠restishistory.com⁠

To read our new newsletter, sign up at:

⁠therestishistory.com/newsletters⁠

Advertise with us: ⁠Partnerships@goalhanger.com

_______

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Video Editors: Jack Meek, Harry Swan + Adam Thornton

Social Producer: Harry Balden

Producers: Tabby Syrett & Aaliyah Akude

Senior Producer: Callum Hill

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices