Mystery of Jean-Paul Marat: the French Revolutionary
Five or six hundred heads cut off would have assured your repose, freedom, and happiness. A false humanity has held your arms and suspended your blows; because of this, millions of your brothers will lose their lives.
These rising words are those of Jean-Paul Marat. Known as L’ami du Peuple (Friend of the People), Marat became a figurehead of the French Revolution due to his inspirational yet divisive publications which helped incite the violent nature of this period of political and societal change. Yet Marat’s revolutionary triumph unfortunately led to his demise.
Jean-Paul Marat’s early years
Although much of Jean-Paul Marat’s early years remain unknown, we do know that he was one of nine children born in Boudry, Switzerland, on May 24th, 1743, to lower-middle-class parents. His father, Jean-Mara, was well educated, but his Huguenot lineage limited his employment opportunities due to religious associations.
Jean-Paul originally studied medicine and successfully practiced as a physician for several years in France and England. However, poor recognition for his work in this area, as well as for his scientific prowess, left Marat feeling underappreciated.
Although his essay A Philosophical Essay On Man (1773) was published in France and Amsterdam, his others had little success. For this reason, his articles began to take on more of a political influence, such as The Chains of Slavery (1774), where he addressed the concept of an “aristocracy” - a theme which was to become the predominant subject of the majority of his works.
After his return to France in 1977, Marat became the lead physician to the comte d’Artois’ personal guards - Louis XVI’s younger brother. In 1783, Marat resigned from his position as a medical practitioner, more than likely to concentrate on his scientific pursuits.
Jean-Paul Marat’s influence
Marat published what was to become known as his favorite piece of work in 1782; A Plan de Legislation Criminelle. The paper contained many progressive ideas, including the notion that all citizens should be provided with basic facilities to accommodate their needs - such as food and shelter, that there should be a regulated death penalty regardless of social class, that the king was no more than a magistrate, and that a jury of twelve men should be established in each town to ensure fair trials.
In 1978 - the year that the french revolution began, Marat wrote a paper called Offrande a la patrie (Offerring to Our Country) where he further expanded on the concept of the monarchy stepping in to solve France’s lower class issues. He continued this point in a number of further papers, suggesting that the king was not concerned with the needs of the people of France and instead only cared about his own finances.
Marat’s academic papers were often met with derision and rejection both academically and occupationally. So much so that descriptions of him as a person focused on his lack of physical attributes and apparent unpleasant odor. He was even described as a “...horribly ugly little man, almost a dwarf….”
Truthfully, Marat’s appearance was as much a topic of conversation as his papers were. From his flamboyant clothing such as robes, open shirts, and headscarves to the open sores and blisters on his skin, Marat was an easily recognized character that likely suffered from a chronic skin condition.
However, despite his alarming appearance, Marat’s radical views and voracious manner of delivering them garnered popularity among the lower-classes in Paris and its surrounding provinces. His paper L’ami du Peuple (Friend of the People) was supported by both poor Parisians and anyone who opposed the monarchy. Even though attempts were made to silence him by authorities, Marat managed to evade imprisonment with the help of his fans and continued to publish his political pages as often as he could.
Eventually, in August 1792, King Louis XVI was forcefully removed from power. The next month saw the beginning of the executions of people of power that Marat had been so vocal in encouraging. This was considered to be the beginning of the French Revolution, and Marat was voted to the National Convention - a parliament of the revolution. However, many people considered Marat to be at fault for the September executions. His continuing radical viewpoints and actions, combined with his bizarre appearance, caused most to keep a safe distance from him.
Marat eventually focused his attention on the Girondin party - a conservative political faction of the revolution. He was forced into hiding (often in the Parisien sewers) when they attempted to silence him, but he continued to focus on Girondin leaders in L’ami du Peuple, and with the aid of the people of Paris, unseated the Girondin party and arrested its leaders.
Jean-Paul Marat’s death
On July 13th 1793, armed with the desire to rid France of the “monstrous” Jean-Paul Marat, a young woman with Girondin affiliations named Charlotte Corday managed to wrangle entry into the apartment in which Marat had been sheltering because of his increasingly ill-health by claiming to have information on the activities of renegade Girondins. This is believed to have caused a debilitating skin condition, which caused him to spend most of his time in the bathtub in an attempt to ease his discomfort, soaking in a variety of different medicines, herbs, and minerals.
After a brief discussion, Corday produced a five-inch knife from her corset and passionately drove it into Marat’s chest, rupturing the artery close to his heart. Marat bled out quickly, crying out his final words to his wife, “Aidez-moi, ma chere amie!” Help me, my beloved.
The blood-stained parchment in Marat's hand and the newspapers that surrounded the bathtub were kept and used to sample his DNA. Corday was quickly put on trial and guillotined in Paris within 4 days.
Marat's funeral was a big event in Revolutionary France, and every member of the National Convention attended.
If you want to know whether your DNA could be linked to the famous revolutionary, you can find out with My True Ancestry!
