Lucie-Simplice-Camille-Benoît Desmoulins was born on 2 March 1760 in Guise, Picardy, France. His father, Jean Benoît Nicolas Desmoulins, served as a lieutenant-general, and his mother was Marie-Madeleine Godart. At the age of fourteen, he received a scholarship to attend the Collège Louis-le-Grand in Paris, where he excelled in Classical Literature and Politics alongside notable contemporaries such as Maximilien Robespierre. Desmoulins pursued a legal career and became an advocate in the Parlement of Paris in 1785, but his stammer and lack of connections hindered his success, leading him to turn to political journalism.Desmoulins became involved in the political reform movement surrounding the Estates-General in 1789. He wrote a response to the event, 'Ode aux Etats Generaux,' and gained notoriety for his impassioned speech on 12 July 1789, which incited unrest in Paris and contributed to the Storming of the Bastille two days later. Following this, he established himself as a radical pamphleteer, advocating for republicanism and criticizing both the Ancien Régime and fellow revolutionaries like Jacques Pierre Brissot. His writings played a role in the downfall of the Girondist faction and the onset of the Reign of Terror.During the Terror, Desmoulins and his ally Georges Danton distanced themselves from the more radical Montagnards, including Robespierre. Through his journal 'Le Vieux Cordelier,' he criticized the excesses of the Revolutionary Government and called for clemency, which angered Robespierre and ultimately led to his arrest. Desmoulins was executed by guillotine on 5 April 1794, alongside Danton and other accused Dantonists.Desmoulins married Lucile Duplessis on 29 December 1790, and they had one child, Horace Camille, born on 6 July 1792. Lucile was arrested shortly after her husband and executed on 13 April 1794. Desmoulins' political career was marked by his active participation in revolutionary events, including the attack on the Tuileries Palace on 10 August 1792, and his election as a deputy to the National Convention. He voted for the establishment of the Republic and the execution of Louis XVI, aligning himself with Danton and initially with Robespierre.As the political climate grew increasingly violent, Desmoulins began advocating for clemency and freedom of the press, arguing against the prevailing atmosphere of fear and repression. His calls for moderation and criticism of the Committee of Public Safety led to his expulsion from the Jacobin Club and increased scrutiny from revolutionary leaders. Following the arrest of Danton and his associates, Desmoulins was tried by the Revolutionary Tribunal, where he was denied the right to defend himself. He was executed shortly after the verdict was delivered.Desmoulins' legacy is intertwined with the tumultuous events of the French Revolution, marked by his passionate advocacy for republican ideals and his tragic downfall amidst the very terror he sought to critique.

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Camille Desmoulins