Girondin deputy who argued after Varennes that the king could be tried
After the flight to Varennes in 1791 he cited English precedent in the Constituent Assembly to argue that the king could be tried; Barnave answered him in his speech of 15 July.
A lawyer from Évreux, Buzot was elected for the Third Estate to the Estates-General in 1789 and in the Constituent Assembly demanded the nationalization of church property. After the flight to Varennes in 1791 he cited English precedent to argue that the king could be tried; Barnave replied that England, having no written constitution, could not serve as a model. Re-elected to the National Convention in 1792, he became a leading Girondin orator under the influence of Madame Roland, attacked Marat and proposed a guard drawn from the departments to protect the Convention. Proscribed with the Girondins on 2 June 1793, he fled to Normandy and helped organize the revolt there. He later hid near Bordeaux and in 1794 was found dead with Pétion, most likely by suicide.
Activities and affiliations
- 1792–1793 Political and party leadership · Girondins
Career Timeline
- 1789Elected for the Third Estate of the bailliage of Évreux to the Estates-General; called for the nationalization of church property.
- 1791After Varennes, cited English precedent to argue that the king could be tried; Barnave rebutted him.
- 1792Presided over the criminal tribunal at Évreux, then was elected to the National Convention for the Eure and joined the Girondins.
- 1793Proscribed with the Girondins on 2 June; fled to Normandy and helped organize the revolt against the Convention.
- 1794Found dead with Pétion after hiding near Bordeaux.