Jean-François Varlet | |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | Jean-François Varlet (1764-07-14)14 July 1764 |
| Died | 4 October 1837(1837-10-04) (aged 73) Corbeil-Essonnes, France |
| Cause of death | Drowning |
| Political party | Enragés |
| Residence(s) | Paris, France |
| Occupation | Writer, publisher, politician |
Jean-François Varlet (French pronunciation:[ʒɑ̃fʁɑ̃swavaʁlɛ]; 14 July 1764 – 4 October 1837) was a leader of theEnragés faction during theFrench Revolution. He was important in thefall of the monarchy and theInsurrection of 31 May – 2 June 1793.
Born in Paris on 14 July 1764 into a family of thepetty bourgeoisie, Jean-François Varlet studied at theCollège d'Harcourt. He welcomed the Revolution with enthusiasm and wrote patriotic songs.[citation needed] However, at 21 Varlet was too young to be eligible for an elected position, so he turned to popular agitation instead.[1] He was an early supporter of the radicalJacques Hébert.[2]
Varlet first rose to prominence through hisopposition to the monarchy. When Louis XVIattempted to flee Paris, Varlet circulated petitions in theNational Assembly and spoke against the king. He helped organize the popular protests that ended in theChamp de Mars massacre.[citation needed]
On 10 August 1792, theLegislative Assembly suspended the king and called for the election of aNational Convention to write a new constitution. Varlet was elected, and argued for directuniversal suffrage andrecall elections.[3] He sought to prevent the wealthy from expanding their profits at the expense of the poor and called for thenationalization of all profits obtained through monopoly and hoarding.[4] Because of these proto-socialist stances, Varlet is considered a member of theEnragés. However, this was not a coherent political party, and another Enragés leader,Jacques Roux, even called for Varlet's arrest.[5] Varlet recognized the importance of women in the revolution, and helped organize poor working women into a semi-cohesive unit.[6]
On 22 February 1793, Jacques Roux and Jean-Francois Varlet emboldened the Parisian working poor to approach the Jacobin Club and persuade them to place price controls on necessary goods.[citation needed] However, the National Convention refused to grant them an audience. Further attempts for the Enragés to communicate their position were denied by the National Convention. Determined to be heard, they responded with revolt. They plundered the homes and businesses of the elite, employing direct action to meet their needs.[citation needed] The Enragés were noted for using legal and extralegal means to achieve their ends.[1] On 24 May 1793 Varlet and other popular leaders were arrested, but this only exacerbated popular discontent.[7] Giving in to the demands of theCommune, the Convention released Varlet and the other radicals three days later.[7] The following day, 28 May, theCite section called the othersections to a meeting at theÉvêché (the Bishop's Palace) in order to organize an insurrection. On the 29th the delegates representing thirty-three of the sections formed an insurrectionary committee of nine, including Varlet.[7][8] This committee would go on to lead theInsurrection of 31 May – 2 June 1793.
At the beginning of theReign of Terror, Varlet was again arrested. He was released on 29 October 1793, but afterthe fall of Robespierre he was arrested yet again and spent almost a year in prison.[2][9] After his release, Varlet settled atPailly, Yonne, marrying and having three children.[9] He became a Bonapartist after 1800[2] and lived some time inNantes. He returned to Paris for several months in 1830 to participate in theJuly Revolution. In 1836 he left Nantes to live atCorbeil-Essonnes, where he drowned on 4 October 1837.[9]
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