The Jacobins were radical revolutionaries who plotted the downfall of the king and the rise of the French Republic. They were members of an influential political club and are often associated with a period of violence during the French Revolution widely known as the ‘Terror’.
This political club was officially known as the Society of Friends of the Constitution. They met periodically in a Jacobin monastery in Paris and later came to be known as the ‘Jacobin Club’.
In the beginning of the French Revolution, the Jacobin Club was a fairly small group and not so powerful. However, as the French Revolution progressed, the club grew rapidly; there were around 5,00,000 members in thousands of Jacobin clubs throughout France at the height of their power.
Maximilien Robespierre was one of the most powerful Jacobins. At one point, he was the most powerful man in France. Under his leadership, the Jacobins instituted the ‘Reign of Terror’ that lasted until 1794. Later, the Jacobin Club was banned and many of its leaders were executed.
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