Learn How to Pronounce Maximilien Robespierre | YouPronounce.it

How to Pronounce Maximilien Robespierre

Quick Answer: In French, the name Maximilien Robespierre is pronounced [maksimiljɛ̃ ʁɔbɛspjɛʁ].
(Listen to the audio below for the stress and intonation)

Meaning and Context

Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre, born in Arras in 1758, was a French lawyer and statesman who became the most iconic and polarizing leader of the radical Jacobin faction during the French Revolution. Elected to the Estates-General in 1789 and later to the National Convention, his unwavering advocacy for virtue, civic morality, and popular sovereignty earned him the moniker "the Incorruptible." Robespierre's political zenith came from July 1793 to July 1794, when he served as a dominant member of the Committee of Public Safety, the de facto war cabinet of the revolutionary government. To defend the Republic from foreign invasion and internal counter-revolution, he championed the period known as the Reign of Terror, a policy of revolutionary terror characterized by the Law of Suspects, price controls (the Maximum), a state-led de-Christianization campaign, and the systematic use of the guillotine against perceived enemies. His own execution by guillotine on 28 July 1794 (10 Thermidor Year II) following the Thermidorian Reaction ended his rule and the most radical phase of the revolution, cementing his complex legacy as both a principled democratic reformer and an authoritarian extremist whose actions fundamentally shaped modern political discourse on revolution, terror, and virtue.

Common Mistakes and Alternative Spellings

The standard and correct spelling is Maximilien Robespierre. Common errors and variations often stem from phonetic misspellings or the anglicization of French names. Frequent misspellings include "Maximilian Robespierre," substituting the more common English "Maximilian" for the French "Maximilien." Other common typos involve letter transposition or omission, such as "Robspierre" (dropping the 'e'), "Robespiere" (missing the final 'r'), or "Robbespierre" (adding an extra 'b'). His full name includes his middle names—François Marie Isidore—which are sometimes referenced but rarely misspelled in casual contexts. When writing about the period, one may also encounter the term "Robespierrist," referring to his supporters or his ideology, which is sometimes incorrectly rendered as "Robespierrian."

Example Sentences

Historians continue to debate whether Maximilien Robespierre was a necessary defender of the revolution or the chief architect of its most bloody excesses.

During his speeches at the Jacobin Club, Robespierre argued that terror was nothing other than prompt, severe, and inflexible justice, a necessary virtue for the new republic.

The fall of Maximilien Robespierre on 9 Thermidor dramatically shifted the revolution's trajectory away from radical Jacobin control.

Many contemporary documents reveal the profound fear his unwavering gaze and stern rhetoric inspired in both allies and enemies of the Committee of Public Safety.

To understand the ideological fervor of the Reign of Terror, one must grapple with Robespierre's concept of a Republic of Virtue, which he saw as the ultimate goal of the revolution.

Related Pronunciations

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