Notre-Dame de Thermidor” Thérésa Cabarrus

This article explores the life and work of Thérésa Cabarrus, better known as Madame Tallien, a socialite and salon hostess during the French Revolution. Thérésa Cabarrus was a trendsetter, and her salon, frequented by the most prominent figures of the time, became one of the most popular in Paris. She befriended the future Empress Josephine and provided assistance to the then-little-known General Bonaparte. Although her contemporaries left conflicting memories of her, often criticizing her pursuit of luxury and her association with wealthy and influential men, Thérésa Cabarrus has remained a household name, forever symbolizing the end of the Reign of Terror in France. This article examines her role in several events of the French Revolution. First, the article analyzes the widespread historiographic thesis that she exerted significant influence on the policies pursued by her lover, Jean-Lambert Tallien, during his tenure as Commissioner of the Convention in Bordeaux in 1793—1794, and contributed to the mitigation of the Jacobin Terror in that city. Furthermore, it attempts to assess Thérésa's role in Robespierre's downfall, when, after being imprisoned, she encouraged Tallien to be the first to ascend the rostrum of the Convention on 9 Thermidor, Year II of the Republic, and publicly oppose the Robespierrists, thus initiating the coup that led to their overthrow and the end of the Reign of Terror in France

Convention · Jacobin · Performance art · Politics · Reign · European Political History Analysis · Historical Studies and Socio-cultural Analysis · Religion, Gender, and Enlightenment