Who were the Girondins?

The Girondins also known as the Brissotins were members of a political club during the French Revolution. They played a leading and active role in the Legislative Assembly and National Convention from October 1791 to September 1792. The leaders of the Girondins were Nicolas de Caritat, Jean – Marie Roland and wife, Jacques Pierre Brissot and Pierre Victurnien Vergniaud.

The Girondins supported foreign war as a means to unite the people behind the cause of Revolution. In 1792, the war they urged was declared against Austria.

The Girondin role in government was undermined by the popular uprising on the 2nd of June 1793. Francois Hanriot, who was the head of the Paris National Guards, purged the Convention of the Girondins.