Montagnards

Name given to the radical deputies who sat in the most elevated section (‘La Montagne’) of the Convention Nationale during the Revolution; the group included about one-third of the deputies by Spring 1793. They struggled victoriously against the Girondins, but did not long survive the downfall of Robespierre. The moderate députés, who gave unreliable support to the Montagnards, were known as ‘La Plaine’ or ‘Le Marais’.