Jean-Nicolas-Paul-François Barras

Descended from a noble family of Provence; joined the regiment of Languedoc (1771); in the rank of captain transferred to Pondicherry, India (served 1776-1780); took part in colonial expeditions (1781-1783); joined the Jacobin Club; took part in the storming of the Bastille; elected as deputy representative of the département of Var to the Convention nationale (National Convention) (1792-1795), replaced Edmond-Louis-Alexis Dubois-Crancé, who opted for the Ardennes; voted for the king's death in the trial of Louis XVI; sent to the Hautes-Alpes and Basses-Alpes as representative of the Convention (9 Mar 1793 - 30 Apr 1793) for recruitment of the soldiers; appointed the Convention's representative with the Army of Italy (30 Apr 1793 - 23 Jan 1794), distinguished himself in capturing Toulon (1793); named commander-in-chief of the forces defending the Convention against the national guard; played an outstanding role in overthrowing the dictatorship of the Robespierrists (27 Jul 1794); served on the Comité de sûreté générale (Committee of General Security) (5 Nov 1794 - 5 Mar 1795, 1 Sep 1795 - 4 Nov 1795) and as President of the National Convention (4 Feb 1795 - 19 Feb 1795); appointed commander of the Army of the Interior (4 Oct 1795); together with General Napoléon Bonaparte defended the regime against an attempted royalist insurrection (5 Oct 1795); elected to the Corps législatif (1795); elected (1 Nov 1795) one of the original members of the Directoire exécutif (Executive Directory); three times served as President of the Directory (1 Nov 1796 - 30 Jan 1797, 27 Nov 1797 - 25 Feb 1798, 25 Feb 1799 - 26 May 1799); emerged as one of its leaders and became notorious for excessive corruption and luxurious living; engineered the coup of 18 Fructidor (4 Sep 1797), which made him the most important figure in the republican government; elected to the Conseil des Cinq-Cents (Council of Five Hundred) (12 Apr 1798) and to the Conseil des Anciens (Council of Ancients) (12 Apr 1799); resigned as a Directory member on the eve of the 18 Brumaire coup (9 Nov 1799); was exiled to Brussels (1801-1805); after the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy, was permitted to live in peace at his estate at Chaillot. Biography source: [3]