Roland, Manon

Her father, Gatien Flipon, an engraver and painter on enamel, traded in precious stones; her mother, Margarita Bimon, was distinguished by her beauty and kind heart. She studied at home and developed rapidly; soon she depleted the supply of books stored in a small home library, swallowing next to the lives of the saints the old translation of Appian 's Civil Wars, memoirs of Mademoiselle de Montpensier and more. She furtively read books that were brought to her father’s workshop by young students, read a lot of travels, and for nine years, as she says in her Memoirs, she “carried the church works of Plutarch, ” which she especially loved, with her to the prayer book. After Plutarch, Fenelon worried her heart, then Tasso and other poets; soon fell into her hands and Voltaire .

Her father began to teach her engraving, and she made great strides in this art. She was ardently pious, dreamed of martyrdom, strove for monastic life, was fond of the eloquence of Bossuet . She met early on with the insulting disdain of the aristocrats for the bourgeoisie, having been in the same aristocratic house, and then spent eight days in Versailles. She was seized by the opposition mood; former faith was soon replaced by philosophy; from a zealous Catholic, she became a deist . Until 17 years, she was only once in the theater. Numerous pretenders to her hand were disgusting to her. In June 1775 her mother died; she was left alone in her father’s house, where a mess was set up with his second wife.

At this time, she fell into the hands of the " New Eloise " Russo . Reading this book made the same impression on her as Plutarch . “Plutarch,” she says, “prepared me to become a republican ... He breathed into me the real enthusiasm of social virtue and freedom. Russo showed me family happiness, which I could strive for. " She began to write, heading her writings, “Oeuvres de loisir et réfléxions diverses”, and wrote an essay on the topic proposed by the Besancon Academy: “How can the education of women help to improve humanity”, but did not receive the award, like other applicants. In her discourse, she spoke more about the issue than about the resolution itself. She considered it possible to improve people with the help of a better government and good laws.

Having met Roland , she married him (1780), but she never loved him. It seemed wonderful to her to sacrifice herself for the happiness of a man who devoted himself to good. Her marriage was an imitation of the marriage of Eloise to Wolmar . Gifted with a great mind, well-educated, beautiful, Roland became a talented assistant to her husband and directed, in essence, all his activities. She was a powerful and charming organizer of circles; Montagnards subsequently called her house a "public opinion bureau." Roland stayed with her husband in Amiens for four years, helping him work on the New Encyclopedia, the articles of which related to trade were compiled by her.

When Roland moved to Lyon, she took up charity work and treated sick peasants. The 1789 movement swept Roland: she sincerely believed that the revolution would renew the world. She fell in love with the revolution and became the head of the party. She is called the only man who was exposed by the Gironde . Her salon has become a brilliant hotbed of revolution. Four times a week Brissot , Petion , Buzot, Robespierre converged here. After the Constituent Assembly closed, Roland left, with her husband, Paris , but corresponded with Robespierre and Buzot .

When her husband was appointed minister, she gained great influence on affairs and convinced her husband not to trust the court peace and the king, “whose goal is to lull the ministers.” Brissot, Condorcet , Verno , Jeanne , Gad, Buzot were opposed by her against the king. She guessed the frivolity of Dumourier and armed the Girondins against him. Under her influence, Minister of War Cervan proposed to the Legislative Assembly , without the authority of the king and without the consent of the council, to gather around Paris 20 thousand soldiers. After Roland's resignation, the center of the Girondins was transferred from the ministry to the close circle of Roland, where Barbara also joined. Together with her, he developed the idea of ​​a federal republic. At the same time, Danton also tried to get closer to Roland.

Roland was actively preparing the uprising of August 10 ; she agreed with Barbara and the Rebecca to discuss further action. Roland didn’t quite like the restored Girondins ministry: she dreamed of such a council of ministers, which would be composed of firm, moderate, incorruptible Republicans. Meanwhile, the relationship between the Girondins and the Jacobins became directly hostile. Robespierre stopped visiting her. When the struggle of the parties began, Roland wrote letters to the departments, to the Convention , inspiring the Girondins writers against Marat , prompted Luva to attack Robespierre . Shabo made a series of accusations against her, pointing to her relationship with Narbonne, Malue and other royalists. Roland was called by the Convention for an explanation, but justified.

The fate of Roland is also connected with the death of the Girondins. She wanted to protect her husband in the Convention when orders were given to arrest him, but she herself was arrested. In prison, she wrote her famous “Memoirs,” which completely reflected her republican views. In their frankness, they resemble Rousseau's Confession. On November 8, 1793, Roland appeared before a revolutionary tribunal , and on the 9th was executed. On the scaffold, she exclaimed: “What crimes are committed in the name of freedom!”

The memoirs were preserved by the naturalist Bosque and published for the first time after Thermidor 9 under the title: “Appel à l'impartiale postérité”. Memoirs were translated into Russian in 1893.

• Ida Ashworth Taylor, Life of Madame Roland Londen: Hutchinson & Co., 1911