Jacques Nicolas Billaud-Varenne (23 April 1756 – 3 June 1819), also known as Jean Nicolas, was a French personality of the Revolutionary period. Though not one of the most well known figures of the French Revolution, Jacques Nicolas Billaud Varenne was an instrumental figure of the period known as the Reign of Terror. As Varenne climbed his way up the ladder of power during the period of The Terror, he was recognized for his courage and dedication to the cause. He was recognized and worked with French Revolution figures Georges Danton and Maximilien Robespierre, and is often considered one of the key architects of the period known as The Terror. “No, we will not step backward, our zeal will only be smothered in the tomb; either the Revolution will triumph or we will all die.” Those who were to lead a period of such social turbulence as The Terror had to exhibit an exorbitant amount of fervor to overturn society in the pursuit of what was thought to be a better future, and Varenne—an extreme Montagnard—was such a person.
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