Maximilien Robespierre (May 6, 1758 - July 28, 1794) was a French lawyer and politician, and one of the most influential figures of the French Revolution. He advocated against the death penalty and for the abolition of slavery, while supporting equality of rights, universal suffrage and the establishment of a republic. He was an important figure during the Reign of Terror. People were guillotined for not supporting the French Revolution, hoarding, desertion, rebellion, and other things he saw as crimes. He was arrested, and on July 28, 1794, he was guillotined without trial in the Place de la Revolution. Jean-Dominique-Etienne Canu, 1796 (cropped and cleaned).