Marat, Jean Paul

Swiss-born French Revolutionary leader, physician, and journalist. He was elected to the National Convention in 1792, where, as leader of the radical Montagnard faction, he carried on a long struggle with the right-wing Girondins, which resulted in their overthrow in May 1793. In July he was murdered in his bath by Charlotte Corday, a Girondin supporter.

Marat was born in Boudry, Neuchâtel, in Switzerland. After studying medicine in Bordeaux, France, he lived in the Netherlands and practised as a doctor in England. During the Revolution, he founded the radical paper L'Ami du Peuple and also edited Le Journal de la République française. Marat was a fervent anti-royalist, and led demands for the execution of the king.