Reference Glossary

Small Guillotines (pg 10): The guillotine was such a huge form of “theatre” and entertainment for the people and kids wanted to play with them to feel involved. They would use mini versions of them to chop off heads of rats and mice just as the adults would use them to chop off veggies and other foods for meals. 

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Scaffold (pg 14): a raised wooden platform where the public guillotine executions would take place

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Jean Paul Marat (pg 15): French journalist and a huge supporter of the extreme measures of revolution that the Jacobins stood for. “Words are mightier than the sword.” His most famous journal was titled Friend of the People. Repeatedly called for a violent uprising and temporary dictatorship to reestablish French ideals. The authorities tried time and time again to silence him and he was a point of fear for those that wanted a more moderate approach to the revolution.

Here’s a link to a super interesting blood study that was recently done to try and pinpoint what exact medical issue Marat was dealing with: 

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/11/fascination-marats-skin-affliction/602284/

Plus more specifics:

https://biography.yourdictionary.com/jean-paul-marat

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Zealots (pg 19): a person who is fanatical and uncompromising in pursuit of their religious, political, or other ideals

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Parallel Lives written by Plutarch (pg 31): Also called Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans or Plutarch’s Lives; a book of 48 biographies arranged in pairs of one Greek and one Roman with the intent to compare their shared morals and virtues. Also written with the intent to dive deeper into the connection moral character has with the destinies of famous men of the time. Written at the beginning of second century AD by Plutarch near the end of his life. 

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Common Sense by Thomas Paine (pg 32): A 47-page pamphlet written by Thomas Paine advocating independence from Great Britain to the people living in the 13 colonies. Written from 1775-1776

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The National Assembly (pg 32): All three of the former French estates combined into one assembly after the third forced the hand of the other two and the King. (early in the start of the revolution)

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Jacobins (pg 32): One of the political parties during the French Revolution founded by Robespierre. The most ruthless political party of the time, they instituted the Reign of Terror with Robespierre as their leader.

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Chutzpah (pg 35): extreme self-confidence or audacity

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King Louis’s “Little Prince” operation (pg 36): I’ll let you all do the reading on this one if you so choose (it’s actually pretty interesting) 

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https://www.historyofcircumcision.com/templates/pages/circumcision_and_phimosis_in_eighteenth_century_france.html

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Fraternité (pg 39): One of the three fundamental values in the French motto, translated fraternity, is used by the French to push people to work together and to be kind and supportive of each other. When it was first used in the French Revolution, many thought that it was used in the gender-exclusive way it sounds.

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Egalité (pg 39): One of the three fundamental values in the French motto, translated equality, is used to state that everyone has equal rights under the law and are viewed equally under it.

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Liberté (pg 48): One of the three fundamental values in the French motto, translated liberty, is the right to live freely without oppression or unfair restrictions in a democratic government. 

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Here’s a really good source for more on this motto, plus go check out the research on Marianne’s character for more.

https://www.liberties.eu/en/stories/liberte-egalite-fraternite/43532

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Sororité (pg 48): The women use Sororité to mean the same ideals but in a female gender-exclusive way instead of Fraternité, which was thought to be gender-exclusive to men. Note the English translations of sorority and fraternity which are now most commonly used to describe a club of women and a club of men.

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The Revolutionary Tribunal (pg 57): A court established to try political opponents of the revolution in which the only punishment was death. Sent over 2,600 people to the guillotine.