Law of 22 Prairial

E114927

The Law of 22 Prairial was a radical decree during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror that streamlined Revolutionary Tribunal procedures, curtailed defendants’ rights, and greatly expanded the use of the guillotine against perceived enemies of the Republic.

All labels observed (6)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf decree ⓘ
legal instrument ⓘ
revolutionary law ⓘ
alsoKnownAs Law of the Great Terror ⓘ
Loi du 22 Prairial ⓘ
linked to: Law of 22 Prairial
appliesToJurisdiction France ⓘ
associatedWith Committee of Public Safety ⓘ
Maximilien Robespierre ⓘ
considered one of the harshest laws of the Reign of Terror ⓘ
country French First Republic ⓘ
dateEnacted 1794-06-10 ⓘ
effect accelerated Revolutionary Tribunal trials ⓘ
allowed moral proof instead of material evidence ⓘ
curtailed defendants' rights ⓘ
expanded use of the guillotine ⓘ
increased number of executions ⓘ
limited defense counsel ⓘ
reduced evidentiary requirements for conviction ⓘ
restricted witnesses for the defense ⓘ
followedBy Thermidorian Reaction legal reforms ⓘ
FrenchRepublicanCalendarDate Year II, 22 Prairial ⓘ
historicalAssessment symbol of judicial terror during the French Revolution ⓘ
historicalPeriod Year II of the French Republic ⓘ
inForceUntil Thermidorian Reaction ⓘ
inspiredOppositionFrom deputies in the National Convention ⓘ
introducedBy Georges Couthon ⓘ
language French ⓘ
legalConsequence centralized power in the hands of the Committee of Public Safety ⓘ
facilitated mass political executions ⓘ
weakened presumption of innocence ⓘ
legislativeBody National Convention ⓘ
locationOfApplication Paris Revolutionary Tribunal ⓘ
namedAfter Prairial ⓘ
partOf French Revolution ⓘ
Reign of Terror ⓘ
politicalAlignment Jacobin ⓘ
linked to: Jacobin Club
precededBy earlier laws on suspects and tribunals ⓘ
providedFor only acquittal or death as possible verdicts ⓘ
purpose to intensify repression of enemies of the Republic ⓘ
to streamline Revolutionary Tribunal procedures ⓘ
regulates procedures of the Revolutionary Tribunal ⓘ
repealedAfterEvent Fall of Robespierre ⓘ
repealedIn 1794 ⓘ
subjectOf Revolutionary Tribunal ⓘ
targeted enemies of the Republic ⓘ
suspected counter-revolutionaries ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (13)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Montagnards → supportedPolicy → Law of 22 Prairial ⓘ
Reign of Terror → legalBasis → Law of 22 Prairial ⓘ
French National Convention → implemented → Law of 22 Prairial ⓘ
Committee of Public Safety → significantEvent → Law of 22 Prairial ⓘ
Georges Couthon → notableWork → Law of 22 Prairial ⓘ
Law of Suspects → relatedLegislation → Law of 22 Prairial ⓘ
Law of 22 Prairial → alsoKnownAs → Loi du 22 Prairial ⓘ
linked to: Law of 22 Prairial
Revolutionary Tribunal → legalBasis → decree of the National Convention of 10 March 1793 ⓘ
linked to: Law of 22 Prairial
The Terror → legalBasis → Law of 22 Prairial ⓘ
Antoine Quentin Fouquier-Tinville → associatedWithEvent → Law of 22 Prairial enforcement ⓘ
linked to: Law of 22 Prairial
Trial of Marie Antoinette → legalSystem → French Revolutionary law ⓘ
linked to: Law of 22 Prairial
Law of the Great Terror → hasAlternativeName → Law of 22 Prairial ⓘ
Law of the Great Terror → hasAlternativeName → Loi du 22 prairial an II ⓘ
linked to: Law of 22 Prairial