George Jacques Danton

Danton, one of the leading revolutionaries in the early stages of the French Revolution, was born this day in 1759. Scott was familiar with Danton, mentioning him in his Journal, along with Robespierre and Marat; the holy triumvirate, as he referred to them. Study of these figures would have been essential to Scott's study of Napoleon. Scott's Life of Napoleon Buonaparte was published in 1827.