La Mort de Marat or Marat Assassiné is a 1793 painting by Jacques-Louis David of the murdered French revolutionary leader Jean-Paul Marat. Marat (born 24 May 1743) was murdered in the bath on 13 July 1793 by Charlotte Corday.
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Jean-Paul Marat, a radical journalist and prominent Jacobin during the French Revolution, was assassinated on July 13, 1793, by Charlotte Corday, a Girondin sympathizer. Marat was known for his fiery writings in L'Ami du peuple (The Friend of the People), where he called for harsh measures against counter-revolutionaries.
Suffering from a painful skin condition, he often worked from a medicinal bath in his home.
Corday, believing Marat was responsible for escalating violence and the Reign of Terror, gained access to his residence under the pretense of sharing a list of traitors. Once inside, she fatally stabbed him while he was in the bath.
Marat’s death shocked Paris and turned him into a revolutionary martyr. His assassination deepened divisions between the Girondins and Jacobins and further justified radical actions taken by the Committee of Public Safety.
Jacques-Louis David's famous painting immortalized Marat as a tragic, heroic figure.
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