Collot d’Herbois ordering the demolition of the houses on Place Bellecour in Lyon, during the Reign of Terror

Coming from a theatrical background, Jean-Marie Collot d’Herbois (1749–1796) is best known as a politician during the French Revolution.
He undertook several missions in the provinces, the most significant of which took place during the bloody suppression of the Lyon insurrection during the Reign of Terror (June–November 1793). A member of the Committee of Public Safety, he turned against Robespierre during the summer of 1794 and was one of the key figures in his downfall (July).
Attacked in turn, he was sentenced in April 1795 to deportation to French Guiana, where he died the following year of yellow fever.