Étincelle du Changement (Spark of Change)

Late 1788

Today started off as any other lazy day in the calming and peaceful environment of La Platière. I began the day by attending to my house chores and providing Eudora with her daily lessons (Oh what an avid learner she is! Her interest in education is just as keen as mine was when I was her age!). When it came close to evening time, I and the house servants began to prepare for the guests that I and my husband were expecting in the evening. When the guests finally arrived and the hour for supper came, we sat and began to engage in a variety of discussions, including politics and government. It was here that I heard the first mutterings of the French Revolution. Oh how my heart filled with joy! The time for the oppressed humanity to reassert its rights had finally come! I know France will not let me down and I am confident that the government will be able to be reformed without any bloodshed.

Adieu

MR

June 1, 1789

My love has been elected to represent Lyons at the National Assembly (not that I am surprised).As a result of his new position, we have decided to relocate to Paris so that we are closer to the political action and activities. My husband and I have been rallying the oppressed people and giving them hope that a time of change will come! The day of the convention is scheduled on June 17 and this gives me 16 more days to press MY ideas in my husband’s head. Although he has been chosen as the representative of Lyons, in my heart I feel like it should be me, even though the circumstances of this time make my dream impossible. So I will compensate with what I have and make sure my views are heard through my dearest husband.

Adieu

MR

Tout Autour de Moi (All About Me)

Bonjour, Hello. Bienvenue, Welcome.

             My name is Marie-Jeanne Roland de la Platière, however I am simply known as Madame Roland. I was born Marie-Jeanne Philipon on March 17, 1754 in Paris, France to my parents, Pierre Gacien and Marguerite Binot Philipon. I was an only child, for out of the seven children that my parents had, none were able to survive past the hour of birth besides me. For this reason, I was the object of my parent’s affection and they showered me with the uttermost love and care. I was everything to them, as they were everything to me.

             From an early age, I expressed a keen interest in knowledge and I was trained in an advanced, well-rounded education. Through my studies I became fluent in French, Italian, Latin, and English and also became an accomplished musician and dancer. My interest in government was sparked when I read Plutarch’s Parallel Lives, at the age of nine years. This piece of literature expressed the philosophical ideas of a state that worked for the benefit of the citizens, not the monarch and the idea that the success of a state was also dependent upon the people. Throughout the course of my studies, I came across the literature of many noted philosophes, such as Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Rousseau and they began to shape my ideas and principles. As time went, I realized that I did not want to join a convent, as my beloved parents desired, but rather wanted to reshape the government into a republic. These desires were solidified upon my visit to Versailles, where my interest in politics sparked and I realized that the ‘perfect’ government had "enlightened and well-meaning ministers, a young prince docile to their council who wants to do good, a lovable and well doing queen, an easy court, pleasant and decent, an honorable legislative body, a charming people who wants nothing but the power to love its master...".

            When I was 25, I married Jean-Marie Roland in the winter of 1780. Although my husband was 20 years my senior, he was my equal intellectually. Together, we had one daughter, who was named Eudora. He was easily swayed by my words and through him I was able to exercise an abundance of influence over the fate of France, but we will return to this topic soon enough. In 1790, my husband was elected to represent Lyons at the National Assembly. My husband and I were very influential in spreading the ideas of the Revolution for I ran a salon at the Hotel Britannique where meetings were held by influential men of the revolutionary party. Through these meetings, the Girondist faction of the Jacobin Club was developed, with my husband and I as on of the main leaders (although I mostly expressed influence through the voice of my husband). As a result, my husband and I became extremely popular. However our popularity did not last. After being arrested I was sent to jail in Abbaye and eventually sentenced to death. I died on November 8, 1793 at the age of 39.

            There is more to the story mon ami, my friend. I urge you read on, and learn how I was able to express a strong influence over France through letters and my husband, for par lui que je parle, by him I speak.