Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Born in France · Nationality French — French Revolution / government / exceptional justice / alleged corruption
Documented profile covering 11 controversies, including “1791–1794: Rapid enrichment, compensation for his office and persistent suspicions of political corruption” and “1793–1794: Compagnie des Indes scandal — links with Fabre d’Églantine and conflation of corruption allegations”.
Profile No. 2151 · Updated on 12 October 2026
§ Legal statuses reflect the documented sources as of the date shown; they replace neither court decisions nor the presumption of innocence. Counts are not a rating. Methodology
1791–1794
The growth of Danton's wealth, his land purchases and his links with wealthy individuals fuelled allegations of venality and secret payments.
Last verified: 14 September 2026
1793–1794
The scandal involving falsification of a decree on the liquidation of the Compagnie des Indes notably implicated Fabre d’Églantine, a close associate of Danton. Prosecutors grouped the Dantonists together with several financial figures involved in the scandal.
Last verified: 14 September 2026
1793-12–1794-04-05
Danton and Desmoulins called for an end to the excesses of the Terror. Arrested in late March, they were tried alongside defendants accused of financial wrongdoing; the government secured adoption of a measure allowing defendants accused of disrupting proceedings to be excluded from the hearing, depriving Danton of a full defence before his execution.
Last verified: 14 September 2026
1792–1793
Sent to conquered territories in Belgium, Danton and his associates were accused of benefiting from requisitions and financial transactions.
Last verified: 14 September 2026
1793-03
Faced with military defeats and internal threats, Danton called for exceptional state-controlled justice rather than vengeance in the streets and played a major role in establishing the Revolutionary Tribunal.
Last verified: 14 September 2026
1793-04–1793-07
Danton was among the first leaders of the Committee of Public Safety, created to coordinate war, diplomacy and internal security in a Republic facing crisis.
Last verified: 14 September 2026
1793
Danton had worked with General Dumouriez and was accused, after the latter's betrayal, of protecting him or failing to respond adequately.
Last verified: 14 September 2026
1792-08-10
Danton was one of the major political figures on the insurrectionary side during the attack on the Tuileries and became Minister of Justice immediately after the monarchy's fall.
Last verified: 14 September 2026
1792-08–1792-09
The massacres of prisoners took place while Danton was Minister of Justice and the most powerful figure in the revolutionary government. His opponents accused him of permitting, encouraging or organising the killings.
Last verified: 14 September 2026
1792-09-02
As Verdun threatened to fall and panic spread through Paris, Danton called for mobilisation with his famous appeal for "audacity". The speech coincided with the beginning of the prison massacres.
Last verified: 14 September 2026
1791
Danton participated in the republican movement demanding the King's removal after Varennes. Following the Champ-de-Mars shooting and repression of the Cordeliers, he temporarily left France for England.
Last verified: 14 September 2026
No documented link with another published profile for now.
Two profiles are linked when a documented controversy of one names the other. The link points to that controversy and its sources; it does not indicate a personal relationship.
A new court decision, a missing source, a mistake? Tell us what should be updated: every request is read by the editorial team.
Controversia checks and updates its profiles independently. Support is optional and has no effect on the content of profiles.
DonateSearch covers names and aliases — not the content of profiles.