Olympe de Gouges

Olympe de Gouges was born Marie Gouze on 7 May 1748 in Montauban, France, to a butcher's family. Her mother was Anne-Olympe Mouisset, and her father was Pierre Gouze, though she later claimed to be the illegitimate daughter of the Marquis Jean-Jacques Lefranc de Pompignan, a poet and playwright.¹ At age 16, she was married to Louis-Yves Aubry, a caterer, with whom she had a son. After his death in 1766, she moved to Paris, where she adopted the name Olympe de Gouges and began a career as a writer, supported by a wealthy patron.

De Gouges wrote over 40 plays, many addressing social issues such as slavery, women's rights, and the justice system. Her 1784 play L'Esclavage des Noirs (Slavery of the Blacks) was a strong antislavery statement, though it was not performed until 1789 and then only briefly due to public opposition. She also wrote political pamphlets, including Le Bonheur primitif de l'homme (1789) and Les Droits de la femme (1790), which argued for women's equality and the abolition of slavery.²

In September 1791, de Gouges published her most famous work, the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen, a direct response to the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. She rewrote the 17 articles to include women, asserting that women are born free and equal to men, and that all political and legal rights should be extended to them. The declaration famously opens: "Woman is born free and remains equal to man in rights." It also included a postscript urging women to recognize their own strength and a social contract for marriage based on equality.³

De Gouges was a fervent supporter of the Revolution but became increasingly critical of its leaders, especially Robespierre and the Jacobins. She published numerous pamphlets, including Le Principe démocratique (1792) and Les Trois Urnes (1793), the latter calling for a national referendum on the form of government, which was seen as an attack on the Republic.⁴ She also defended King Louis XVI during his trial, which further endangered her.⁵

On 20 July 1793, de Gouges was arrested for her writings and for allegedly being a royalist. She was tried by the Revolutionary Tribunal and, despite her eloquent defense, was sentenced to death on 2 November 1793. She was guillotined on 3 November 1793 in Paris. Her execution was used as a warning to other women who engaged in political activity.¹

For over a century, de Gouges was largely forgotten, but her work was revived in the 20th century by feminist historians. She is now celebrated as a pioneer of feminism and human rights. In 2016, a square in Paris was named Place Olympe de Gouges, and in 2022, a statue of her was unveiled in the National Assembly. Her writings continue to be studied for their radical vision of gender equality.

Beyond her famous declaration, de Gouges was a prolific and versatile writer. She wrote an opera, Le Mariage inattendu de Chérubin (1786), and a novel, Mémoires de Madame de Valmont (1788). She also proposed a system of public workshops for the unemployed and advocated for the rights of illegitimate children, reflecting her own background.² Her plays often featured strong female characters and critiqued social hypocrisy. Notably, she was one of the few women of her time to publicly address the National Assembly, and she dedicated her declaration to Queen Marie Antoinette, hoping to gain her support for women's rights—a move that proved futile.³

Declaration of the Rights of Woman

A 1791 pamphlet by Olympe de Gouges that demanded equal rights for women, modeled on the Declaration of the Rights of Man.

Revolutionary Tribunal

A court established during the French Revolution to try political offenders; it sentenced de Gouges to death.

Jacobins

A radical political club during the French Revolution, led by Robespierre, which de Gouges opposed.