She Cried Out for Women's Rights, but Was Executed for Treason
Olympe de Gouges is known for her Declaration of the Rights of Woman, but her death was not due to her feminist advocacy; it was because she opposed the king's execution and attacked Robespierre.
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The Declaration of the Rights of Woman answered the Declaration of the Rights of Man
Olympe de Gouges is most famous for her 1791 Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen, a direct response to the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. The original used citoyen; she changed it to the feminine form citoyenne, which looks different but sounds similar. Her writing and political activity went far beyond this pamphlet, and her execution was not for advocating women's rights.
— Tracy V. WilsonBiographical truth is mixed with fiction
The first English biography of de Gouges, Women's Rights in the French Revolution, heavily cites her epistolary novel Memoirs of Madame de Valmont as factual, but the book is highly fictional. The protagonist is widely considered her own stand-in, while the Marquis de Flaucour represents her possible biological father, the Marquis de Pompignan. This lineage remains unconfirmed.
— Holly FreyThe Comédie-Française suppressed a female playwright
Zamore et Mirza was written in 1784 and submitted anonymously; it was accepted the following year but delayed in performance. After de Gouges repeatedly pressed, the theater revoked her admission rights and sought her arrest. Between 1761 and 1789, the theater accepted only nine plays by women, and she was the only one treated this way. She later wrote to the Duke of Richelieu, who helped restore her status.
— Tracy V. WilsonThe Slavery play became the first abolitionist drama
In 1789 the play was finally staged, but the setting changed from the East Indies to the Caribbean, and the characters from Asians to Africans, with the title becoming The Slavery of Blacks. It is often considered the first French play explicitly supporting abolition and told from the perspective of the enslaved. Abolitionists praised it, while wealthy colonists hired hecklers to disrupt performances, and actors refused to darken their skin for the roles.
— Holly FreyThe article rewrote all 17 articles one by one
The Declaration of the Rights of Man granted civil rights but excluded women, and the 1791 Constitution limited voting to male taxpayers. De Gouges's Declaration of the Rights of Woman copied the 17-article format and rewrote each one. For example, the original Article 10 guaranteed freedom of speech; she added that mothers had the right to publicly name the father of their children. The entire work was dedicated to Marie Antoinette, encouraging her to advance women's rights.
— Tracy V. WilsonDefending Louis XVI became a liability
Despite revolutionary positions, de Gouges believed constitutional monarchy was best for France and that the king should be a symbol, not a power. During Louis XVI's treason trial in 1792, she voluntarily defended him, arguing that since the monarchy had been abolished, the Republic could not judge the king for acts committed while in office. Her logic was criticized as far-fetched; the king was ultimately executed, and she was seen as a royalist.
— Holly FreyFederalist advocacy led to her arrest
In July 1793, de Gouges suggested that French provinces should govern themselves rather than be a unified republic, which was seen as a direct provocation. She underestimated the intense political climate of the Reign of Terror. She voluntarily brought investigators to her office, thinking her works would prove her loyalty, but her unfinished play France Preserved was used as evidence because it sympathized with Marie Antoinette. She was ultimately executed for opposing the republican constitution.
— Tracy V. WilsonIn their own words · checked verbatim
Man, are you capable of being fair? A woman is asking, at least you will allow her that right. Tell me, what gave you the sovereign right to oppress my sex?
Tracy V. Wilson24:35
The free expression of thoughts and opinions is one of the most precious rights of woman, given that this liberty ensures the legitimacy of fathers and their children.
Tracy V. Wilson25:36
Women have done more harm than good. Constraint and dissimulation have been their lot.
Tracy V. Wilson26:37
Marriage is the tomb of trust and love.
Tracy V. Wilson26:37
Olympe de Gouges was executed in Paris on November 3rd, 1793. And her last words were, children of the homeland, you will avenge my death.
Holly Frey33:50
Figures
| Birth date | May 7, 1748 | 2:07 |
| Age at execution (though source says 57, actual 45) | 45 | 31:44 |
| Plays accepted by the Comédie-Française | 9 | 15:23 |
| Royal regulation required annual output | 25 to 40 | 15:23 |
| Actual plays staged per year | 10 to 12 | 15:23 |
| Total plays she wrote in her lifetime | over 40 | 19:29 |
| Extant plays | 12 | 19:29 |
| Plays actually staged during her lifetime | 4 | 19:29 |
| Publication date of the Declaration of the Rights of Woman | September 14, 1791 | 24:35 |
| Execution date | November 3, 1793 | 33:50 |
Glossary
- Citoyen
- French masculine word for male citizen; de Gouges used the feminine form citoyenne.
How to listen
For those interested in the French Revolution, women's history, and women's writing during the Enlightenment, especially readers who want details of women's political participation beyond textbooks.
The first 4-plus minutes, which cover the ambiguous early life, can be fast-forwarded; the core content begins in the middle.