Biography of olympe
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Her works have since been celebrated for their prescient vision of equality and justice.
Modern Recognition
In the 20th century, Olympe de Gouges was rediscovered as a feminist icon. Her early literary efforts included novels and plays addressing societal issues such as divorce, marriage, and the rights of illegitimate children.
Advocacy for Social Justice
De Gouges emerged as one of France’s earliest voices against slavery.
In response, she authored her famous Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen (1791), asserting that women deserved the same political and legal rights as men.
Aligning with the moderate Girondins, de Gouges opposed the radical Montagnards led by Robespierre.
Notable works include L’Homme généreux and La France Sauvée.
G A L L E R Y
Olympe de Gouges
1748 - Her Story - 1793
Marie Gouze was born in Montauban to a modest family ; her father was a butcher and her mother a servant.
Rumour would have it that she was the illegitimate childof the poet, the Marquis Le Franc de Pompignan, or even that she could be an illegitimate child of King Louis XV.
In 1765, Marie Gouze married Louis Aubry, a master of fine dining to the Intendant (provincial administrator), with whom she had a child 2 years later. Her husband died shortly afterwards and she moved with her child to Paris, not wishing to fulfil her role as a middle-class provincial. Dreaming of celebrity, she took the pseudonym of Olympe de Gouges, formed from her mother’s first name and her family name.
Montauban
She became a woman of letters, publishing, from 1780 onwards, novels and plays defending her modern opinions.
Her play, L’Esclavage des Noirs, was staged in 1789 but faced backlash from pro-slavery factions who disrupted performances. Soon, de Gouges established herself as a fixture in Parisian society; she held salons and began writing poetry, novellas, pamphlets and plays. As the Revolution progressed, she became more and more radical in her writings until she was arrested for her political opinions in 1793.
The following years were spent in pursuit of her intellectual education, supported by Jacques Biétrix de Roziéres, a wealthy merchant. Her mother, Anne Olympe Mouisset Gouze, came from a bourgeois background, while her father was officially recorded as Pierre Gouze, a butcher. The French Revolution gave Olympe de Gouges the occasion to show how much she was in advance of the times.
Despite lacking formal education, de Gouges displayed remarkable intellect, dictating her works to secretaries.
After the fall of the Girondins, she was accused of being the author of a Girondin poster. She was arrested on 20 July 1793, condemned to death and guillotined on 3 November 1793, mainly becauseof her writings on male-female equality.
Portrait of Olympes de Gouges by Alexander Kucharsky, Collection particulière
Olympe de Gouges, née Marie Gouze
*May 7, 1748 (Montauban, France)
†November 3, 1793 (Paris, France)
Spouses: Louis-Yves Aubry
Children: General Pierre Aubry de Gouges
Olympe de Gouges was a playwright and political activist during the French Revolution.
A passionate advocate of human rights, de Gouges welcomed the outbreak of the Revolution, but soon became disillusioned when equal rights were not extended to women. Her advocacy for gender equality and abolitionism transcended borders, influencing discussions on women’s suffrage and human rights.
While de Gouges faced scorn during her lifetime, her boldness made her a symbol of resistance against oppression.
De Gouges firmly believed that true liberty was incompatible with slavery, declaring that “Men everywhere are equal.”
Political Engagement During the Revolution
De Gouges initially welcomed the French Revolution, seeing it as a gateway to liberty and equality. De Gouges was a bold and vocal critic of societal injustices, ranging from slavery to gender inequality, ultimately leading to her execution during the French Revolution.
A 1793 painting of Olympe de Gouges.
Early Life and Background
Marie Gouze was born into a modest family.
Her seminal work, Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen (1791), remains an iconic text in feminist history. During her trial, de Gouges defended herself eloquently but was denied legal counsel.