Thermidor
Encyclopedia
Thermidor was the eleventh month
in the French Republican Calendar
. The month was named after the French
word thermal which comes from the Greek
word "thermos" which means heat.
Thermidor was the second month of the summer quarter (mois d'été). It started July 19 or 20. It ended August 17 or 18. It follows the Messidor
and precedes the Fructidor
. During Year 2, it was sometimes called Fervidor.
Because of the Thermidorian reaction
, the overthrow of revolutionary radical Maximilien Robespierre
and his followers in that month, the word "Thermidor" has come to mean a retreat from more radical goals and strategies during a revolution, especially when caused by a replacement of leading personalities.
, Revolution of Thermidor, or simply Thermidor refers to the coup of 9 Thermidor (27 July 1794) in which the Committee of Public Safety led by Maximilien Robespierre
was sidelined and its leaders arrested and guillotine
d, resulting in the end of the Reign of Terror
. The new regime, known as The Directory, introduced more conservative policies aimed at stabilizing the revolutionary government.
Consequently, for historians of revolutionary movements, the term Thermidor has come to mean the phase in some revolutions when the political pendulum swings back towards something resembling a pre-revolutionary state, and power slips from the hands of the original revolutionary leadership. Leon Trotsky
, in his book The Revolution Betrayed
, refers to the rise of Joseph Stalin
and the accompanying post-revolutionary bureaucracy as the "Soviet Thermidor".
was named, directly or indirectly, after the month. (Sometimes it is said that it was first prepared for Napoleon I
during the month of Thermidor; others say that it was created by Tony Girod at the Café de Paris to celebrate the opening of a play called Thermidor.)
Thermidor is also the name of a story revolving around the end of the French Revolution in Neil Gaiman
's The Sandman, issue #29.
"Thermidor" and "Thermidor 2" were robots on Robot Wars
.
A man by the name of "Thermidor" is the leader of the ORCA reactionary group in the video game Armored Core: For Answer. Additionally, in the game, ORCA launches a large-scale offensive on "13 Thermidor," as the game narration states that "for many, the chaos began in early July."
|- bgcolor=#e0e0e0
| ALIGN="right"|
| ALIGN="center" colspan=2| 1re Décade
| ALIGN="center" colspan=2| 2e Décade
| ALIGN="center" colspan=2| 3e Décade
|-
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#e0e0e0|Primidi
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0| 1.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0 width=28%|Epeautre (Spelt)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|11.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0 width=28%|Panic (Eryngo)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|21.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0 width=28%|Carline (Silver Thistle)
|-
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#e0e0e0|Duodi
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0| 2.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Bouillon blanc (Mullein)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|12.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Salicor (Glasswort)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|22.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Caprier (Caper)
|-
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#e0e0e0|Tridi
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0| 3.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Melon (Melon)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|13.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Abricot (Apricot)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|23.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Lentille (Lentil)
|-
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#e0e0e0|Quartidi
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0| 4.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Ivraie (Ryegrass)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|14.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Basilic (Basil)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|24.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Aunée (Elecampane)
|-
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#e0e0e0|Quintidi
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0| 5.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Bélier (Ram)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|15.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Brebis (Ewe)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|25.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Loutre (Otter)
|-
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#e0e0e0|Sextidi
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0| 6.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Prêle (Horsetail)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|16.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Guimauve (Marsh Mallow)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|26.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Myrthe (Myrtle)
|-
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#e0e0e0|Septidi
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0| 7.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Armoise (Mugwort)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|17.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Lin (Flax)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|27.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Colza (Rape)
|-
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#e0e0e0|Octidi
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0| 8.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Carthame (Safflower)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|18.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Amande (Almond)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|28.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Lupin (Lupin)
|-
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#e0e0e0|Nonidi
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0| 9.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Mûre (Mulberry)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|19.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Genthiane (Gentian)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|29.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Coton (Cotton)
|-
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#e0e0e0|Decadi
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|10.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Arrosoir (Watering Can)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|20.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Écluse (Lock)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|30.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Moulin (Mill)
|}>
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idth="100%" style="text-align: center">
July
1800
1801
1802
1803
1804
1805
August
Month
A month is a unit of time, used with calendars, which was first used and invented in Mesopotamia, as a natural period related to the motion of the Moon; month and Moon are cognates. The traditional concept arose with the cycle of moon phases; such months are synodic months and last approximately...
in the French Republican Calendar
French Republican Calendar
The French Republican Calendar or French Revolutionary Calendar was a calendar created and implemented during the French Revolution, and used by the French government for about 12 years from late 1793 to 1805, and for 18 days by the Paris Commune in 1871...
. The month was named after the French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
word thermal which comes from the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
word "thermos" which means heat.
Thermidor was the second month of the summer quarter (mois d'été). It started July 19 or 20. It ended August 17 or 18. It follows the Messidor
Messidor
Messidor was the tenth month in the French Republican Calendar. The month was named after the Latin word messis, which means harvest....
and precedes the Fructidor
Fructidor
Fructidor is the twelfth month in the French Republican Calendar. The month was named after the Latin word fructus, which means "fruit".Fructidor is the third month of the summer quarter . By the Gregorian calendar, Fructidor starts on either August 18 or August 19 and ends exactly thirty days...
. During Year 2, it was sometimes called Fervidor.
Because of the Thermidorian reaction
Thermidorian Reaction
The Thermidorian Reaction was a revolt in the French Revolution against the excesses of the Reign of Terror. It was triggered by a vote of the Committee of Public Safety to execute Maximilien Robespierre, Antoine Louis Léon de Saint-Just de Richebourg and several other leading members of the Terror...
, the overthrow of revolutionary radical Maximilien Robespierre
Maximilien Robespierre
Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre is one of the best-known and most influential figures of the French Revolution. He largely dominated the Committee of Public Safety and was instrumental in the period of the Revolution commonly known as the Reign of Terror, which ended with his...
and his followers in that month, the word "Thermidor" has come to mean a retreat from more radical goals and strategies during a revolution, especially when caused by a replacement of leading personalities.
Thermidor in revolution
The Thermidorian ReactionThermidorian Reaction
The Thermidorian Reaction was a revolt in the French Revolution against the excesses of the Reign of Terror. It was triggered by a vote of the Committee of Public Safety to execute Maximilien Robespierre, Antoine Louis Léon de Saint-Just de Richebourg and several other leading members of the Terror...
, Revolution of Thermidor, or simply Thermidor refers to the coup of 9 Thermidor (27 July 1794) in which the Committee of Public Safety led by Maximilien Robespierre
Maximilien Robespierre
Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre is one of the best-known and most influential figures of the French Revolution. He largely dominated the Committee of Public Safety and was instrumental in the period of the Revolution commonly known as the Reign of Terror, which ended with his...
was sidelined and its leaders arrested and guillotine
Guillotine
The guillotine is a device used for carrying out :executions by decapitation. It consists of a tall upright frame from which an angled blade is suspended. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the head from the body...
d, resulting in the end of the Reign of Terror
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror , also known simply as The Terror , was a period of violence that occurred after the onset of the French Revolution, incited by conflict between rival political factions, the Girondins and the Jacobins, and marked by mass executions of "enemies of...
. The new regime, known as The Directory, introduced more conservative policies aimed at stabilizing the revolutionary government.
Consequently, for historians of revolutionary movements, the term Thermidor has come to mean the phase in some revolutions when the political pendulum swings back towards something resembling a pre-revolutionary state, and power slips from the hands of the original revolutionary leadership. Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky , born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and theorist, Soviet politician, and the founder and first leader of the Red Army....
, in his book The Revolution Betrayed
The Revolution Betrayed
The Revolution Betrayed: What Is the Soviet Union and Where Is It Going? is a book by the Russian Bolshevik leader Leon Trotsky, published in 1937, analyzing and criticizing Stalinism and the post-Lenin development in the Soviet Union....
, refers to the rise of Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
and the accompanying post-revolutionary bureaucracy as the "Soviet Thermidor".
Thermidor in culture
The food Lobster ThermidorLobster Thermidor
Lobster Thermidor is a French dish consisting of a creamy mixture of cooked lobster meat, egg yolks, and cognac or brandy, stuffed into a lobster shell, and optionally served with an oven-browned cheese crust, typically Gruyère...
was named, directly or indirectly, after the month. (Sometimes it is said that it was first prepared for Napoleon I
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
during the month of Thermidor; others say that it was created by Tony Girod at the Café de Paris to celebrate the opening of a play called Thermidor.)
Thermidor is also the name of a story revolving around the end of the French Revolution in Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
's The Sandman, issue #29.
"Thermidor" and "Thermidor 2" were robots on Robot Wars
Robot Wars (TV series)
Robot Wars is a British game show modelled on a US-based competition of the same name. It was broadcast on BBC Two from 1998 until 2003, with its final series broadcast on Five in 2003 and 2004. Additional series were filmed for specific sectors of the global market, including two series of Robot...
.
A man by the name of "Thermidor" is the leader of the ORCA reactionary group in the video game Armored Core: For Answer. Additionally, in the game, ORCA launches a large-scale offensive on "13 Thermidor," as the game narration states that "for many, the chaos began in early July."
Day name table
Like all FRC months, Thermidor lasted 30 days and was divided into three 10-day weeks called décades (decades). Every day had the name of an agricultural plant, except the 5th (Quintidi) and 10th day (Decadi) of every decade, which had the name of a domestic animal or an agricultural tool, respectively.| ALIGN="right"|
| ALIGN="center" colspan=2| 1re Décade
| ALIGN="center" colspan=2| 2e Décade
| ALIGN="center" colspan=2| 3e Décade
|-
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#e0e0e0|Primidi
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0| 1.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0 width=28%|Epeautre (Spelt)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|11.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0 width=28%|Panic (Eryngo)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|21.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0 width=28%|Carline (Silver Thistle)
|-
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#e0e0e0|Duodi
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0| 2.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Bouillon blanc (Mullein)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|12.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Salicor (Glasswort)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|22.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Caprier (Caper)
|-
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#e0e0e0|Tridi
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0| 3.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Melon (Melon)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|13.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Abricot (Apricot)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|23.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Lentille (Lentil)
|-
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#e0e0e0|Quartidi
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0| 4.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Ivraie (Ryegrass)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|14.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Basilic (Basil)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|24.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Aunée (Elecampane)
|-
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#e0e0e0|Quintidi
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0| 5.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Bélier (Ram)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|15.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Brebis (Ewe)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|25.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Loutre (Otter)
|-
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#e0e0e0|Sextidi
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0| 6.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Prêle (Horsetail)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|16.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Guimauve (Marsh Mallow)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|26.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Myrthe (Myrtle)
|-
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#e0e0e0|Septidi
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0| 7.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Armoise (Mugwort)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|17.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Lin (Flax)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|27.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Colza (Rape)
|-
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#e0e0e0|Octidi
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0| 8.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Carthame (Safflower)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|18.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Amande (Almond)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|28.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Lupin (Lupin)
|-
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#e0e0e0|Nonidi
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0| 9.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Mûre (Mulberry)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|19.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Genthiane (Gentian)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|29.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Coton (Cotton)
|-
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#e0e0e0|Decadi
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|10.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Arrosoir (Watering Can)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|20.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Écluse (Lock)
| ALIGN="right" bgcolor=#d0f0d0|30.
| ALIGN="left" bgcolor=#fffff0|Moulin (Mill)
|}>
Conversion table
| Table for conversion between Republican and Gregorian Calendar for the month "Thermidor" |
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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| idth="100%" style="text-align: center"> | July | 1793 | 1794 | 1795 | 1796 | 1797 | 1798 | 1799 | August |
| idth="66%" align="center" style="text-align:center"> | |||||
| VIII. | IX. | X. | XI. | XII. | XIII. |
